Kael’s laughter echoed through the clearing, cold and ragged, even with Damian’s jaws clamped on his throat.

The Ironfang wolves stirred uneasily. The Shadowpine pack growled, ready to surge forward, but the stone circle’s law held them back.

Pinned beneath Damian’s weight, Kael’s silver eyes burned with something too sharp to be fear. “You think this ends with my death?” he rasped, blood bubbling on his lips. “Fool. The curse you guard will eat you alive.”

Aria’s breath caught. The curse you guard…

Damian growled, tightening his grip, but Kael’s laugh only grew louder. “Your mate’s bloodline is older than your pack, older than the moon’s blessing. Do you even know what you’ve bound yourself to, Alpha?”

Aria’s heart lurched. Mate. He said it like a truth carved into stone, not a taunt.

Damian snarled, muscles rippling as he drove Kael harder into the earth. But Kael’s words struck deeper than claws.

“She will destroy you,” Kael hissed. “Destroy all of you.”

The air thickened. Aria’s mark flared, searing against her chest. She stumbled, clutching it, her knees weak as a wave of heat and pain rolled through her.

And then—she felt it.

Not just her own heartbeat, but Damian’s. The bond roared open, raw and brutal. Every strike he gave, every wound he took, every surge of fury—she felt it all.

Her vision swam. The world tilted.

In the circle, Kael’s body bucked with unnatural strength. Shadows writhed across his fur, dark veins spidering under his skin. He shoved against Damian with force that should have been impossible for a wolf so wounded.

Gasps rippled through both packs.

“What is that?” Rylan growled.

Marlowe’s face went pale. “Blood-magic.”

Aria staggered forward, her breath ragged, the bond tugging her like a leash. She felt Damian’s surprise, his rage, his sudden pain as Kael raked claws across his flank—felt it in her own flesh, sharp and searing though no wound marked her skin.

“Damian!” she cried, her voice breaking.

His golden eyes snapped toward her, glowing with fury and fear.

For one heartbeat, everything else disappeared. The bond burned brighter than fire, hotter than blood.

And then—something inside Aria broke open.

The mark on her chest blazed, light spilling from beneath her skin. The packs gasped, wolves stumbling back. The glow spread down her arms, veins of silver fire threading through her flesh.

Kael’s eyes widened, his cruel smile faltering. “No… it can’t be…”

But it was.

The bond surged, and with it, Aria’s bloodline awakened.

The world shifted. She saw the fight not as a girl watching two Alphas clash, but as something older, deeper. She saw threads of power coiled around Damian, around Kael, around herself—threads of fate, of shadow, of blood.

Her voice tore free, not entirely her own. “He is mine.”

The words boomed like thunder, reverberating through the circle.

Damian froze, his jaws locked on Kael, his golden eyes wide.

The glow from Aria’s skin pulsed again, and Kael snarled, thrashing. “This isn’t possible. Elara’s line should have been broken—”

Aria’s chest tightened. Elara. Mother. Her past, her secrets, her blood—it was all bound to this moment.

The bond pulled tighter, feeding strength into Damian. His wounds closed faster, his muscles surged with power not entirely his own. He snapped Kael back down, fangs digging deeper into his rival’s throat.

Kael howled, the sound twisted with rage and fear.

Aria swayed, her body trembling under the strain, but she didn’t break her gaze. The bond poured through her, into Damian, fueling him. She felt his strength become hers, his fury become fire in her blood.

And when Kael’s body went limp under Damian’s jaws, she knew it was over.

The circle rang with silence, broken only by the rasp of Damian’s breath. Slowly, he released his rival, his massive wolf form shifting back into bloodied human flesh.

Kael lay broken, beaten, but still breathing—barely.

The elders stepped forward, voices shaking as they invoked the ancient law. “Alpha Damian. Victor of the challenge.”

The Shadowpine wolves roared their triumph. The Ironfang wolves howled their fury.

But Aria barely heard them. Her knees gave way, the glow fading from her skin, leaving her gasping, hollow.

Damian was there in an instant, catching her before she hit the ground. His arms wrapped around her, strong and shaking, his golden eyes searching her face with something close to terror.

“What did you do?” he whispered.

Her lips trembled. “I… I don’t know.”

But she did. Deep down, she knew.

Her bloodline wasn’t just cursed.

It was powerful.

And now, everyone knew it.