Aria ducked as a wooden chair flew over her head and smashed against the wall. The pack meeting room had turned into a battlefield.
"She's a curse on this pack!" yelled Beta Marcus, his face red with anger. "No wolf should have three mates! It's unnatural!"
"The Moon Goddess doesn't make mistakes!" Elder Lydia fired back. "If she chose all three Alpha sons, there must be a reason!"
Aria pressed herself against the wall, trying to become unseen again. Just three days ago, she was nobody—just the quiet omega everyone overlooked. Now the entire pack was fighting over her.
Alpha Darius slammed his fist on the table. The crack of splintering wood hushed the room.
"Enough!" he roared. "This is a council meeting, not a bar fight!"
Fifty pairs of eyes turned to him. The Alpha's massive frame demanded respect, but even he looked tired. Dark circles hung under his eyes, and his usually perfect hair was messy.
"My sons' mate bond is..." he paused, searching for words, "unexpected. But we will handle this with dignity."
Aria caught Jaxon's eye across the room. He gave her a small nod that made her heart skip. After their midnight talk at the healer's den, something had changed between them. The silver thread linking them felt stronger each day.
"The girl should be locked up until we understand what's happening," said Council Member Teresa, her cold eyes fixed on Aria. "For all we know, she could be dangerous."
"She's not dangerous," Jaxon spoke up, stepping forward. "She's confused and scared, just like the rest of us."
Lucian snorted from his corner of the room. "Speak for yourself, brother. I'm not scared of anything—especially not our little mate."
The way he said "our" made Aria's skin crawl. Unlike Jaxon, Lucian looked at her like she was a prize to be won. Kade, the oldest triplet, hadn't even shown up to the meeting.
"Where's your brother?" Alpha Darius asked Lucian.
"Patrolling the borders," Lucian answered with a shrug. "Someone has to keep an eye out for rogues."
Elder Rowan stepped forward from the darkness. The room grew quiet. Even Alpha Darius admired the old seer.
"I have studied the ancient texts," Elder Rowan said, his voice cracking with age. "There is mention of a silver wolf who would come in times of great change. A wolf with the power to bind many souls together."
"Are you saying Aria is this...silver wolf?" Alpha Darius asked.
Elder Rowan's cloudy eyes seemed to look through Aria rather than at her. "Her wolf's name is Sylas, is it not?"
Aria nodded, shocked. She had never told anyone her wolf's name.
"Sylas," Elder Rowan said the name with respect. "In the old tongue, it means 'guardian of souls.' Only royal blood carries such wolves."
Whispers spread through the room like flames.
"Impossible!" Beta Marcus spat. "The royal line died out centuries ago."
"Did it?" Elder Rowan asked with a strange smile. "Or was it hidden to protect the last heir?"
Aria's head spun. Mira had always told her she was nobody special. Just an orphan from a small pack that had been wiped out by rogues. Could there be more to her story?
The doors to the meeting hall burst open. Kade stormed in, his clothes torn and bloody.
"We're under attack!" he yelled. "Calyx and his rogues broke through the north border. They're heading this way!"
The room burst into chaos. Warriors rushed for guns. Parents ran to find their children.
"How many?" Alpha Darius demanded, already shifting partly, his claws extending.
"At least forty," Kade said, his eyes finding Aria in the crowd. "And they're calling for her."
All eyes turned to Aria. The weight of their stares made it hard to breathe.
"I'll go," she said suddenly. "If they want me, I'll go. I won't let anyone die for me."
"No," Jaxon and Kade said at the same time. They looked at each other, surprised by their agreement.
"No one is giving themselves up to rogues," Alpha Darius stated. "We fight. We protect our own."
Am I really one of them? Aria wondered. She had never felt like she belonged in the SilverClaw Pack. But now, suddenly, everyone wanted her—the rogues, the twins, even the council seemed interested in her bloodline.
A howl split the air outside. It wasn't a normal wolf yelp. It was louder, more powerful, making the windows shake.
"Calyx," Aria whispered, though she wasn't sure how she knew.
Something inside her stirred at the sound. Sylas, her wolf, pushed against her awareness, demanding to be let out.
I must see him, Sylas whispered in her mind.
"No," Aria said out loud, drawing interested looks.
"Warriors to the front lines!" Alpha Darius ordered. "Elders and young to the safe rooms!"
Jaxon arrived at Aria's side, taking her hand. "Come on, I need to get you somewhere safe."
His touch sent a wave of warmth through her body. The silver thread between them glowed brighter.
"I'm tired of being hidden away," Aria said. "This is happening because of me. I should face it."
"You will," Jaxon promised. "But not today. Not until we understand what's happening."
Another howl shook the building, closer this time. Aria's knees nearly buckled.
Jaxon led her down a hallway to a small room with no windows. "Stay here," he said. "I'll come back for you when it's safe."
Before she could argue, he kissed her face and left, locking the door behind him.
The moment she was alone, Sylas pushed harder against her control.
He calls us. Our guaranteed one calls.
"Stop it!" Aria clutched her head. "Calyx is the enemy!"
But was he? Dr. Mara's words from last night echoed in her mind: "Calyx isn't hunting you. He's protecting you from the real enemy—your father."
Not Jaxon's father. Her father. The Alpha who had raised her as nothing but an omega in his pack. Had he known all along what she was?
The ground shook with the force of wolves fighting outside. Aria heard howls of pain and rage, and knew wolves were dying—because of her.
She couldn't hide anymore.
"Sylas," she whispered. "If I let you out, will you take me to him? To Calyx?"
Yes, the wolf answered. It is time you learned the truth.
Aria closed her eyes and let go of the power she'd held her entire life. Silver fur spread across her skin. Her bones shifted painlessly—not like before when the change had hurt so badly.
When she opened her eyes, she wasn't Aria anymore. She was Sylas, the silver wolf. And she knew exactly where to go.
With one strong leap, she crashed through the wall of the safe room like it was made of paper. Wolves fought all around the pack grounds, but they froze at the sight of her.
She was massive—twice the size of a regular wolf, her fur gleaming like liquid moonlight.
In the middle of the battlefield stood a huge black wolf with eyes like burning coals. Calyx.
All fighting stopped as Sylas padded toward him. No one dared to interrupt.
The black wolf dropped his head in what almost looked like a bow.
My queen, his voice repeated in her mind. The time has come.
Behind her, she heard Jaxon's panicked cry: "Aria, don't!"
But it was too late. As their eyes met across the battlefield, the truth hit her like a lightning bolt. The missing memories rushed back—a baby ceremony, a promise between packs, a betrothal.
She wasn't just any wolf.
She was the true Alpha Queen of the Silver Moon Pack.
And Calyx wasn't her enemy.
He was her first mate.