The shift came faster than ever before.
Pain laced her spine as her bones cracked and reshaped, fur bursting along her skin like fire. But Aria didn't scream. Not this time.
This time, she welcomed the beast.
Her paws hit the ground with a thunderous growl as her golden eyes locked onto the feral rogue charging straight at her. No hesitation. No fear.
Only instinct.
Only rage.
The rogue lunged, teeth bared, but Aria twisted midair, slamming into its side with shocking force. They tumbled across the rocky earth in a blur of fur and blood, snapping and clawing.
She was smaller — but faster. Smarter.
This wasn't just survival.
It was war.
Across the clearing, Ronan tore into the second rogue with savage precision, his black coat slick with blood, his movements brutal and calculated.
Aria landed a clean bite to the rogue's throat, but it clawed her side in return. Pain burned, but it didn't stop her. If anything, it fueled her.
She was done running.
She was done being prey.
With a final snarl, she drove the rogue into a boulder, its skull cracking with a sickening sound. It whimpered, twitched — then fell still.
Dead.
Panting, Aria stood over its body, blood dripping from her muzzle. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, but something else pulsed deeper — a warmth beneath her skin.
Power.
Ronan shifted back to human, his chest heaving. "You've fought before," he said, wiping blood from his jaw.
Aria shifted too, wincing as she held her side. "No. Not like that."
He stepped closer, his gaze unreadable. "Then how did you—?"
"I don't know," she admitted. "It just… happened."
Ronan studied her, his eyes narrowing. "That wasn't normal. Even for a wolf with training."
Aria's breath caught. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying…" he hesitated, voice lowering, "you're not just any wolf."
Before she could respond, the dead rogue's body began to smoke — a thick, black mist rising into the air like shadow made real.
Ronan stepped back, eyes wide. "That's dark magic."
Aria stared, horrified. "What does that mean?"
"It means someone is controlling them," he growled. "And they know you're alive."
Aria felt a chill
crawl down her spine.
Who was hunting her?
And why?
---