Chapter 1 — Aria's POVI saw my reflection in the broken mirror leaning against the wall. My long, dark hair is all tangled, and my violet eyes look scared, as they usually do. I'm short for a wolf, just over five feet tall, with a body that some might think is delicate. But I know the truth — I'm just weak.“Nyx,” I whisper to my wolf. She stirs within me, a presence both comforting and frustrated. Nyx is everything I'm not — strong, fierce, and unafraid. Sometimes I wonder if she got stuck with the wrong human.Sighing, I quickly braid my hair and pull on a threadbare t-shirt and jeans. No point in trying to look nice. No one would notice.I quietly leave my room, trying not to make any noise. The pack house is quiet at this time, but I know better than to wake anyone. The last time I accidentally woke someone, I got a black eye that took weeks to heal.The kitchen is my first stop. It's my job to have breakfast ready. For the higher-ranking wolves before they wake up. I turn on th
Chapter 2 — Aria's POVMate.Why did I say it out loud? Me, Aria Ravenshadow, the pack omega, claiming the Alpha as my mate? Maybe I've gone insane.Jaxon's gray eyes lock onto mine, and it feels like I'm sinking. He looks even better close up – Nyx, my wolf, is acting crazy. She's howling and clawing, desperate to be closer to him.But then his face changed. The shock fell away, replaced by a cold and hard expression. My heart had soared a moment before and now sank to my feet.“What did you just say?” Jaxon's voice was low and menacing.I opened my mouth but nothing came out. The pack was silent around us, all holding their breath.Jaxon moved a step closer toward me, and I instinctively moved a step backward. My mind was filled with memories of the constant disparaging remarks Jaxon made when I failed in tasks, debilitating chores he handed out to me, and how he looked through me as if I did not exist.“I. I.” I stuttered, my voice little more than a whisper.“Speak up, omega,” gro
Chapter 3 I ran. My lungs were on fire, and my feet tripped over each other in an effort to dash through the forest. Thin branches hit my skin and face. But I couldn't stop running. I wouldn't stop. Behind me, I could hear the muffled sounds of the pack stirring-it was only a matter of time before they realized I was gone. As I was running, Jaxon flashed through my mind. His voice was cold and bitter, the brutal things he'd yell, pushing me beyond the limits of any wolf: “Useless omega,” he'd snarl. “Can't you do anything right? I, Jaxon Blackthorn, Alpha of the Shadowmoon Pack, hereby reject Aria Ravenshadow as my mate. No true Alpha could be mated to such weakness.” I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. I couldn't be haunted by Jaxon now. It was then that my foot caught on a root and I fell. As I hit the hard ground, pain shot through my ankle. “Dammit!” I hissed, grasping at my throbbing ankle. Jaxon's voice echoed in my head: “So weak.” No. I couldn't let him be r
Chapter 4 — Kane's POV.The scent was like a gut punch. Unfamiliar. Intriguing. Not quite human, nor wolf either. My twin brother Zane's ears perked up the same instant mine did, and our eyes met in silent communication.“You smell that?” I growled low.Zane nodded, amber eyes shining bright with curiosity. “Let's go.”We moved through the forest with practiced stealth, our huge wolf forms melting into the shadows. As Alphas of the Nightfire Pack, it was our job to check out any possible threats to our territory. But this was different.The scent grew stronger the closer we came to a small clearing. It was then that I saw her.Huddled in the bushes was the most fantastical creature I had ever seen. Part human, part wolf. Her body was slicked down in black fur, yet her form was caught somewhere between shapes. My heart jumped when our eyes met because they went wild with terror and were impossibly beautiful.I nodded to Zane, and we moved out into the open. The wolf snarled, flashing t
Chapter 5 — Aria's POVI woke up to a clean and sterile smell. Not like the earthy smell of the forest that I remembered. Wait, when? My thoughts were not clear like they were filled with cotton.I opened my eyes and I noticed a white ceiling above me. Definitely not the star-filled night sky I remembered seeing last.Where the hell was I?I tried to sit up, but I fell back with a groan. Every part of my body was hurting, as if I had just run a marathon. Or, you know, I fled for my life through a forest.The forest, The river, The shift.It all came back in a tidal wave. The rejection, running from the Shadowmoon pack, my first agonizing incomplete shift, and then.Oh, Goddess. The Nightfire twins.I closed my eyes, hoping it was a bad dream. But the room was still here when I opened my eyes again. An infirmary-white walls, medical equipment, and that unmistakable scent of antiseptic.“Nyx?” I called out mentally to my wolf. “What happened?”My wolf stirred, her presence so much more
Chapter 6 — Kane's POVMy arms wrapped around her small frame, tugging her easily off the ground. She struggled hard against me, a growl small in her throat.“And where do you think you're going?” I growled-low and rumbling-against her ear.She was wrestling in my arms like some feral animal, all snarls and claws. It was cute, but why was she trying to run away?Instantly, Zane was beside me, his eyes wide with alarm as he took in the vision of our little mate half-shifted. “What the—” he began, but I cut him off with a look.We didn't need words, Zane and I. But a look was sometimes enough to say so much. And today that look said, “What the fuck?”“Easy, little one,” I crooned. I tried to speak soft and soothing. “We're not going to hurt you.”Her struggles slowly subsided, and the fight went out of her, leaving her whole body trembling. It made something ache in my chest, a feeling I wasn't used to.I turned back to Zane, his eyes reflecting my own confusion. This wasn't how finding
