The sanctuary trembled under the Devourer's presence, its shadows stretching across the floor like living roots searching for cracks to slip into. Runes flickered. Crystals dimmed. The cold deepened.
Aria's heart thudded painfully.
Not from fear—
but from the bond pulling tighter inside her chest.
Ronan's arm wrapped around her protectively, his warmth shielding her from the icy pressure of the Devourer's gaze.
"Aria," he murmured, "stay close. Don't let it inside."
She nodded, though her hands shook. "I'm trying. But it feels… like it's listening to my heartbeat."
The Devourer's head twisted toward them, shadows condensing.
Of course I am.
Your heart cracks easily.
It only needs a whisper.
Ronan growled. "Shut up."
The Devourer laughed—a hollow, echoing sound that rattled loose stones from the ceiling.
Wolf.
You think your presence protects her?
Your love weakens her.
Your fear feeds me.
Ronan stiffened.
Aria gripped his arm. "Don't listen—it's trying to get inside your head—"
But the Devourer wasn't speaking to Ronan now.
Its voice slithered into her.
Aria Hale.
You were born broken.
Unwanted.
Hidden.
A cracked vessel is easiest to claim.
Aria gasped, clutching her chest. "Get out—get out of my mind—!"
Ronan pulled her closer. "Fight it! Stay with me!"
The Devourer hissed.
He cannot protect you from the truth.
And suddenly—
Aria's vision blurred.
Not from physical pain.
From memories not her own.
A woman crying.
A baby swaddled in silver cloth.
A hand tearing her away.
Whispers of prophecy.
Fear.
Sacrifice.
Aria staggered. "No—no—what are these—?!"
The stranger rushed forward. "It's attacking her identity! The Devourer is trying to sever her sense of self. If it breaks her spirit, the bond collapses!"
Ronan growled. "Aria—look at me. NOT at the shadows. Look at me!"
She tried.
But the Devourer surged closer—
dark tendrils rising like storms
whispering in a thousand stolen voices.
Your father abandoned you.
Your mother fled from you.
You were never meant to live.
Only to be broken.
Aria screamed.
Ronan grabbed her face gently but firmly. "ARIA! Hear me. Not it."
Her glowing eyes fluttered—
But the shadow's words dug deep.
"I don't— I don't know who I am—" she sobbed. "It's showing me things—memories—voices—Ronan, I think they're real—"
"Then we face them together," Ronan said, refusing to let her fall. "You're not alone. Not anymore."
But the Devourer struck again.
He will not save you.
No wolf ever has.
Your blood doomed you at birth.
Aria fell to her knees.
Ronan dropped with her, holding her tightly, heart pounding against her back.
"Aria, breathe—stay with me—"
The Devourer expanded towering above them.
I will show her the truth.
I will show her why she was made.
And she will break willingly.
The stranger shouted, "Ronan! You must shield the bond or it will rip her apart!"
"How?!"
"Pull her into your mind—let your memories overpower the Devourer's lies!"
Aria's breathing faltered, tears streaming down her glowing cheeks.
Ronan cupped her face, forced her gaze to his.
"Aria. Look at me."
She tried.
Silver flickered in her eyes.
"I… can't… everything hurts—"
"I know," he murmured, voice cracking. "But listen to me. Let me in. Let me anchor you."
She swallowed hard, tears trembling on her lashes.
"O-okay…"
Ronan leaned his forehead against hers.
Their bond pulsed—
hot
bright
alive.
Aria gasped.
His memories flooded her vision—
Ronan as a child, learning to shift.
Ronan standing alone after becoming Alpha King.
Ronan watching frost fall over his territory.
Ronan the night he found her in the snow—
the fear
the fury
the instant pull
the moment he realized saving her mattered more than saving himself.
Aria cried into his chest. "Ronan…"
He held her tighter, burying a hand in her glowing hair. "You're not broken, Aria Hale. You're mine."
The Devourer shrieked with fury.
ENOUGH.
Its form expanded violently, shadows slamming into the sanctuary walls.
The runes flickered, then—
SNAP.
A section of the wall shattered.
The sanctuary dimmed to near darkness.
Ronan shielded Aria with both arms.
The stranger shouted in terror, "IT'S ATTACKING THE BOND DIRECTLY!"
Aria screamed as pain exploded through her chest, the bond stretching too fast too far too violently—
"Ronan—it hurts—!"
