The forest stayed quiet.
Too quiet.
Even after Darius and his wolves disappeared, no one moved right away.
Like stepping too soon might bring them back.
Rowan was the first to break.
"…okay."
He ran a hand through his hair.
"That was not a normal encounter."
Marcus let out a breath.
"I would like to officially resign from whatever this is."
Lena shot him a look.
"Denied."
Varkos shifted back slowly, his wolf retreating as his human form returned.
"That wasn't an attack."
Alder nodded.
"No."
A pause.
"It was an assessment."
That word sat heavy.
Because it meant one thing—
Darius hadn't come to win.
He had come to measure.
And now—
He had.
Kael turned back to Aria.
His gaze sharper now.
More serious than before.
"What did he do to you?"
Aria hesitated.
Not because she didn't want to answer—
But because she didn't fully understand it herself.
"…he tried to get into my head."
Rowan frowned.
"Tried?"
A pause.
"…or did he succeed?"
Silence.
Aria's fingers curled slightly at her sides.
"I stopped him."
That wasn't an answer.
Not fully.
Alder noticed.
His voice softened slightly.
"What did you see?"
That question—
That one—
Made everything still again.
Aria looked down for a second.
Then back up.
"…I don't know."
Marcus blinked.
"…that doesn't sound reassuring."
She exhaled slowly.
"I saw something."
A pause.
"…but it didn't feel like mine."
That changed things.
Rowan's expression darkened.
"What do you mean?"
Aria shook her head slightly.
"Like a memory… but not one I remember living."
Silence.
Alder's eyes narrowed.
"…echo memory."
Marcus looked between them.
"…I don't know what that is, but I don't like the name."
Lena crossed her arms.
"Explain."
Alder took a slow breath.
"It's when power connects to something beyond the present."
A pause.
"Something older."
That didn't help.
At all.
Rowan muttered,
"…you could've just said it's bad."
Alder didn't deny it.
Kael stepped closer to Aria.
His voice lower now.
More careful.
"What did you see?"
Aria hesitated again.
Then—
"…fire."
A pause.
"…and someone calling my name."
Silence.
Heavy.
Marcus swallowed.
"…okay, I officially don't like this."
Varkos's expression darkened.
"That's not normal."
Alder nodded once.
"No."
Another pause.
"And Darius knows it."
That was the worst part.
Because it meant—
He hadn't been guessing.
He had been confirming.
Aria's chest tightened slightly.
"…he said I've been here before."
Kael's jaw clenched.
"That doesn't mean anything."
But it did.
And they all knew it.
Alder spoke carefully.
"It means he believes you are connected to something beyond this life."
Marcus blinked.
"…we're back to this again?"
Rowan sighed.
"Apparently."
Aria shook her head.
"No."
Her voice was firmer now.
"I don't care what he thinks."
A pause.
"I'm not him."
Kael's gaze softened slightly.
"You're not."
She met his eyes.
And for a moment—
Everything else faded.
The war.
The power.
The confusion.
Gone.
Because that—
That was something real.
Something she understood.
"I won't become him."
Her voice was quiet.
But certain.
Kael didn't hesitate.
"You won't."
Silence settled again.
But this time—
It wasn't fear.
It was resolve.
Alder stepped forward.
"Then we prepare."
Rowan nodded.
"Yeah."
A pause.
"For what exactly?"
Alder's gaze shifted toward the forest.
"For escalation."
Marcus groaned.
"…of course."
Lena looked at Aria.
"What's different now?"
Aria didn't answer immediately.
Because the truth—
Was complicated.
"…he's not trying to break us."
A pause.
"He's trying to understand me."
Varkos frowned.
"That's worse."
She nodded slightly.
"Yes."
Because breaking them would be simple.
Fast.
Direct.
But understanding her—
That meant time.
Patience.
Planning.
And that made him far more dangerous.
Kael's voice dropped.
"Then we don't give him time."
Rowan nodded.
"I like that plan."
Alder shook his head slightly.
"You don't have that option."
Silence.
Marcus blinked.
"…why not?"
Alder's answer came calmly.
"Because he's already ahead."
That landed hard.
Because it meant—
Everything they did now—
Was reaction.
Not control.
Aria stepped forward slightly.
Her shoulders straightening.
Her expression shifting.
Not confused.
Not uncertain.
Focused.
"He wants to see me grow."
A pause.
Her eyes hardened.
"Then we don't let him control how."
Rowan smirked faintly.
"…now that I like."
Lena nodded.
"Take control back."
Varkos crossed his arms.
"Force his hand."
Alder watched her carefully.
"And how do you intend to do that?"
Silence.
Aria's gaze lifted.
Toward the forest.
Toward where Darius had disappeared.
Her voice came out steady.
"We stop waiting."
Kael's eyes narrowed slightly.
"You want to go after him?"
She didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
Marcus blinked.
"…immediately?"
Rowan actually smiled.
"…I knew I liked her."
Lena shook her head slightly.
"That's risky."
Alder's gaze sharpened.
"Very."
Aria didn't back down.
"He's testing me."
A pause.
"Then I test him back."
Silence.
Heavy.
Because that—
That wasn't fear speaking.
That was strategy.
Kael studied her carefully.
Then asked the only question that mattered.
"And when it goes wrong?"
Aria met his gaze.
Unflinching.
"Then we deal with it."
That wasn't reassuring.
But it was real.
And right now—
That was enough.
Alder exhaled slowly.
"…then we move carefully."
Rowan cracked his neck.
"Careful isn't really our thing."
Marcus muttered,
"It should be."
Lena stepped forward.
"Then we make it our thing."
Varkos nodded.
"We hunt."
Silence.
Then—
Kael stepped closer to Aria.
His voice low.
Only for her.
"You're sure about this?"
She held his gaze.
And for the first time—
There was no hesitation.
No doubt.
No confusion.
"Yeah."
A pause.
Her voice softened slightly.
"But I'm not running anymore."
Kael studied her for a moment.
Then nodded once.
"Then we fight forward."
She gave a small nod.
And just like that—
The direction changed.
Not waiting.
Not reacting.
Moving.
Together.
But deep in the forest—
Far beyond their reach—
Darius stood still.
Watching.
Listening.
Smiling.
"…good."
A pause.
His eyes darkened.
"Come to me."
The wind shifted.
Carrying their scent.
Their intent.
Their decision.
And his smile widened.
Because this—
This was exactly what he wanted.
The hunt was no longer his alone.
Now—
They were walking straight into it.