Chapter 7 — Zane's POVThe second Kane and I left the pack house; my wolf surged forward, ready for battle. The night air felt cool on my skin, but I hardly noticed it. My senses were fully alert as I looked for the intruder.We were running, but my head kept drifting back to Aria. The fear in her eyes, the way she'd shaken in Kane's arms-it had my wolf howling for the need to protect her. Which, again, was frickin' inconvenient, considering Kane and I had sworn off mates forever ago.“Focus, Zane,” Kane growled low, probably sensing my distraction. Right. Intruder first, mate drama later.As we approached the boundary of our territory, we moved more cautiously. Kane raised a fist. I dropped low, scanning the tree line. That was when I saw a figure emerging from the shadows.Holy shit.“Jaxon Blackthorn,” I whispered, standing before me was the Alpha of the Shadowmoon Pack. What the hell is he doing here?Kane stepped forward, his posture screaming authority. I joined him, showing a
Chapter 8 — Kane's POVMy heart was pounding against my chest as I burst through the pack house doors, Zane right beside me with an unconscious Aria in his arms. Her skin was burning up, radiating heat even from several feet away.“Dr. Cassia!” I shouted both out loud and through our pack link. I rarely used my Alpha voice, but right now? Yeah, this qualified as an emergency.The lights in the hallway made Aria's face look paler than she already was. My wolf was going crazy, pushing against my skin, desperate to protect our mate. Which was still a mind-trip to think about, considering how Zane and I had sworn off the whole mate thing years ago.Funny how life works out sometimes.Dr. Cassia met us at the entrance to the medical wing, her silver hair escaping its usual neat bun. One look at Aria and her professional calm cracked just slightly.“Put her on the examination table,” she ordered, already pulling out equipment. “What happened?”“She just collapsed,” Zane explained, laying Ar
Chapter 61 — Aria's POV Everything stopped.The chaos of battle, the screams, the explosions — it all faded to white noise as I stared at Kane's broken body. Black energy pulsed from the wound in his chest, eating through him like acid. Each tendril of darkness left decay in its wake, turning his skin ashen gray.“No, no, no,” I chanted, my hands hovering over him uselessly. Power surged beneath my skin, all four of my supernatural sides responding to my distress.“Let us help,” Nyx materialized beside me, my vampire side's presence cold and deadly. Her usually controlled demeanor cracked with desperation. “Our blood can heal.”“The pack's defenses are failing,” Vesper growled, my wolf pacing in agitated circles around us. Through her eyes, I saw Azrael's forces pressing harder against our weakening barriers. “But he comes first. Always first.”“His soul is slipping between realms,” Astra's voice shook, my witch's power reaching for Kane with spectral hands. “The weapon was designed
Chapter 60 — Zane's POV Silver light erupted from her position, expanding into a massive dome shield over the entire pack territory. All four of her supernatural aspects manifested simultaneously, feeding power into the barrier. The sight was both beautiful and terrifying — a physical manifestation of just how unique our mate truly was.But something was wrong with Kane.Dark energy gathered around him during the most intense fighting, almost like…like Selene's curse marks. The realization hit me like a physical blow. Whatever she'd shown him in that prophecy chamber was affecting him on a fundamental level.No time to process that. Because there, in the shadows — Azrael.The hunter commander stood back from the main battle, directing his forces with cold precision. His scarred face showed no emotion as he observed the carnage. Kane caught my eye again. Together, then.“Hold the core!” I called to Aria through our bond. Her acknowledgment came with a pulse of power that made the air
Chapter 59 — Aria's POV “How do they even know about the prophecy?” I demanded, but the answer hit me before anyone could respond. “Azrael.”“The hunters have been watching our bloodline for generations,” Selene confirmed. “Waiting for the right moment. When you bonded with my brothers…” She shook her head. “It was like lighting a beacon.”Another explosion rocked the building. On the screens, more red dots appeared.“Enough theory,” Zane growled. “We need action. Aria, can you-”Power surged through me before he could finish. All four of my supernatural aspects responded at once, their combined strength making the air crackle.“I can hold them back,” I said, letting Vesper's vampire speed mix with Nyx's wolf strength while Astra's magic twined through Raze's demon fire. “But I need to know everything. Now.”Selene moved further into the room, her curse marks casting purple shadows on the walls. “The full prophecy speaks of three paths. One ends in darkness consuming everything. One
