ARIA’S POV:

The moment Celeste stepped into the courtyard, the air thickened like smoke before a storm.

Her gown shimmered silver, her lips curved into a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“Miss me, sweetheart?” she purred, her voice as soft as poison.

Adrian stiffened beside me, his wolf snarling under his breath. “What are you doing here, Luna of Silverfang?”

Celeste’s laugh was cold. “Oh, come now. Don’t act surprised. The Moon doesn’t grant power without a price… and I came to collect mine.”

I struggled to stand. The faint glow of her eyes wasn’t normal. It wasn’t a wolf. It was divine, moon-white, the color of old gods.

Rowan staggered up from the ground, wiping blood from his mouth. “Celeste, stop. This isn’t…”

“Quiet!” she snapped, and the command in her voice made even him flinch. Power rolled from her, thick and ancient.

Adrian moved in front of me, half-shifted already. “She’s not just a wolf,” he growled.

Celeste smiled wider. “Finally, someone notices.”

The torches flickered. The moonlight brightened until it drowned the courtyard in silver fire.

Symbols shimmered in the air around Celeste, runes older than any pack law.

“She’s channeling moon magic,” Adrian muttered.

Rowan stared at her in disbelief. “What are you talking about?”

“She’s a priestess,” I whispered, realizing cutting through the fear. “A Moon Priestess.”

Celeste tilted her head, the mark on her neck pulsing with light. “Correct, little Luna. I was chosen by the Goddess long before you ever were.”

Her gaze drifted to my stomach. “And yet… she gave you that.”

I instinctively wrapped my arms around my belly. “Stay away from me.”

“Don’t be selfish,” she said sweetly. “That child is the balance the Goddess created to end the curse. One life to break the bond, or one death to bind it forever.”

Adrian took a step forward, his voice low. “What do you want, Celeste?”

“I want peace,” she said simply. “But to achieve it, one of you has to die.”

The words sank into the silence like knives.

Rowan’s wolf growled behind her. “You’ve lost your mind.”

Celeste turned on him with eyes of pure moonlight. “You gave me your mark, Alpha. Your life is tied to mine now. If I die, so do you.”

She turned back to Adrian. “But if she dies, the curse ends for both of you.”

Her finger pointed straight at me.

Adrian moved instantly, blocking me from view. “Over my dead body.”

“Oh,” she said, voice lilting. “That can be arranged.”

Before anyone could react, Celeste raised her hands. The runes flared brighter, and the ground shook. A blast of energy tore through the air, throwing warriors aside like leaves in the wind.

Adrian shifted fully, black fur glinting under the red-stained moon. He lunged, jaws snapping, meeting her power head-on. The shockwave split the courtyard stone.

Rowan’s wolf joined the fight, golden fur against silver light. The scene was chaos, two Alphas tearing through magic that smelled like burning air.

I screamed their names, but my voice drowned under the storm.

Then, sudden silence.

Celeste stood in the center, calm and unhurt, her hand clutching a glowing pendant.

“Stop fighting,” she said. “You’ll only make it worse.”

The pendant pulsed once. Adrian staggered, collapsing to one knee. His mark, the cursed one, flared violently, veins of light crawling up his throat.

“Adrian!” I ran to him, catching his face between my hands. His skin burned like fire.

“She’s binding his wolf!” Rowan shouted. “She’s sealing the curse back into him!”

Celeste’s smirk deepened. “Exactly.”

Desperation clawed through me. “What do you want me to do?”

Celeste’s voice softened, almost pitying. “Choose. The Goddess wants balance. Either your child dies before it’s born… or the curse consumes your mate completely.”

The world tilted. “No…”

Rowan stepped forward, blood dripping from his claws. “Don’t listen to her. She’s lying!”

“Am I?” Celeste’s smile didn’t fade. “You of all people should know, Goddess never gives life without demanding something back.”

Adrian’s breathing grew ragged. “Aria,” he gasped, his eyes flickering between silver and black. “Don’t choose me. Save the child.”

I shook my head, tears blurring my vision. “I can’t…”

His hand gripped mine, weak but steady. “Promise me.”

Celeste sighed. “How noble. Pity it’s useless.”

The pendant flared again. Adrian’s body arched, a scream tearing from his throat as light burst from his chest. I felt his bond pulse through me, strong, wild, and breaking apart.

My wolf howled inside me. “Do something!”

Instinct took over. I pressed my hand to the glowing wound, ignoring the pain searing through my arm. The mark responded—silver fire meeting moonlight in a violent clash.

Celeste’s smile finally faltered. “What are you doing?”

“I’m taking back what’s mine,” I whispered.

The runes exploded into shards of light, spinning around us. I didn’t understand how, but the curse was feeding on both of us now. My heartbeat matched Adrian’s, each pulse burning hotter, faster.

Celeste screamed, covering her eyes as the light grew unbearable.

Then, everything went black.

When I opened my eyes, the courtyard was silent. The moon hung pale and new above us.

Rowan lay unconscious a few feet away. The warriors were gone. Celeste was nowhere to be seen.

And Adrian…

He was lying still beside me, his skin cold, the markings gone completely.

“No…” I whispered, shaking him. “Adrian, wake up.”

No response.

I pressed my ear to his chest. Nothing.

Tears spilled freely as I clutched his hand to my heart. “Don’t leave me.”

Then, faintly, just faintly, I heard it. A heartbeat.

But it wasn’t his.

It came from the ground beneath us.

I looked down. The soil glowed faintly with the same silver runes that had once marked his skin. They were moving, spreading outward in a perfect circle, forming a sigil I’d never seen before.

A cold wind blew, and a whisper echoed through the air, not Celeste’s voice this time, something older.

“The debt is not yet paid.”

The runes flared, and Adrian’s body vanished into light.

I screamed his name, but he was gone.

Only the echo of his heartbeat lingered on the earth.