Chapter 5 Burn or Be Broken

The Moon Goddess didn't make a mistake. She made a weapon."

The words echoed between us, heavier than the silence that followed. Kael's voice-once cruel, once final-was now threaded with something I never thought I'd hear again.

Fear.

Of me.

I stared at him, the same man who had broken me in front of the entire pack, whose rejection had nearly killed me. Now he stood in the doorway, shoulders tense, storm-grey eyes flickering with something unspoken.

"I don't want to hear it," I said coldly.

"Aria-"

"You said I was worthless." My voice trembled, but I held his gaze. "You humiliated me. Threw me away like trash. Now you come back and say I'm a weapon? What, are you afraid of what I might become?"

His jaw clenched. "No. I'm afraid of what's coming for you."

A strange chill ran down my spine.

Kael stepped inside, slow and cautious, like he was approaching something wild. Maybe he was. I wasn't the same girl he'd rejected. Not anymore.

"You were supposed to die," he said softly. "But I keep seeing you in my dreams-fire everywhere, blood, shadows tearing apart the sky. You stood in the center... untouched. Eyes like flame."

I said nothing.

He moved closer. "Something is changing in you, isn't it?"

I wanted to deny it. I wanted to scream that he didn't have the right to care. But the words wouldn't come. Because he was right. Something was changing.

"I don't need your help," I whispered.

"I think you do," he replied. "Whatever power brought you back... it's not just old. It's dangerous."

"To me, or to you?" I asked, taking a step forward. "You think the Moon Goddess made a mistake? Maybe she made me strong enough to finally burn everything down."

Kael looked at me for a long time. "Then I'll burn with you if I have to."

I blinked, stunned. That didn't sound like the Alpha I remembered.

Before I could answer, a sharp knock cut through the tension.

Ronan's voice. "Aria, are you alright? I heard voices-"

Kael turned. "Of course he's here," he muttered.

The door creaked open. Ronan entered, eyes locking instantly with Kael's.

The tension exploded like a drawn bowstring.

"You." Ronan's voice was a snarl. "Get away from her."

Kael stood tall, unflinching. "She's mine."

"No," Ronan growled. "You lost that right the moment you rejected her."

"She's still my mate."

"You broke the bond."

"She didn't." Kael's voice was calm, dangerous. "And neither did I. Whatever ties us-it's older than a mate mark. It's prophecy."

"Prophecy?" I snapped. "I'm not some chosen savior. I'm a girl who died because the man she loved destroyed her."

Kael flinched. Good.

"I should kill you for what you did to her," Ronan spat.

Kael bared his teeth. "You can try."

Power flared between them-alpha against alpha. My wolf rose inside me, claws dragging beneath my skin.

"Stop it!" I yelled, and the room shuddered.

A pulse of golden light burst from me, sending both men stumbling back.

Silence fell.

Ronan stared, eyes wide. Kael's mouth parted in awe. "You really are changing," he whispered.

I gripped the edge of the table, breath ragged. "I don't know what's happening to me. But you fighting over me like I'm a prize isn't helping."

Ronan moved first. "You need to rest."

Kael didn't move. His gaze still burned into mine. "You're not safe. The rogues weren't a coincidence. They were drawn to the power waking in you."

"Then maybe I need to wake up faster," I said.

Kael nodded once. "Then let me help you."

I looked at Ronan, whose jaw tightened, but he nodded too. "We train tomorrow. No excuses."

I wanted to argue, but I was tired of feeling weak. Tired of being prey.

"Fine," I said. "But if either of you come at me like I'm still the omega who begged for scraps-I'll make you bleed."

The next morning came too fast.

The training field was covered in frost, the sky dull and gray. Ronan stood at one end, arms folded. Kael stood opposite, stripped to the waist, his muscles tense.

I stepped into the center.

Ronan tossed me a practice blade. "Let's see what the fire inside you can really do."

They didn't hold back.

Ronan struck first, fast and brutal. I blocked, barely. My instincts screamed at me-move, dodge, survive. I spun away just as Kael lunged. His speed was unreal, but this time, I moved like I'd done it a thousand times.

A spark of golden energy followed my blade. Ronan cursed as it nearly singed his shoulder.

"What was that?" he demanded.

"I-I don't know."

Kael looked at me like I was a puzzle he was desperate to solve. "That's not wolf magic. It's something else."

"Keep going," I said. "Don't stop."

We trained until my limbs screamed and my head pounded. But something inside me thrilled at every strike, every dodge. I wasn't running anymore. I was fighting.

After hours, I collapsed onto the grass, breathless. Kael knelt beside me, handing me water. "You learn fast."

I stared at him. "I've died once. I don't plan on doing it again."

Ronan walked over. "Someone's watching us."

We all turned.

A figure stood at the tree line.

The same man from the tunnel.

Only now, he wasn't hiding.

He stepped forward slowly, hands raised.

"I told you she was rising," he said. "But you still don't understand what she is."

Kael growled, stepping in front of me. "Who the hell are you?"

The man ignored him, eyes on me.

"You'll have to choose, Aria Nightshade. Between the wolves who want to use you, and the power that will consume you."

"What power?" I asked, standing.

He smiled. "The one that's been waiting lifetimes to wake."

With a wave of his hand, a portal of black flame erupted behind him. He stepped through-

-and vanished.

The field went silent again.

Kael turned to me. "Do you trust me?"

I hesitated. "No. But I'll fight beside you. For now."

He nodded. "Then prepare yourself."

"Why?"

Kael's voice dropped.

"Because that wasn't a warning. It was a declaration."

And then we heard it-howls in the distance. Dozens. Maybe more.

Not from this pack.

Not even from this realm.

My wolf stirred.

The war had begun.

Cliffhanger Ending of Chapter 5:

The howls weren't just near.

They were inside my head.

Calling my name.

Would you like me to begin Chapter 6 next, or would you like to review or adjust anything from Chapter 5 first?