The chamber was silent—except for the faint hum of the starlight spear clutched in Aria's hands. Its glow bled into the cracks of the shattered floor, casting silver veins across the darkness. The Huntmaster's presence had vanished like smoke, leaving only the echo of his words burning in her mind:
Take the Mark. Hunt the Hollow. Save him—if you dare.
Aria's knuckles whitened around the spear. Her pulse roared like a war drum, drowning out even the distant rumble of the blood eclipse boiling the sky above. The crimson light leaked through the fractured ceiling, painting everything in hues of blood and bone.
Behind her, Rowan moved first. His boots crunched over shards of stone as he closed the distance between them. His voice was low, hard-edged with fury and fear.
"What did he offer you?"
Aria didn't answer. Her chest heaved with ragged breaths, her wolf pacing beneath her skin like a caged storm.
