**Aria**
Two weeks had passed since the confrontation with Prince Zander, and I'd thrown myself into training like my life depended on it—which it literally did. Every day started before dawn with physical training, followed by magic lessons, strategy sessions, and more physical training until I could barely stand.
But something else had been built too. The bond between King Raven and me grew stronger every day, even though we hadn't officially accepted it. It was like an invisible string connecting us, pulling tighter whenever we were apart.
"You're distracted," Raven said during our morning sword practice.
"Am not," I lied, then immediately proved him right by missing an easy block and getting knocked on my butt. Again.
He offered me a hand up, and the moment our skin touched, sparks danced between us. We both froze, staring at where our hands connected.
"The bond's getting stronger," he said quietly.
"I know." I didn't let go of his hand. "Is that... bad?"
"It's dangerous," he admitted. "Unaccepted mate bonds can be painful for both parties. The longer we wait..."
"The worse it gets," I finished. "But if we accept it—"
"You'll be tied to a cursed king forever." He pulled his hand away. "You deserve better than that, Aria."
"Don't I get to decide what I deserve?"
Before he could answer, a guard burst into the training room. "Your Majesty! We have a situation!"
We followed the guard to the main courtyard, where a crowd had gathered. In the center, surrounded by Raven's guards, was someone I never expected to see again.
"Stella?" I gasped.
My former best friend looked terrible. Her red hair was matted, her clothes torn, and she had a black eye that was several days old. When she saw me, she burst into tears.
"Luna! I mean, Aria! Princess! I don't know what to call you anymore!"
I pushed through the guards and pulled her into a hug, not caring that she smelled like she hadn't bathed in days. "Stella is fine. What happened to you?"
"Prince Zander happened," she said between sobs. "After you left, he went crazy. He started punishing anyone who'd ever been nice to you. He said we were all traitors for not seeing what you really were."
"That doesn't make any sense—"
"He had me whipped!" Stella pulled back and turned around. Through the tears in her shirt, I could see healing lash marks. "Thirty lashes for being your friend. Others got worse. Garrett's in the dungeon. Mrs. Greta was banished."
Rage flooded through me, and the windows in the courtyard cracked. "He hurt you because of me?"
"It's not your fault," Stella said quickly. "He's lost it, Aria. Ever since rejecting you, he's been different. Meaner. More violent. Some people think the broken mate bond is driving him mad."
"Good," I said coldly.
"There's more," Stella said, glancing nervously at King Raven. "Your aunt. She sent an army. They're marching on Shadow Creek as we speak. Prince Zander sent me here to beg for help."
"He sent you?" Raven's voice was skeptical. "The prince who just had you whipped sent you as his messenger?"
Stella hung her head. "He said either I convinced you to help, or he'd execute everyone who ever showed me kindness. The entire omega quarters."
"That absolute piece of—" I started, but Raven put a calming hand on my shoulder.
"When will Morgana's army arrive?" he asked Stella.
"Tomorrow night. Maybe sooner." Stella grabbed my hands. "I know you hate him, and you have every right to. But innocent people will die if Shadow Creek falls. The omegas, the children... please, Aria."
I looked at Raven, who was already shaking his head. "It's a trap," he said. "Either Morgana is using Shadow Creek to draw you out, or Zander is using the threat to get you back."
"I know," I said. "But Stella's right. Innocent people will suffer if we do nothing."
"They're not our responsibility—"
"They were my people for thirteen years," I interrupted. "They fed me when I was hungry, gave me shelter when I had nowhere else to go. I can't just abandon them."
Raven studied my face for a long moment, then sighed. "You're going regardless of what I say, aren't you?"
"Probably."
"Then I'm coming with you."
"Raven—"
"No arguments." His tone brooked no disagreement. "If you're walking into a trap, you're not doing it alone."
I wanted to argue, but the relief on Stella's face stopped me. "Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you both."
We prepared quickly. Raven mobilized a small force of his best warriors—enough to make a difference but not enough to leave his own territory defenseless. I packed the few belongings I'd accumulated, including a proper sword Raven had given me.
"Ready?" he asked as we stood at the border of his territory.
"No," I admitted. "But let's go anyway."
The journey to Shadow Creek took most of the day. As we got closer, we could smell smoke on the wind. In the distance, dark clouds gathered unnaturally fast.
"Weather magic," Raven identified. "Your aunt's work."
We crested a hill and saw the Shadow Creek territory spread below us. My heart sank. Morgana's army was massive—thousands of soldiers in black armor, arranged in perfect formation around the pack's borders. Shadow Creek's forces looked pitiful in comparison.
"There," Stella pointed to a figure standing alone between the two armies. "That's her. Morgana."
Even from this distance, I could see the family resemblance. She had the same silver hair as my mother, the same elegant features. But where my mother's presence had been warm and comforting, Morgana radiated cold power.
"She's waiting," I realized. "She knew I'd come."
"Of course she did," Raven said grimly. "This was never about Shadow Creek. It was about drawing you out."
As if she'd heard us, Morgana's head turned in our direction. Her voice, magically amplified, carried across the distance:
"Hello, little niece. Come down and face me, or watch your friends burn."
To emphasize her point, she raised one hand and a building on the edge of Shadow Creek territory burst into flames.
"No!" I started forward, but Raven caught my arm.
"Think," he said urgently. "She wants you to be angry and reckless. Don't give her that advantage."
"Then what do I do?"
"You be what she never expected," he said. "You be smart."
I took a deep breath, centering myself like he'd taught me. Then I reached for my magic, not in anger but with purpose. Silver light erupted from my skin, visible even in daylight.
"I am Princess Lunaria of the Moonstone Kingdom," I called out, my voice carrying on wings of power. "I accept your challenge, Aunt. But not here, where innocents will suffer. Face me in single combat, just you and me. Unless you're afraid of a child you thought was dead?"
The silence stretched for long moments. Then Morgana laughed, the sound like breaking ice.
"You have your mother's courage and your father's stupidity," she called back. "Very well. Single combat. Tomorrow at dawn, in the neutral ground between territories. If you win, my army withdraws. If I win, you surrender your power to me willingly."
"And if I refuse?"
In response, three more buildings burst into flames. I could hear people screaming.
"Agreed!" I shouted quickly.
"Aria, no!" Raven said, but I'd already made my choice.
Morgana's army pulled back slightly, though they maintained their encirclement. The fires died down, though the damage was already done.
"You just signed your death warrant," Raven said quietly.
"Maybe," I agreed. "But I had to buy time. We have until dawn to figure out how to beat her."
"She's had thirteen years to grow her power," he pointed out. "You've had two weeks."
"Then I guess we better make tonight count."
As we made our way down to Shadow Creek, I saw Prince Zander waiting at the gates. He looked haggard, with dark circles under his eyes and a wildness to his expression I'd never seen before.
"You came," he said, staring at me like I was a ghost.
"Not for you," I said coldly. "For them." I gestured to the frightened people visible behind him.
"I know. I'm—" He paused, seeming to struggle with the words. "I'm sorry. For everything."
"Save it," I said, pushing past him. "I have a fight to prepare for."
But as we entered the pack grounds, I couldn't help but notice how he watched me. Not with the disgust from before, or even the calculating interest from our last meeting. This was something else. Something that looked almost like...
No. I wouldn't think about that. I had bigger problems than my rejected mate's regrets.
Tomorrow at dawn, I will face the woman who killed my parents.
Tomorrow, everything will change.
I just had to survive until then.
—