Chapter 58 — Aria's POV Something was wrong with Kane.The thought hit me the moment I woke up, the mate bond between us pulsing with the darkness he was trying desperately to hide. My hand instinctively reached for the space beside me, still warm from where he'd slipped away before dawn. Again.Three days since his meeting with Selene. Three days of forced smiles and careful distances. Three days of secrets burning through our bond like acid.“He's protecting you,” Vesper, my wolf side, murmured in my mind.“Or protecting himself,” Nyx countered, my vampire aspect's thoughts cool and calculating as always.“The magic knows,” Astra, my witch side, whispered. *It always knows.*“Then let's make him tell us,” Raze growled, demon fire crackling through my veins.I pushed back the covers, frost spreading where my feet touched the floor. My power had been unstable lately, responding to the emotional turmoil churning through the mate bond. The room's temperature dropped another few degrees
Chapter 57 — Kane's POV The sacred grove thrummed with ancient magic as I cornered Selene beneath the eldest oak. Lightning crackled between us, moon magic making the air taste like metal and memories. My sister's curse marks writhed across her skin like living shadows, darker than I'd ever seen them.“Start talking,” I growled, letting my Alpha power leak into my voice. The trees around us shuddered. “What did you mean about sacrifice?”Selene's laugh was bitter, hollow. “Still trying to intimidate your sister, Kane? Some things never change.” She traced one of her curse marks absently. “Though everything else is about to.”Thunder rolled overhead despite the clear sky. Through my bond with Zane, I felt his growing unease back at the pack house. Through my mate bond with Aria, an echo of power that made my own curse marks burn beneath my skin.“No more games, Selene.”“Games?” Her eyes flashed purple-black. “You think this is a game? Our family has paid in blood for generations. I'v
Chapter 56 — Zane's POV My boots echoed against the stone steps as I raced down to the ritual chamber. The magic in the air was wrong – electric and ancient and dangerous all at once. My Alpha senses screamed warnings with each step.Something had changed. Not just in the air or the magic, but in the very fabric of reality itself.The massive wooden doors were already open, torchlight spilling into the corridor. The scent of ozone and power hit me like a physical wall. And beneath it all, the unmistakable combination of Kane and Aria's scents, twisted with something else. Something otherworldly.I burst into the chamber and froze.Kane knelt down and cradling Aria's trembling form. But this wasn't just the aftermath of the ritual. Aria's skin literally glowed, as if she'd swallowed starlight. Silver patterns crawled across her exposed skin like living tattoos, shifting and changing with each shaky breath she took.“What happened?” I demanded, dropping to my knees beside them. The sto
Chapter 55 — Aria's POV “You can have everything,” Dark-Aria whispered, her words echoing through the supernatural void. “Ultimate power. No more doubts. No more human weaknesses or more pain.”I stared at my darker self — perfect, powerful, and absolutely terrifying. She was everything I could become if I just let go. The raw energy radiating from her made my supernatural core ache with want. Her eyes, darker versions of my own, held centuries of potential power.“And what's the price?” I asked, though I already knew. There was always a price.Dark-Aria's smile was beautiful and cruel. “Only everything that makes you weak. Your messy human emotions, your limitations, and attachments.” She said the last word like it was poison on her tongue.The void around us shifted, showing memories like movie scenes. Every moment I felt weak. Every time, my human side had held me back. Every failure that had ever haunted me.“Look at yourself,” Dark-Aria circled me, her movements liquid grace. “T
Chapter 54 — Kane's POV I couldn't stand still.Every step I took around Aria's motionless body felt like torture. The ritual circle pulsed with otherworldly energy, keeping her suspended between realities while she faced her trial. But I was stuck out here, useless. The purple-tinged barrier around her shimmered mockingly, keeping me from reaching her when she needed me most.My hands clenched into fists as another wave of magical energy rippled through the chamber. The ancient stones in the walls seemed to pulse in response, their crystalline structures amplifying whatever was happening in the trial realm.“Kane, wearing a hole in the floor won't help her,” Victor said from his monitoring station, fingers flying over his tablets and sensors. The tech-savvy supernatural had surrounded himself with enough equipment to stock a small laboratory.Easy for him to say. He had his scientific equipment to focus on. All those beeping machines tracking magical frequencies and supernatural ene
Chapter 53 — Aria's POV Darkness.But not the kind of darkness you get when you close your eyes or turn off the lights.This was different.Supernaturally different.One moment, I was preparing for the final trial with Kane, and the next, I was… here. Wherever “here” was?A mystical realm that wasn't quite reality. Wasn't quite a dream. Something in between. A supernatural limbo that existed somewhere between my consciousness and… something else.The environment around me wasn't static. It shifted. Morphed. Reflected something deeper than physical space.My memories.My fears.My insecurities.They weren't just memories anymore. They were living, breathing supernatural entities.First, I noticed the silence. Not an absence of sound. But a presence of something more profound. A supernatural quiet that was somehow louder than any noise I'd ever heard.Then, movement.A shadow. No, not just a shadow.A version of myself.Dark. Twisted. Powerful.My dark supernatural doppelgänger smiled.