Aria didn't sleep.
Every time she closed her eyes, the warmth in her chest flared brighter, restless and alert, as if it were listening for something she couldn't hear yet. The north wing was silent, but it wasn't empty. Power lingered in the walls, old and dormant, responding to her presence in subtle ways.
She rose before dawn.
The fire in the hearth had burned low, embers glowing faintly. As she approached it, the warmth inside her shifted — not surging, not fighting her — but aligning.
The flames stirred.
Aria froze.
She hadn't touched them.
The fire straightened slowly, burning higher, steadier, responding to her breath as if it were being guided by instinct rather than force.
She stepped back, heart pounding.
"No," she whispered. "I didn't tell you to—"
The flames settled.
Not extinguished. Controlled.
Her hands trembled as she stared at them.
This wasn't raw power.
It was recognition.
A knock sounded at the door.
She spun around, panic flashing — until she sensed him.
Kael.
The bond stirred softly this time, warm instead of sharp.
He entered without ceremony, eyes immediately sweeping the room. His gaze snagged on the fireplace.
"You're awake early," he said.
"So are you."
He didn't deny it.
Kael stepped closer, boots echoing softly against stone. "The elders called an emergency session at sunrise."
Her chest tightened. "About me."
"About what you are," he corrected.
She folded her arms. "And what do they think that is?"
Kael hesitated.
That hesitation told her everything.
"They're afraid," she said quietly.
"Yes."
"Good," she replied. "They should be."
The bond pulsed in approval.
Kael watched her carefully now, like she was a blade he hadn't realized was sharp until it cut him.
"You felt the fire respond," he said.
She stiffened. "You saw that?"
"I sensed it." His voice dropped. "That kind of control doesn't come from training."
"Then where does it come from?"
Kael exhaled slowly. "There are old stories. Older than this pack. Older than rank."
Her breath caught.
"Tell me."
"Not here," he said. "And not yet."
Frustration flared — and with it, the warmth surged.
The room darkened slightly, shadows deepening along the walls.
Kael took a sharp step closer.
"Aria," he warned. "Breathe."
She did — slowly, deliberately — and the pressure eased.
She looked up at him, startled. "You helped me stop it."
His jaw tightened. "I shouldn't be able to."
The words settled heavily between them.
Outside the north wing, voices echoed.
Raised.
Angry.
Kael turned sharply toward the door.
"They're here already?" Aria asked.
"Yes," he said grimly. "And that means they've made up their minds."
The doors at the end of the corridor slammed open.
Elder Mara's voice rang out. "Alpha Kael."
Footsteps approached — not guards, but elders.
Kael stepped subtly in front of Aria without thinking.
The bond flared hard at the gesture, heat rushing through them both.
Mara entered first, eyes sharp, followed by Thorne and two others.
"So," Mara said coolly, gaze fixing on Aria. "This is where you've been hiding her."
"I wasn't hiding anything," Kael replied. "I was containing the situation."
Mara's eyes flicked to the fireplace, then the walls. Her nostrils flared.
"She's already influencing the wing," she said. "Do you feel that?"
Thorne nodded slowly. "The structure is responding."
Aria straightened. "I'm not doing it on purpose."
"That may be worse," Mara snapped. "Power without intent is dangerous."
Kael's voice hardened. "Enough."
Mara turned to him. "You're compromised."
Silence fell.
Aria felt the words like a physical blow.
Kael didn't flinch. "Because I won't let you execute an innocent woman?"
"Because the bond still exists," Mara countered. "And it has shifted."
Thorne's gaze sharpened. "You feel it too, don't you, Alpha?"
Kael didn't answer.
Aria did.
"It listens to me now," she said softly.
Every elder stiffened.
Thorne whispered, "Moon preserve us."
Mara's expression darkened. "That settles it. She cannot remain here."
Aria's heart slammed against her ribs. "You're sending me away?"
"No," Mara said. "We're deciding whether the pack can survive you."
The warmth in Aria's chest surged violently, instinctive and furious.
The floor cracked.
A thin fracture spread beneath her feet.
Kael moved instantly, gripping her arms.
"Aria," he said, low and urgent. "Look at me."
She did — eyes blazing, breath ragged.
"I won't let them destroy you," he said. "But you have to trust me."
Her laugh was breathless, disbelieving. "You rejected me."
"And I was wrong," he said, the words tearing free. "About you. About the bond. About myself."
The confession hung in the air.
The power settled — not gone, but listening.
Mara stared between them, pale with realization.
"This isn't an omega awakening," she said slowly. "This is a return."
Thorne nodded. "A lineage we buried."
Kael's grip tightened, protective and undeniable.
"Then you should have left it buried," Mara said.
Because if the pack discovers what she truly is…"
Her gaze cut to Aria.
"They will either kneel."
"Or start a war."