"I'm here," he whispered desperately. "Hold on to me. Please."
The Devourer's hand—massive, clawed, skeletal—reached toward them.
I will tear your hearts apart.
Beginning with the wolf.
The tendril lunged for Ronan.
Aria reacted without thinking.
She threw herself in front of him.
"NO!"
Silver light erupted—
not from her wrists
not from her chest
but from her entire body.
The force knocked the Devourer backward.
But Aria staggered, gripping her chest as the sigil burned violently.
"Agh—!"
Ronan caught her before she collapsed.
"Aria—you can't take hits meant for me—"
She looked up at him, tears spilling. "Yes I can. I won't lose you. Not for anything. Not again."
Ronan froze.
Again?
He opened his mouth to ask—
But the Devourer roared.
I SEE IT NOW.
THE FLAW.
THE CRACK IN HER BLOOD.
Aria's breath stopped.
"What flaw?"
The Devourer's glowing eyes shifted to her chest.
You are not pure Moonborn.
Not pure human.
You are something forged in fear.
A lineage stitched together to hide a crime.
A hybrid of power and betrayal.
Aria blinked, stunned. "W-what…?"
Ronan looked at the stranger sharply. "What is it talking about?"
The stranger hesitated.
A beat too long.
Aria's eyes widened. "You know."
Ronan snarled, "Say it."
The stranger closed his eyes.
"Aria's mother was not fully human."
Ronan froze.
Aria's heart cracked. "Then—what was she?"
The stranger exhaled shakily.
"She was Moonborn… but not ordinary Moonborn. She carried the blood of the First Luna."
Aria gasped.
Ronan's claws slid out slightly. "Her mother was—?"
"A direct descendant," the stranger said. "One of the last."
Aria trembled. "But that means—"
The Devourer finished for her.
You are the last of a forbidden bloodline.
The Moonbreaker is not a chosen title—
it is a curse your mother kept hidden.
Aria clutched her chest. "No… no, that's not true—"
Ronan held her tighter. "Aria—listen to me—"
But the Devourer pressed closer, its voice a cold caress.
Your mother knew the prophecy.
She knew you would be hunted.
She ran not from danger—
but from YOU.
Aria's breath shattered.
Her knees gave out.
Ronan caught her before she fell.
"No. Aria—don't listen—"
But tears streamed down her glowing cheeks, her expression breaking apart.
"She… ran from me?"
"Aria!" Ronan shook her gently. "Focus on me. On us—"
But she was slipping again, her glow flickering violently, her breathing uneven.
I have found your weakness.
Your identity fractures.
Your bond will break next.
"No—" Aria sobbed. "Ronan—help—"
He pulled her into his chest, pressing his lips to her temple.
"I won't let it break you," he whispered. "I won't lose you."
The stranger roared, "Ronan! Shield her mind—NOW!"
Aria's eyes flickered white.
Ronan grabbed her face, forcing her eyes to his.
"Aria Hale," he said, voice trembling with fierce protectiveness, "I don't care what your bloodline is. I don't care what prophecy says. I don't care where you came from."
Her breathing hitched.
"I love you."
Her eyes widened—
And the Devourer screamed.
NO!
Ronan continued, voice shaking:
"You are NOT a mistake.
You are NOT a curse.
You are mine."
The bond surged—
Blinding silver light filling the sanctuary.
Aria gasped as something inside her snapped back into place.
Her identity
her heart
her soul
solidified.
The Devourer recoiled violently.
UNACCEPTABLE.
Aria lifted her glowing hand.
Her voice was soft—but steady.
"Stay away from my mate."
Silver light exploded from her—
Pure.
Controlled.
Powerful.
The Devourer was blasted back for the first time—truly thrown across the sanctuary, its form shattering into mist.
Ronan pulled Aria close, shaking with relief.
But the stranger whispered, horror in his voice:
"No… this is not victory."
Aria's eyes widened. "What?"
The sanctuary began collapsing.
Crystals fell.
Runes flickered.
Darkness writhed.
The Devourer reformed slowly, its voice deeper, darker, more ancient.
YOU HAVE AWAKENED WHAT SLEPT WITHIN YOU.
AND NOW—
THE FINAL STAGE BEGINS.
Aria's body convulsed—
Her transformation igniting completely.
Ronan held her as she screamed—
And the Devourer advanced.