o process what Jesse had just said.

r into the woods. The air seemed heavier now, pressing down on her

swirling in her mind. You're not human?-the words clung to her, refusing to let go. She looked at

ria managed to say, her voice sh

, Aria thought she saw something ancient and wild lurking in the depths of his gaze. Something th

eath, as though waiting for something. A low, mournful howl echoed through the trees, and Aria felt her stom

Aria asked, her voice

woods. "People who know what you are," he said quietly, glancing nervously ov

rward, his pace quickening. "My power?" she repeated, he

. That wolf you saw in the woods-it wasn't just any animal. It was a guardian. A creat

Pack? This wasn't the world she knew. She wa

going on," she demanded, her

ice strained. "But you have to t

ht of the full moon. The night was still, the only sound the soft crunch of their fo

one that seemed hidden beneath the shadows of the trees. At the end of the path stood an old, weathered cabin, its windows dark

imes on the door. Aria's heart thudded in her chest as

dows across the room. Aria's eyes were drawn to the shelves lined with old books, their pages yellowed with age. Th

ll. Her eyes, bright gold and piercing, locked onto Aria with an intensity that made her b

smooth and melodic, yet laced

n was serious, his usual teasing smile absent. "This is Aria

d searching. "The one marked by the moon," she whispered und

"What prophecy? What

e old wolves, the Midnight Pack, and the human world aligned. You were marked then, Aria. That's why you've always felt this pul

d. "Wolves?

he Midnight Wolves," she said softly, her voice heavy with reverence. "Guardians of the forest. Protector

t as though the ground beneath her feet had just disappeared. "No... this can't be rea

r. "You are, Aria. It's all true. The blood that runs through

he time is coming, Aria. You will have to choose. The Midnight Pack will either rise ag

ces of the puzzle were beginning to fall into place, but they made no sense. Wolves. Mag

thing wa

d never be th