Aria's POV
My whole body went cold at Dad's words. "She's alive? Elena is alive?"
Before he could answer, a sharp pain cut through my head. I screamed, falling to my knees as images flashed behind my eyes—Elena's face, older now, twisted with hate. A woman with silver hair mixing something in a stone bowl. Rowan, chained to a wall, fighting against unseen bonds.
"Aria!" Dad and Caleb both rushed toward me, but another wave of pain sent me crawling backward.
"Don't touch me!" I gasped. My wolf clawed inside me, desperate to break free after years of quiet. "What's happening to me?"
Dad's face went pale. "She's connected to you. Mara's using the blood link."
"Who is Mara?" I demanded, stumbling to my feet as the pain faded. "And if Elena's been living all this time, where has she been? Why didn't she come home?"
"Because I took her memories," said a cold voice behind us.
We all spun around. A woman stood at the end of the hallway—tall and elegant, with flowing silver hair and eyes like broken amethysts. Behind her stood the blonde girl from the forest.
"Elena?" I whispered.
The girl smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Hello, sister."
Dad lunged forward, but with a flick of her wrist, the silver-haired woman—Mara—sent him flying against the wall.
"Now, now, Marcus," Mara said. "Is that any way to greet the woman who saved your daughter?"
"You didn't save her," Dad spat. "You stole her."
Caleb moved protectively in front of me. "Leave, witch. You're not welcome in Nightfall territory."
Mara laughed. "But I was invited." She turned to look down the hall. "Wasn't I, Alpha?"
Rowan appeared, walking stiffly toward us. His eyes looked glazed, unfocused. Beside him was Lyra, smiling proudly.
"What did you do to him?" I asked, my voice shaking.
"Just strengthened what was already there," Mara responded. "A simple curse, bound by blood and sorrow. Your mate rejected you so easily because I made him." She reached out, touching Rowan's cheek. He didn't move. "He fought it at first. His wolf knows you're his true mate. But every time he gets close to breaking free, I just... tighten the leash."
My wolf howled in rage. I felt something crack inside me—a dam breaking after ten years.
"Let him go," I shouted, my voice deeper, rougher. My wolf's voice.
Mara's eyes widened. "Interesting. You're stronger than I thought."
Elena stepped forward, studying me with cold eyes. "She doesn't look special to me."
"That's because she doesn't know what she is yet," Mara responded. "But she will. Tonight."
The pain hit me again, sharper this time. I doubled over, my vision swirling. Through the haze, I saw Caleb rush Mara, only to be thrown back by some unseen force.
"Stop!" I screamed. "What do you want from me?"
"Your power," Mara said simply. "The ancient spirit wolf that sleeps inside you. Only your pain can wake it fully."
"I don't have any power," I gasped.
"Of course you do." Mara knelt beside me, catching my chin in her cold fingers. "Why do you think your father kept you away from other packs? Why Rowan's rejection hurt more than it should? You're not just any werewolf, Aria Thorn. You're the last of the Moonstone bloodline."
Dad fought against the invisible bonds holding him to the wall. "Don't tell her!"
"Don't tell me what?" I demanded, fighting through the pain.
Mara smiled. "Your mother wasn't just any Luna. She was the last pure Moonstone wolf, direct descendant of the first werewolves. Their power flows in your veins—power I need."
"For what?" Caleb asked, getting to his feet.
"To break the curse on all werewolves," Mara said, as if it were obvious. "To return us to what we once were—beings of pure magic, not slaves to the moon and human forms."
Elena stepped closer, her eyes fixed on me. "She said you tried to kill me. That you were jealous because Mom and Dad loved me more."
"That's a lie!" I cried. "I loved you more than anything!"
Something flickered in Elena's eyes—doubt, confusion. But it passed quickly.
"The ritual requires blood," Mara continued. "The blood of two sisters from the Moonstone line. One who embraced her wolf, one who rejected it." She nodded toward Elena. "One trapped between life and death, one fully alive."
"I won't help you," I growled.
"You already are." Mara raised her hand, and my body lifted off the ground. I fought against invisible bonds as she turned to Rowan. "Bring her to the willow tree at midnight. Kill anyone who tries to stop you."
Rowan nodded mechanically.
"No!" Caleb shouted. He lunged for Mara again, but froze mid-movement when Elena stepped between them.
"I remember you," Elena said quietly. "You used to give me piggyback rides."
Caleb's eyes widened. "Little Lena?"
The nickname seemed to trigger something. Elena's hard expression faltered.
"Don't listen to him," Mara snapped. "Remember what they did to you."
I felt the pressure around me relax, and I dropped to the floor. Looking up, I saw confusion flash across Rowan's face. For just a moment, his eyes cleared.
"Aria?" he whispered.
Quick as lightning, Mara pressed her palm to his forehead. He screamed, dropping to his knees.
"The curse is weakening," she hissed. "We need to complete the ritual tonight."
Lyra stepped forward. "I'll make sure he brings her."
Dad growled from where he was pinned. "If you touch my daughter—"
"You'll what?" Mara laughed. "You're nothing anymore, Marcus. A broken Alpha who couldn't protect his own cubs."
I pushed myself to my feet, ignoring the pain in my head. "You're wrong about my father. About all of us."
Something stirred inside me, warm and strong. My wolf, waking after years of silence.
Mara's eyes narrowed. "Bring her tonight," she told Rowan and Lyra. "Or the sister dies. Again."
With that, she grabbed Elena's arm, and they disappeared in a swirl of shadow.
The unseen force holding Dad released. He collapsed to the floor, his eyes wild with grief and rage.
"I thought she was dead," he whispered. "For ten years, I mourned her. But she was with that witch the whole time."
I knelt beside him carefully. "Why didn't you tell me there was something special about our bloodline?"
He looked up at me, tears streaming down his face. "To protect you. Your mother made me promise." He grabbed my hand. "But now I've failed you both."
Caleb knelt beside us. "We need to get out of here. Now. Before Rowan and Lyra recover."
I looked over at them. Rowan was still on his knees, his face twisted in pain. Lyra stood behind him, her hand on his shoulder, whispering something in his ear.
"I can't leave," I said. "Elena's alive. She's confused and hurt, but she's my sister."
"And Mara will kill you both," Caleb countered.
"No." I stood up, feeling something shift inside me. My wolf, rising. "She won't. Because tonight, I'm going to that willow tree."
"Aria, no—" Dad began.
"Not to surrender," I cut him off. "To fight. To break whatever hold Mara has on Elena. On Rowan. On all of us."
As the words left my mouth, a burning pain shot through my chest. I gasped, looking down to see a glowing mark appearing over my heart—a crescent moon surrounding a small, perfect stone.
"The Moonstone mark," Dad whispered in awe. "Your wolf is awakening."
I looked up, meeting eyes with Rowan across the room. For just a second, I saw recognition flare in his silver eyes. Then Lyra pressed something to the back of his neck. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed.
"Midnight," she said, smiling coldly at me. "Don't be late, Luna."