ARIA’S POV:

The growl that tore through the night wasn’t human.

It shook the windows, rumbling deep from the forest like thunder made of rage.

I froze by the window, my heart was hammering, and I knew that sound.

I’d heard it too many times before, when Rowan fought rogues, when he came back from patrols bloodied but alive. It was his wolf.

My former mate. The father of my unborn child. And he was here.

Outside, the Dark Moon warriors rushed to the gates, forming ranks beneath the silver glow of the Moon. I could smell the sharp tang of fear and dominance in the air.

Every wolf in Adrian’s pack had felt it, the arrival of another Alpha.

Adrian’s voice thundered from the courtyard. “Lower your weapons. Let him in.”

My blood ran cold. He was letting Rowan walk right into the heart of his territory.

I rushed for the door, ignoring the healer’s shout. My hand shook as I pulled it open, the cold wind slicing against my face. The scent of pine and blood filled the air, thick and wild.

And there he was.

Rowan stood just beyond the gate, his dark hair plastered to his face, his neck marked by her. Celeste’s mark gleamed faintly under the moonlight.

“Where is she?” he snarled. “Where’s my Luna?”

The word hit like a blade to the chest.

I wanted to scream. You have a Luna, Celeste. But my voice was gone.

Adrian stepped forward, his power flooding the air until even Rowan stiffened. “You mean the woman you rejected? The one you left to die in the woods?”

Rowan’s jaw flexed. “She’s mine.”

“Not anymore,” Adrian said softly. “You forfeited that right when you marked another.”

I didn’t want to watch this. But I couldn’t move. My wolf was clawing inside me, torn between the mate who’d betrayed me and the Alpha whose bond burned through my veins like fire.

Rowan’s gaze finally found me. His eyes softened for just a second before hardening again.

“Aria.”

Hearing my name in his voice after all the pain, it was almost unbearable.

“Why are you here?” I asked, forcing my voice steady.

He took a step closer, ignoring Adrian’s low growl. “Because I made a mistake.”

My breath caught.

“I shouldn’t have marked her,” he said hoarsely. “I thought I could forget you. But I can’t. You’re my mate, Aria. You always were.”

Tears burned behind my eyes, but before I could speak, Adrian stepped between us, tall and furious.

“Enough,” he snarled. “You lost the right to speak to her.”

Rowan bared his teeth. “Stay out of this, Dark Moon. You don’t know what you’re…”

Adrian’s power slammed into him like a physical force. The ground cracked beneath their feet. Sparks of energy tore through the air.

“Don’t test me,” Adrian warned, his eyes flashing silver. “She’s under my protection now.”

“She’s carrying my child!” Rowan roared.

Silence.

Every warrior froze. My heart stopped.

Adrian turned slowly toward me. “Is that true?”

My lips parted, but no sound came. The truth hung between us, heavy and unforgiving.

His expression darkened, a storm brewing in his gaze. “You’re pregnant with his heir?”

“I didn’t know then,” I whispered. “When I met you… when you saved me…”

Adrian turned away, fists clenched. “The Moon Goddess really does enjoy watching me suffer.”

Before I could speak again, a sudden tremor rippled through the earth. The torches flickered. I looked up and froze.

The moon had turned crimson.

Rowan’s wolf snarled, eyes glowing gold. “What is this?”

Adrian’s expression changed, rage fading into realization. “The curse. It’s reacting to the child.”

My vision blurred as a searing pain tore through my chest. I fell to my knees, rubbing my stomach with my hand.

Fire burned through my veins, the same ancient markings from before flaring bright along my skin.

“Aria!” Both Alphas shouted at once.

The ground split open around me. The energy was wild, chaotic, ancient. My wolf screamed inside me, half agony, half release.

I felt hands on me, one warm and familiar, one cold and strong. Both are pulling me in opposite directions.

“Let her go!” Adrian roared.

“She’s mine!” Rowan growled back.

“Not anymore!” The air exploded in white light.

When the glow faded, I was lying on the ground, gasping for air.

Rowan was thrown several feet away, blood trickling from his mouth. Adrian knelt beside me, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

But something was wrong.

The markings that had faded from his arms earlier were back, only darker, deeper, crawling up his throat. His skin shimmered faintly with cursed light.

“No…” I whispered. “It’s taking you again.”

He smiled weakly, brushing his thumb against my cheek. “Better me than you.”

“Don’t say that,” I whispered, tears slipping down.

He leaned closer, voice barely audible. “If the curse kills me, promise you’ll run. Don’t let him win.”

Before I could respond, a chilling laugh echoed from the woods. Celeste stepped out of the shadows, her eyes glowing like liquid silver.

“Oh, darling,” she purred, gaze flicking between the two Alphas. “Who said she’d get to choose?”