The dark hand dragged Aria deeper into the freezing pool. Water filled her mouth and nose as Lydia's violet eyes blazed with victory beneath the surface.
"Let her go!" Caden lunged forward, but the water turned solid as ice around his hands.
"You cannot stop what was always meant to be," Lydia's voice echoed from everywhere at once. "Her power belongs to me."
Silver light burst from Aria's fingers, shattering the icy grip. She broke the surface gasping and coughing, but the dead Luna's laughter followed her up.
"This isn't over, little sister. I'll be back for what's mine."
The pool suddenly returned to normal, clear and still. Lydia's presence disappeared like smoke.
"Are you hurt?" Seraphina pulled Aria from the water, wrapping her in warm furs.
"I'm fine. But she's not gone. I can still feel her watching." Aria shivered despite the warmth.
"She's been controlling everything, hasn't she? The threats, the fear, even Liana's betrayal."
"It would explain a lot," Caleb said softly from his bed. "Someone's been feeding information to our enemies for months."
"We need to warn the pack," Caden said quickly.
"Warn them about what? A dead Luna who wants revenge?" Seraphina shook her head. "They'd think we've lost our minds."
Above them, the castle shook as something huge crashed into the walls. The Primal Alpha's roar echoed through the stone passageways.
"The creature's getting closer," Aria realized. "And with everyone focused on hunting us, no one's defending the walls."
"Then we go back up," Caleb struggled to sit. "Face whatever's coming."
"You're not going anywhere," Seraphina said strongly. "You need rest."
"The pack needs their future Alpha more."
"The pack needs to survive tonight first."
Their argument was halted by footsteps in the hidden passage. Someone was coming down the circular stairs, moving fast but trying to be quiet.
"Magnus?" Seraphina called out.
"No," a familiar voice answered. "It's me."
Dorian Vale stepped into the crystal-lit chamber, his dark eyes wild with fear. His clothes were torn and muddy, like he'd been running through the bush for hours.
"Dorian!" Aria jumped up. "What are you doing here?"
"Saving you," he said breathlessly. "Before it's too late."
"Too late for what?"
"They're coming. The rogues. They'll be here within the hour." Dorian's voice cracked with tiredness. "But I can get you out. I know a safe way through the mountains."
"How do you know about the rogues?" Caden asked suspiciously.
Dorian's face went red. "Because I've been meeting with them."
The room fell silent except for the gentle lapping of water against stone.
"You what?" Aria whispered.
"I had to! They told me the Alphas were planned to sacrifice you to stop the attacks. That Magnus was going to hand you over to the Primal Alpha to save the rest of the pack."
"That's ridiculous," Seraphina said furiously. "We would never—"
"Wouldn't you?" Dorian's dark eyes blazed. "You've already tried to control her, change her, make her fit your perfect Luna picture. And when that didn't work, you blamed her for everything going wrong."
"Dorian, that's not true," Aria said gently.
"Isn't it? Look what happened tonight. The moment something bad happens, who do they hunt? You. Always you." He stepped closer, his voice desperate. "I won't let them destroy you like they destroy everything else."
"So you made a deal with rogues?"
"I made a deal to save my best friend." Tears ran down his face. "The rogues aren't the real enemy here. The Alphas are. They're the ones keeping everyone trapped in this horrible system where birth determines worth."
"The rogues are killers," Caden said coldly.
"So are the Alphas! How many omegas have died because they couldn't protect themselves? How many have been forced into matings they didn't want?" Dorian's voice rose. "At least the rogues are honest about their violence."
"What exactly did you promise them?" Seraphina asked softly.
Dorian's face went pale. "Information. About the castle's defenders. About where you'd be hiding."
"You gave them a map to kill us all," Caleb said in shock.
"I gave them a way to rescue Aria!" Dorian shouted. "They promised to take her somewhere safe, away from all of this madness."
"And you believed them?"
"I wanted to believe them." His voice broke completely. "Because the alternative was watching you die slowly in this place."
Aria felt like someone had punched her in the stomach. Her best friend, her most loyal companion, had betrayed everyone she cared about.
"How could you?" she whispered.
"Because I love you," Dorian said simply. "Not the way they do, wanting to own you and control you. I love you like family. Like the sister I never had." He wiped his eyes roughly. "I couldn't stand watching them trap you in their golden cage."
"So you opened the door for wolves instead."
"I thought..." He trailed off, looking at the floor. "I thought I was being brave. Standing up to the system. Fighting for what's right."
"You were being selfish," Caden said sharply. "Making decisions for everyone else without asking what they wanted."
"Maybe. But at least I was trying to save her instead of using her."
The castle shook again, harder this time. Dust rained from the roof and several crystals cracked.
"They're here," Dorian said sadly. "The rogues are attacking the main gate."
"How many?" Seraphina asked.
"Fifty. Maybe more." He looked up with haunted eyes. "They have inside knowledge of every weakness, every secret entrance. They know exactly where to strike."
"Because you told them," Caleb said.
"Yes. Because I told them." Dorian's voice was barely a whisper. "And now everyone's going to die, and it's my fault."
The sound of fighting echoed down from above. Shouting voices, striking weapons, screams of pain and fear.
"There has to be something we can do," Aria said desperately.
"There is." Dorian pulled a small silver horn from his pack. "The rogue boss gave me this. If I blow it, they'll know where you are. They'll come straight here instead of hitting the rest of the castle."
"That's suicide," Caden said. "We can't fight fifty rogues."
"No. But you can run while they're focused on me." Dorian's hand shook as he held the horn. "I can buy you time to escape."
"Dorian, no—"
"It's the only way to fix what I broke." He smiled sadly. "Besides, someone needs to pay for this mess. Might as well be me."
"There has to be another option," Aria pleaded.
"There is." A new voice spoke from the dark. Cold and familiar and filled with ancient hunger.
"Give me what I want, and I'll save them all."
Lydia appeared beside the pool, her violet eyes glowing like stars. She looked solid now, real enough to touch.
"All you have to do," the dead Luna whispered, "is let me back into the world of the living. Let me take your body, just for a little while."
"Don't listen to her," Seraphina warned.
"Why not?" Lydia smiled. "I can end this attack with a thought. Send the rogues running. Protect everyone you love."
Her eyes fixed on Aria. "All I need is a body. A Moon Wolf body to hold my power."
"And then what?" Aria asked.
"Then I recover what was stolen from me. My pack. My position. My life."
"What about my life?"
Lydia's smile turned sharp. "What about it?"
The horn trembled in Dorian's grip.
Above them, the battle was getting closer.
And beside the pool, a dead Luna waited for an answer that would save everyone Aria loved. Or destroy them all.