Kael's POV
The Hollow had released them—but the scars it left behind were invisible and soul-deep.
Kael stood at the edge of the Black Knight territory, watching the obsidian mists fade as the last thread of the portal collapsed behind them. Aria was unconscious in his arms, her body limp, her magic flickering like a dying star. She had given too much. Seen too much.
And still, it wasn't enough.
They hadn't left the Hollow victorious—they had fled, barely clinging to their sanity. Whatever dark magic had corrupted Aria's mother still pulsed inside her, a shadowy residue that wouldn't wash away.
Kael gritted his teeth as his wolf snarled within him, restless and angry. He had sworn to protect her. But what good was a vow when the enemy wore the face of her blood?
"Alpha," Rex murmured, appearing silently beside him. His second-in-command wore a look of grim concern, eyes flicking to Aria. "The Elders are demanding answers. They felt the shift. They want to know what you've unleashed."
Kael didn't look at him. "Tell them the truth. We walked into the Hollow. And something followed us out."
He pushed past Rex and moved toward the fortress that loomed at the heart of Black Knight territory. The wind was colder now, sharper—as if the very air sensed what was coming.
Inside, the corridors of the ancient stronghold whispered secrets older than Kael himself. Warriors fell silent as he passed. Aria's power had singed her skin with violet cracks of energy, and even unconscious, she radiated danger.
He carried her to his private chambers and laid her gently on the bed, brushing a strand of tangled hair from her face. She looked so small now. So breakable.
And yet—she wasn't.
Aria Draven had become something the world wasn't ready for.
Aria's POV
Darkness. Then cold. Then fire.
Aria gasped as her eyes flew open, her chest rising in a sharp breath as the memory of her mother's twisted smile flashed before her.
"You are the last of the Eclipse line… but your power was meant for two."
Her mother's words echoed again and again, a haunting riddle.
Why had Kael's name flickered in her vision? Why had the Hollow whispered that he would be her downfall?
She sat up quickly, but her body protested. Her veins still buzzed with the Hollow's residue, like poison mixed with starlight.
The door opened.
Kael stepped in. Tension rode his shoulders like a mantle, but when he saw her awake, some of that darkness melted away.
"You're awake," he said softly.
Aria nodded. "We made it back."
Kael walked to her slowly, kneeling at the edge of the bed. His hand hovered near hers before he finally touched it. "You were gone for three days. You haven't spoken a word since we got back."
Her breath caught. "Three days?"
He nodded. "Whatever happened in the Hollow—it's not finished."
Aria looked into his eyes, seeing the war there. "You saw it, didn't you? My mother... what she's become."
Kael's jaw tightened. "She's not your mother anymore."
"I don't know what she is," Aria whispered. "But she's coming. And she thinks I belong to her legacy. That my magic… isn't just mine."
Kael didn't reply right away. Then he said, "She wasn't lying."
Aria blinked. "What?"
He looked away. "While you were unconscious, I went to the Temple of Shadows. The old scrolls—the ones the Elders forbid anyone to touch—they speak of the Eclipse line."
"And?"
Kael met her eyes again. "It was never meant to be one power. It was always meant to be shared. Between two souls—light and dark. Moon and sun. Alpha and mate."
Her stomach dropped. "You think you're the other half of the Eclipse?"
"I don't think," Kael said, voice rough. "I know."
She pulled her hand away slowly. "And what does that mean? That we're fated?"
"It means," Kael whispered, "that our bond was never just about love. It was about destiny. Magic. War."
Later That Night
The Elders gathered in the Grand Hall, the storm outside battering the windows like fists of fury. Aria stood beside Kael, cloaked in black, her silver hair braided like a warrior's crown.
"We summoned you," Elder Varyn began, "because the Hollow is open again. And something unnatural walks with you."
Aria didn't flinch. "You're right. My mother. Or the shadow of her. She's no longer bound to the veil. And she's coming for me—and the crown."
"The Eclipse magic is unstable," another Elder said. "It was split for a reason. If you and Kael merge your powers, the world could fall."
"Or it could survive," Kael growled. "We were chosen."
A tense silence.
"Then prove it," Varyn said. "Bind your powers before the Council. Let the magic decide if you're worthy."
The Blood Binding Ritual
Under the blood moon, the sacred circle was drawn.
Aria and Kael stood in its center, their hands cut, blood dripping onto the altar stone. The spell was ancient, forbidden—a merging of souls that couldn't be undone.
Kael reached for her hand. "Are you sure?"
"No," Aria said. "But I'd rather fall with you than fight this alone."
The incantation began.
The moment their blood touched, the wind screamed.
Magic exploded from the circle, spiraling into the sky. Darkness and light warred in the air—gold clashing with violet, moonlight dancing with flame.
Aria felt Kael's soul press against hers, fierce and burning. He was strength and rage and devotion. He was hers.
Then came the pain.
It seared through her spine, her chest, her heart. She screamed as her power cracked and split open, revealing a part of her she'd never known existed.
Kael roared beside her, his body shifting into his full Alpha form—a beast of shadows and fury.
And then—silence.
The light faded.
When it was over, Aria collapsed into his arms, trembling. But alive.
The Eclipse was no longer divided.
It had chosen.
Them.
Final Scene — Aria's POV
That night, Aria stood at the window of Kael's chamber, watching the moon rise.
Kael approached from behind, wrapping his arms around her waist. "You feel it too, don't you?" he murmured. "The stillness before the storm."
She nodded, her voice low. "My mother won't stop. She thinks this power makes me her heir."
Kael pressed a kiss to her neck. "She's wrong."
"She's dangerous," Aria whispered. "And she's coming."
Kael's grip tightened. "Then let her come."
"We're not ready," Aria whispered.
Kael's golden eyes burned with promise. "Then we'll get ready. Together."