The words Lucien had spoken haunted Aria like a shadow, always at the edges of her thoughts. You're something more. He hadn't elaborated, of course. That smug smirk of his had returned, as if he enjoyed dangling riddles just out of reach. She hated riddles.
The air in Raven Hollow was heavy that morning, a chill settling into the bones of the pack as if the forest itself sensed something was coming. Aria leaned against a thick oak, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, watching as the others prepared for another scouting mission. Roderick had doubled patrols since Lucien's capture, claiming that the vampires would retaliate.
But her thoughts weren't on the vampires.
They were on the strange, fragmented memories that had surfaced since her encounter with Lucien. Flashes of a time she couldn't place. A voice whispering words she didn't understand. A strange pull inside her, like something deep and ancient trying to claw its way to the surface.
"Daydreaming won't help us catch them."
Aria turned sharply to find Elias standing a few feet away, his bow slung over his shoulder, a knowing smirk on his face. He was trying to be casual, but she could see the tension in his jaw, the way his eyes scanned the tree line as if he expected something—or someone—to emerge.
"I'm not daydreaming," Aria said sharply.
"You've been staring at nothing for the past ten minutes," he countered, stepping closer. "Something's on your mind."
She hesitated. Elias was loyal, a brother in arms, but this? The storm brewing inside her wasn't something she could explain. Not yet.
"It's nothing," she said, brushing past him.
He grabbed her arm, not harshly but firmly enough to make her stop. "Aria, I know you. Whatever's going on, you don't have to carry it alone."
For a moment, she wanted to tell him everything—the strange sensations, Lucien's cryptic warning, the way her reflection had seemed different in the mirror that morning, like the amber of her eyes had deepened into something otherworldly. But she couldn't. Not until she understood it herself.
"I'm fine," Aria said, pulling free. "Focus on the mission, Elias."
He frowned but didn't press further, and she was grateful.
---
The woods were unnervingly silent as the pack spread out, searching for signs of vampire activity. Aria's senses were sharper than usual, every sound amplified, every movement catching her eye. It wasn't just vigilance. It was something else. Her thoughts were still tangled from the conversation with Lucien, and she couldn't shake the feeling that the world was closing in on her, drawing her deeper into something she wasn't ready to face.
Elias walked beside her, his eyes scanning the trees warily. The pack was moving in tight formation, a strategy they'd perfected over years of living on the run. Their instincts were sharp, but even they couldn't ignore the tension that hung in the air. Something was coming. Something dangerous.
Aria's senses tingled, and she instinctively reached for the knife sheathed at her side, the cold steel offering little comfort in the face of whatever they were about to encounter. She wasn't sure how much longer she could keep up the pretense that she was in control of her own life.
"What's going on, Elias?" she whispered, her voice barely more than a breath. "What are we hunting for?"
Elias didn't look at her as he answered, his focus entirely on the trees ahead. "It's not what we're hunting for," he said, his voice low but urgent. "It's what's hunting us."
Aria's pulse quickened. "What do you mean?"
He turned to her then, his eyes filled with the same unease she was feeling. "You're not the only one who's been marked. And whoever—or whatever—they are, they know exactly where we are."
The pack slowed as they reached the edge of the clearing, their senses heightened, every sound amplified in the stillness. It felt as though the forest itself was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen.
Aria's heart thudded in her chest. She was supposed to be a key, a weapon of power. But the more she learned about the forces moving in the shadows, the less she felt like she had any control over her own destiny.
"We need to move," Elias muttered, his voice sharp with urgency. "Stay close."
Aria followed him without question, her instincts kicking in, but her mind still reeling from the revelation that she wasn't just a wolf. The Ancients. Lucien's cryptic warnings. The thought of being marked, of being hunted by forces she couldn't even begin to understand, gnawed at her. She had thought she was part of something bigger than herself. But now, it seemed like she was just a pawn in a game she hadn't even known existed.
The pack spread out, each member shifting into their wolf form, moving in fluid, coordinated motions. Aria hesitated for a moment before she followed suit, allowing the change to wash over her. Her bones cracked and reshaped as the shift overtook her, and in an instant, she was no longer human.
The world around her changed as she dropped to all fours, her senses suddenly heightened, the scent of the forest overwhelming. Every rustle in the leaves, every shift in the air, became a potential threat. But it wasn't the natural dangers she feared now. It was the things she couldn't see, the forces lurking in the shadows, just beyond the edge of her vision.
As they moved deeper into the woods, the silence stretched on, thick and suffocating. But it wasn't until they reached the old stone ruins, hidden deep within the forest, that Aria felt it. The air was charged with an unnatural energy, a hum that vibrated beneath her skin.
"This is it," Elias said, his voice tense as he stopped just inside the crumbling doorway. "Stay close. We don't know how many of them are here."
Aria's fur bristled as she glanced around, her instincts screaming at her to be ready. She could feel the presence of something powerful—something ancient—watching them. The ruins seemed to pulse with a life of their own, as though the very stones were alive, holding secrets that had been buried for centuries.
"What is this place?" Aria asked, her voice a low growl in her throat.
"A place of power," Elias replied grimly. "The Ancients used to gather here. Long before our time. And now…" He trailed off, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the surroundings. "Now, we need to find out why it's important again."
The rest of the pack fanned out, noses to the ground, their eyes sharp. Aria stayed close to Elias, her mind racing. She had a feeling they weren't here just to investigate old ruins. Whatever they were looking for, it wasn't far. And she could sense that whatever lay ahead was not just a threat to her pack, but to the entire world.
Suddenly, a low growl echoed through the ruins, sending a chill down Aria's spine. She froze, her ears flicking toward the sound, heart racing. Elias motioned for the pack to stay still, and for a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath again.
Then, from the darkness of the ruins, a figure emerged.
It was tall, cloaked in shadow, its eyes glowing with an unnatural light. Aria's body tensed, every muscle coiled for action. The figure stepped forward, and for a brief moment, she could see the faint outline of wings stretching behind it—black, leathery wings that seemed to block out the dim light.
Aria's breath caught in her throat.
"Who are you?" she demanded, her voice a challenge.
The figure's eyes locked onto hers, and a sinister smile crept across its face. "You know who I am, Aria," it said, its voice cold and echoing with a power that made the very air crackle. "And I've been waiting for you."
The words hit her like a punch to the gut. Her heart stopped, and in that moment, she realized that everything—everything—was leading up to this.
The Ancients had arrived....