The scent of blood was getting stronger.
Aiden's sharp senses picked it up as they descended the rocky ridge leading to the edge of Blackmoon Valley. It wasn't just the faint, coppery scent from the wounds on his arm—it was fresher, thicker, layered with something darker: fear.
The girl clutched his hand tightly as they ran, her breathing shallow and erratic, her bare feet stumbling over roots and stones. Despite the strength she had shown back there—the burst of raw magic that had annihilated a shadow wolf—her body trembled like a leaf in a storm.
She was burning up.
Aiden could feel it in her skin, hotter than any fever, and not in the natural way a human might burn with illness. This was magical—untamed, unstable. He'd seen something similar once before when a young witch lost control during a blood moon. But this girl wasn't a witch... was she?
The wards that protected the Blackmoon territory came into view—shimmering veils of light invisible to the human eye but pulsing gently against his wolf senses like heartbeats.
Aiden stopped, holding her steady as he assessed their entry point.
She was swaying now, her eyes glassy. Her legs gave out.
He caught her before she collapsed.
"You're going to be okay," he said, though even he wasn't sure if he believed it.
Her lips moved, barely a whisper. "Aiden... why do I know your name?"
He froze.
He hadn't told her his name.
They crossed through the wards.
The forest dimmed behind them like a curtain falling over a stage, and the light inside the barrier sharpened. The moment they stepped through, the temperature shifted—cooler, calmer, the familiar thrum of pack magic running through the air like veins in stone.
Aiden howled.
One long, clear note—an Alpha's call.
Within moments, it was answered.
From the trees, several wolves emerged. Not shifted, but in human form, dressed in dark patrol gear with blades strapped to their thighs and comms in their ears.
Beta Cole was the first to reach him, his gray eyes narrowing at the sight of the girl in Aiden's arms.
"Alpha. What happened?"
"She crossed the outer boundary," Aiden said curtly. "Shadow wolves were tracking her."
Cole's brow furrowed. "She's human?"
"No," Aiden said. "Not entirely."
"Where's she from?"
"She doesn't know."
Cole's expression tightened. "You're bringing her in?"
Aiden met his Beta's stare. "Yes."
"You know what the Elders will say."
"I don't give a damn what they say."
Cole hesitated, then gave a single nod. "Understood."
Together, they moved toward the heart of the territory—Blackmoon Hold.
The girl in Aiden's arms moaned softly, her head rolling to the side.
He looked down, concern deepening the crease between his brows.
"Stay with me," he whispered.
But she was already slipping into unconsciousness.
Blackmoon Hold was carved into the earth itself, a fortress of ancient stone built over a deep, magical wellspring. High walls of dark granite surrounded the inner compound, with towers that pierced the sky like jagged teeth. Inside the walls, torchlight flickered along the cobblestone paths, illuminating stone halls, training grounds, and sacred shrines.
They moved quickly through the front gate.
People paused as Aiden passed—pack members, sentries, Elders.
Whispers followed in his wake.
A human?
The Alpha never brings outsiders here.
Is she bleeding? What happened?
Aiden ignored them all.
He moved through the corridors until he reached the healer's wing.
"Lay her here," said Isolde, the head healer, her fingers already glowing with diagnostic magic.
Aiden laid the girl on the stone table, stepping back as Isolde began her scan. Tendrils of golden light moved over the girl's body, pulsing and flickering.
"She's fevered," Isolde muttered. "But not from infection. It's magical."
"I know," Aiden said.
The healer's eyes narrowed. "There's more. Something is... blocked. A seal, maybe. Ancient. Dangerous."
"Can you break it?"
"No. Not without knowing who put it there."
"She unleashed a magical shockwave back in the forest. Took down a shadow wolf."
Isolde blinked, clearly stunned. "A human?"
"She's not human," Aiden repeated. "I felt the bond."
That made the healer pause completely.
"Bond? You mean—"
"She's my mate."
Silence fell.
Isolde looked at him sharply. "That's impossible."
"Tell that to my wolf."
The healer turned back to the girl, her expression grim. "Then you've just brought something far more dangerous into this pack than you realize."
Hours passed.
Aiden stood outside the healer's wing, arms crossed, mind racing. The moon had risen higher, casting silver light through the stained glass windows lining the hall.
He could feel her.
Not just her physical presence, but the bond—they were tethered now, connected by something deeper than blood, deeper than law. He had only felt this once in his life, briefly, during a ritual to seek his destined mate. At the time, the vision had been blurry—silver eyes, firelight, and a voice that whispered his name like a promise and a curse.
He hadn't told anyone what he saw.
Now he knew why.
The door opened behind him.
Isolde stepped out, wiping her hands on a cloth.
"She's stable. For now. But her energy is flaring in cycles. Whatever power she holds is fighting to surface."
Aiden turned to face her. "What is she?"
Isolde shook her head. "I don't know. But she's not of this world alone."
"What does that mean?"
"She's caught between two realms. And if she doesn't figure out who she is soon, that power will tear her apart."
Aiden clenched his jaw. "Then we don't wait. I'll find out who she is."
Isolde gave him a long look. "Be careful, Alpha. The last time someone tampered with that kind of magic... it started the War of Shadows."
Aiden nodded. "Then we better end it before it starts again."
Later that night...
She awoke with a gasp.
Her skin was drenched in sweat, her hands gripping the sheets beneath her like they were the only thing keeping her from drowning.
Flashes of fire. Screams. A dark room. A blade etched with moonstone.
And blood. So much blood.
The girl sat up, shaking.
The room was stone and candlelight, soft furs draped across the walls to insulate from the mountain chill. A basin of water sat on a nearby table, along with a change of clothes.
She looked down at herself—someone had bandaged her arms and cleaned the dirt from her skin.
But none of that calmed the storm inside her.
She didn't know who she was.
But she did know one thing now.
Someone had tried to kill her.
And they had failed.
Outside her door, Aiden stood motionless.
He had been about to knock, but he'd paused the moment he heard her gasp.
He could feel her panic through the bond.
He entered quietly.
She turned toward him as he stepped into the room, her eyes wide.
"You're back," she said.
"I never left," he replied.
She blinked at him. "Why?"
"Because I don't abandon what's mine."
She flushed, unsure whether to be grateful or wary.
"Do you remember anything?"
She shook her head. "Only flashes. Fire. Screaming. My name is still... blank. But there's something else."
"What?"
"I think someone wiped my memory. Deliberately."
Aiden nodded. "You crossed boundaries that should've erased you. You survived an attack from shadow wolves. You're not just anyone."
She looked down, voice trembling. "What if I'm dangerous?"
"You are," he said without hesitation. "But that's not the same as evil."
Her eyes met his. "Why do I trust you?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing."
Midnight.
In the deepest part of the forest—outside the Blackmoon wards—something stirred.
A ring of stones, long buried beneath moss and bone, began to glow.
A shadow moved between them, and from the darkness stepped a woman in a black cloak, her eyes twin voids.
She knelt before the stone circle and placed a silver locket in the center.
"She has awakened," she whispered. "The Seal is failing."
A voice responded from the void, ancient and cold.
"Then kill her before she remembers what she is."