Aria stared at the scrap of parchment in her hands. "The daughter of the Ruby Wolf shall return. Three will join, one will betray." Her mind raced. Ruby Wolf? And which of the three brothers would betray her? The howls from the forest grew louder. She needed to find her father and demand answers. Tucking the parchment into her pocket, she hurried down from the roof.
The castle buzzed with activity as warriors prepared for battle. Aria slipped through the chaos, searching for Sebastian. Instead, she found herself face-to-face with Elias Crow. "Looking for someone?" Elias asked, his gray eyes cold despite his smile. Aria stepped back.
"I need to find my father." "Sebastian is busy defending our borders." Elias moved closer, backing her against the wall. "But perhaps I can help you instead." Something about his tone sent a chill up her spine. "I don't need your help." Elias chuckled. "Oh, but you do. Especially if you're going to accept your position as Luna." "What do you know about it?" Aria demanded. Elias's face hardened. "I know about the blood pact your father made."
Aria's breath caught. Marcus had started to mention something about a pact before they were interrupted. "What blood pact?" Elias glanced around to make sure they were alone, then leaned in close.
"Eighteen years ago, Sebastian Arden made a deal with the Syndicate to protect your life. If you ever accept the Luna title, you must marry me, or your father's life is forfeit." The world seemed to tilt under Aria's feet. "You're lying." "Am I?"
Elias pulled out a small dagger with strange markings. "This blade is bound to the pact. If you become Luna without fulfilling the terms, it will find your father's heart." Aria's mind reeled. "Why would he make such a deal?"
"To protect you, of course." Elias smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Ask him yourselfif you can find him before the Syndicate does." With that, he slipped the dagger back into his belt and walked away, leaving Aria frozen in place. "Aria!" Selene's voice broke through her shock. Her friend rushed toward her, face flushed.
"Everyone's looking for you! It's not safe to be wandering alone." Aria grabbed Selene's arm. "Do you know anything about a blood pact my father made?" Selene's eyes widened, then quickly darted away. "I... I don't know what you're talking about." "You're lying," Aria said, noticing how Selene wouldn't meet her gaze.
"You know something." Before Selene could answer, Marcus appeared around the corner, battle-ready with a large axe strapped to his back. "There you are," he said to Aria, then noticed Selene. His expression darkened. "Hart. Shouldn't you be helping the healers prepare?" Selene stiffened. "I was looking for Aria."
"She's found. You can go now." Aria had never heard Marcus speak so coldly to anyone. Selene shot him a strange look a mixture of fear and something else Aria couldn't quite placebefore hurrying away. "What was that about?" Aria asked.
Marcus's jaw tightened. "Don't trust her completely." "She's my best friend!" "And she has secrets." Marcus took Aria's hand. "Come on. Dorian and Tobias are waiting in the war room. Father wants all of us together where it's safe." As they walked, Aria studied Marcus's profile.
Could he be the one the prophecy warned would betray her? Or was it Dorian with his ambitious drive to be Alpha? Or quiet Tobias with his hidden knowledge? In the war room, maps covered a large table. Dorian and Tobias bent over them, arguing about defense strategies. They both looked up when Aria entered.
"You should be in your chambers," Dorian said, the scar on his brow pulsing brighter than before. "I'm not hiding while the pack is under attack," Aria replied. Tobias offered a small smile. "The attack has been stopped. It was just a diversion." "A diversion for what?" Aria asked.
The brothers exchanged looks. "Someone broke into the vault during the chaos," Dorian explained. "They stole the pack's sacred relics." Aria's hand went to her pocket where the parchment from the moonstone rested. "What kind of relics?" "Ancient artifacts,"
Tobias said. "Including the true moonstonea larger version of the pendant Rowan gave you." Marcus leaned against the wall. "Without it, no Luna can be fully recognized by the pack." Aria's mind raced. "So without this moonstone, I can't complete the bond with any of you?" "Not properly," Tobias confirmed. The door burst open, and Alpha Raphael strode in, his face a mask of fury. Sebastian followed close behind, looking worn and worried.
"Father!" Aria rushed to Sebastian, but he held up a hand to stop her. "Not now," he whispered, his eyes pleading. "The borders are secured," Raphael announced, "but the moonstone is gone. Until it's recovered, all bond ceremonies are suspended." Relief and confusion washed over Aria. This gave her more time, but also meant the danger of her fractured soul would continue.
