The forest was silent now.
Aria walked alone, barefoot on silver soil. No illusions. No monsters.
Just… silence.
Until she saw herself.
Another Aria stood ahead—same face, same scars, same eyes. But her expression was cold. Hollow. Angry.
> "You think love will save him?" the mirror-Aria said. "You're a fool."
"I believe in him."
"You believe in pain. You believe in fantasy." The twin circled her like a predator. "He's gone. He chose death. He chose to protect you, not return to you."
"That wasn't his choice!" Aria snapped. "He didn't want to leave me!"
"But what if you bring him back… and he's no longer the alpha you loved?"
That stopped her.
Because the truth hurt more than any blade.
What if saving him destroyed him?
What if the price of her love was his peace?
The forest grew still, waiting.
Then Aria lifted her chin. "Even if he's broken… even if he hates me for it—I'll still bring him back. Because I promised to find him. And love doesn't walk away. It fights."
The twin vanished.
And the forest erupted in silver light.
The final voice whispered:
> "You have passed the Trial of Truth. You may claim your mate."
A path opened before her—glowing with ancient runes. At the end…
A gate of moonstone.
Behind it… him.
The moonstone gate pulsed with power.
Every rune glowed with ancient magic—warm, sacred, and… mournful.
Aria stood before it, her heart thunderous. This was it. The edge of the world. The line between life and death.
The moment she touched the gate, it melted into mist—and the air changed.
No forest. No sky.
Only void.
A silver bridge stretched into the darkness, suspended over nothing. Wind howled below, whispering her name.
And at the end of that bridge, kneeling in shadow…
Him.
The Shadow Alpha.
Her mate.
His back was to her, shoulders hunched, as if burdened by lifetimes of regret. His body shimmered, half-formed, like he was fading with every passing second.
"Ronan," she whispered.
He didn't turn.
So she ran.
Every step echoed through eternity.
When she reached him, she dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around him from behind.
And finally—he spoke.
"I told you not to come," he rasped. "You were supposed to live."
"I wasn't living without you."
He turned then. Slowly. His eyes, once wild and golden, were now dull with pain.
"You saw the truth. You know what I did. The lives I took. The blood on my hands. I'm not a man, Aria. I'm a curse."
"You were cursed," she said, lifting his face. "But you chose love. You chose me. And I choose you. Every dark part. Every broken piece."
He trembled.
The shadows around them stirred, forming the silhouette of the Moon Goddess herself.
> "To bring him back," the goddess said, "you must take his darkness into yourself. Share the burden. Bind your souls."
"It could destroy her," Ronan said, shaking his head.
"It could set us free," Aria said, voice steady.
The goddess waited.
Aria stood, and held out her hand.
"Come back with me," she said. "Let's finish the story together."
And Ronan—eyes shining for the first time in forever—took her hand.
The bridge shattered.
Light exploded.
The realm of death howled in fury.
But the bond between them ignited, burning brighter than any curse.
And when the light cleared…
They were back.
Together.
Alive.