The darkness didn't feel natural. It rolled through the trees like smoke, swallowing the moonlight and muting every sound around us. Even the growls and howls from Kieran's wolves faded into uneasy silence.
Aria froze beside me, her faint glow flickering against the black haze. "This isn't me," she whispered, her voice tight. "I didn't do this."
I knew. Whatever this was, it didn't carry her strange silver hum. This was colder. Heavier. My wolf bristled inside me, every instinct screaming that something dangerous was approaching.
Shapes emerged from the shadows—figures draped in dark cloaks, their wolves barely visible behind them. At their center was a woman, tall and lithe, her black hair falling in a single braid over her shoulder. Her eyes glowed faintly violet, an unnatural light that made even Kieran take a step back.
"Kael," she said smoothly, her voice carrying like silk over a blade. "And the girl." Her gaze slid to Aria, sharp and assessing. "The one who carries it."
Aria stiffened. "Who are you?"
The woman smiled, a small, deliberate curve of her lips. "Lyra. Alpha of the Shadowfang. And you… are coming with me."
Kieran stepped forward, his usual smirk gone. "She's mine, Lyra. Back off."
Lyra tilted her head, eyes glinting. "Yours? Do you even know what she is, Kieran? That thing inside her isn't a gift. It's a curse. One that will eat your pack alive if you're foolish enough to keep her."
Aria's hands curled into fists, the glow threatening to return. "Stop talking like I'm not here."
Lyra's gaze softened just slightly, though her smile didn't fade. "Oh, you're here. But so is it. And if you don't learn to control it soon, it will burn through you… and everyone else."
The shadows around us tightened, curling like smoke. Lyra gestured lightly, and her wolves stepped forward, surrounding the clearing. "Come quietly, both of you. Or we'll do this the hard way."
My wolf growled low in my chest. She's powerful, Kael. Too many to fight. But if Aria lets go…
I tightened my grip on Aria's arm. "Not here. Not now."
Her silver-lit eyes flicked up to mine, defiant but uncertain. For a long moment, neither of us moved.
Then Lyra spoke again, her voice dropping to a whisper that slid through the clearing like mist.
"You don't even know what she is, do you, Kael?" Her smile widened. "She's not just cursed. She's a Veilborn vessel."
Aria's breath caught. "A what?"
Before I could ask, the shadows surged, swallowing us whole.