The howl echoed through the forest again.
Long.
Deep.
Ancient.
Aria felt the sound vibrate through her chest like a pulse.
Her wolf stirred instantly.
Listen.
Marcus frowned as he looked toward the trees.
"That's not Darius."
Rowan nodded slowly.
"No. His wolves already ran."
Lena crossed her arms.
"And that definitely wasn't one of ours."
The clearing had gone quiet again. The remaining members of the Blackridge pack were slowly shifting back into human form, checking injuries and helping each other up from the ground.
But Aria barely noticed them.
Her entire focus was on the forest.
The sound had done something strange to her.
It felt… familiar.
"Aria?"
Kael's voice pulled her slightly back to reality.
She looked at him.
"That howl…"
Kael studied her face.
"What about it?"
Aria swallowed.
"It felt like someone was calling me."
Marcus blinked.
"Calling you?"
"Yes."
Lena looked concerned.
"That's not normal."
Rowan glanced toward the dark tree line again.
"Could be another pack."
Kael shook his head.
"No pack would come this close without announcing themselves."
Aria felt the strange pull again.
Something inside the forest felt… alive.
Waiting.
Her wolf spoke softly in her mind.
Go.
Aria frowned slightly.
"Go where?"
Kael noticed the change in her expression.
"What is it?"
She hesitated.
Then said quietly,
"I think something's out there."
Marcus let out a small laugh.
"Yeah. Trees."
Aria shook her head.
"No. Something else."
Rowan's voice grew serious.
"You're sensing wolves?"
"Yes."
"How many?"
Aria closed her eyes for a moment, focusing.
But this time it wasn't like earlier.
There weren't dozens of sounds.
Just one.
One presence.
But it felt powerful.
Very powerful.
"…one," she said slowly.
Marcus looked confused.
"One wolf made that howl?"
Lena's expression hardened slightly.
"That's not a normal wolf."
Kael stared toward the forest again.
"Stay here."
Aria grabbed his arm immediately.
"No."
His golden eyes met hers.
"It could be dangerous."
"It's already dangerous."
Kael didn't argue with that.
Rowan stepped forward.
"We should send scouts."
Marcus nodded.
"I'll go."
But before anyone could move—
The forest shifted.
Branches moved slowly.
Leaves rustled.
Something large was stepping out of the shadows.
Everyone tensed instantly.
Several Blackridge wolves growled low in their throats.
Kael stepped forward protectively.
Aria stayed just behind him.
The trees parted slightly.
And then—
A wolf emerged.
Aria's breath caught.
The wolf was enormous.
Larger than even Kael's wolf.
Its fur was silver.
Not gray.
Not white.
Silver.
It shimmered faintly under the moonlight like metal.
The entire clearing went still.
Even the pack members stopped moving.
Marcus whispered,
"…that's not normal."
The silver wolf stood calmly at the edge of the clearing.
Watching them.
Watching her.
Its eyes were strange.
Not yellow like most wolves.
Not blue.
They were pale silver.
Exactly like Aria's when they glowed.
Her heart skipped.
Her wolf stirred excitedly.
Ancient.
Kael's voice dropped into a warning growl.
"State your business."
The wolf didn't move.
It simply kept staring at Aria.
Lena leaned toward Rowan.
"That's not a rogue."
Rowan nodded slowly.
"No rogue would walk into another Alpha's territory like that."
Kael took another step forward.
"You're trespassing."
Still no response.
The wolf's gaze never left Aria.
Marcus shifted slightly beside Kael.
"You want me to remove it?"
But before Kael could answer—
The silver wolf moved.
Not aggressively.
Slowly.
It stepped forward into the clearing.
Several pack wolves growled loudly now.
Kael's eyes flashed gold.
"Stop."
The wolf stopped immediately.
But its gaze remained locked on Aria.
Then something even stranger happened.
The massive wolf bowed its head.
Submission.
Marcus blinked.
"…did that wolf just bow?"
Rowan looked stunned.
"Not to Kael."
Everyone slowly turned.
The wolf wasn't bowing to the Alpha.
It was bowing to Aria.
Her heart pounded harder.
"I don't understand."
Lena whispered,
"That wolf recognizes you."
Kael frowned.
"That's impossible."
The silver wolf lifted its head again.
Then its body began to shift.
Bones cracked.
Fur receded.
Within seconds, a tall man stood where the wolf had been.
He looked older than Kael.
Maybe early thirties.
His long silver hair fell loosely around his shoulders.
And his eyes—
The same pale silver as the wolf's.
The man studied Aria quietly for a moment.
Then he smiled slightly.
"Finally."
Kael stepped forward immediately.
"Who are you?"
The man glanced at him calmly.
Then back at Aria.
"My name is Alder."
Aria had never heard the name before.
But something about it felt important.
Alder looked at her with quiet interest.
"So," he said softly.
"You're the one."
Aria frowned.
"The one what?"
Alder's silver eyes gleamed.
"The Luna who didn't know."
Kael's voice sharpened.
"How do you know that title?"
Alder didn't answer him.
He only kept looking at Aria.
Then he said something that made the entire clearing fall silent.
"I've been searching for you for ten years."
Aria's heart skipped.
"What?"
Alder's smile faded slightly.
"Because the night you disappeared…"
His silver eyes darkened.
"…was the night your entire pack was slaughtered."