"We need to find who's responsible," Dorian said. Raphael nodded. "Each of you will lead a search party. Dorian, take the northern woods. Tobias, the villages. Marcus, the eastern borders." "What about me?" Aria asked. Raphael's cold eyes landed on her. "You will remain here, under guard. This attack happened because of you."
"That's not fair," Marcus protested. "Silence!" Raphael roared. "The pack was peaceful until this... this nobody triggered a triplet bond!" He pointed at Aria. "Now we face enemies on all sides." Sebastian stepped forward. "Alpha, my daughter is not to blame for ancient magic beyond her control." Raphael's lip curled.
"Perhaps not. But she will be kept safeand separate from my sonsuntil this is resolved." As everyone filed out, Aria caught her father's arm. "We need to talk about the blood pact." Sebastian's face drained of color. "Who told you?" "Elias Crow.
Is it true?" He couldn't meet her eyes. "We'll discuss this later." "There might not be a later!" Aria hissed. "And I need to know about the Ruby Wolf too." Her father stiffened. "Where did you hear that name?" Before she could answer, a guard appeared at the door. "Beta Arden, you're needed at the north gate." Sebastian squeezed her hand. "Stay in your room.
Promise me." After everyone left, Aria paced her chamber, mind spinning with questions. A soft knock sounded, and Selene slipped inside. "I brought you some food," she said, setting down a tray. Aria crossed her arms. "Are you going to tell me what you know about my father's pact?" Selene sighed, sinking onto the bed. "It's complicated, Aria. And dangerous." "I deserve the truth."
"You do." Selene reached out, taking Aria's hands in hers. "But first, there's something I need to show you." Selene pushed up her sleeve, revealing a strange mark on her wrista crescent moon, just like the birthmark on Aria's shoulder. "What is this?" Aria whispered. "We're sisters, Aria. Half-sisters." The room seemed to spin. "That's impossible."
"Your fatherour fatherfell in love with my mother, a witch from the Moonfall line. I was born first, but kept secret. Then you came along." Aria pulled away. "If that's true, why keep it a secret all these years?" Tears filled Selene's eyes.
"Because my mother's dying curse binds me. I must..." She choked on the words. "Must what?" "Betray you." Selene's voice broke. "Unless I can transfer the curse back to Sebastian." A chill ran through Aria. "That's why you've been my friend all these years? To fulfill a curse?"
"No!" Selene grabbed her hands again. "I love you like a sister because you are my sister. I've been fighting the curse, searching for a way to break it." Before Aria could respond, shouting erupted from the courtyard.
They rushed to the window. Torches illuminated a scene of chaos. The three brothers had returned, but something was wrong. Marcus was carrying a body.
"That's Rowan Vale!" Selene gasped. Aria raced from her room, ignoring the guards' calls to stop. She reached the courtyard just as Marcus laid the seer's body on the ground. Rowan's white braids were matted with blood, his milky eyes staring sightlessly at the stars. "What happened?" she demanded. Dorian's face was grim. "We found him in the Ruined Moon Temple.
He was murdered." "By who?" Tobias held up a blood-stained piece of fabric. "Whoever did it left this behind." Aria's heart stopped. It was a scrap of cloth from her father's cloak, with the Beta's symbol clearly visible.
"No," she whispered. "He wouldn't." Marcus put a hand on her shoulder. "There's more. We found this clutched in Rowan's hand." He handed her a scroll sealed with red wax bearing the image of a wolf.
"The Ruby Wolf seal," Tobias breathed. With trembling fingers, Aria broke the seal. Inside was a message written in ancient script, similar to the parchment from the moonstone: "When three become one, the true heir shall rise. Beware the one who wears a loyal disguise."
At that moment, Sebastian entered the courtyard. When he saw the scroll in Aria's hands, his face turned ashen. "Aria," he said hoarsely, "whatever you're thinking, I can explain."
But all she could see was the bloodied fabric from his cloak, the dead seer at her feet, and the scroll that linked her to a legacy she didn't understand. "Can you explain this?" she asked, holding up the Ruby Wolf seal. "Can you explain who I really am?"