The tension in the air hadn't settled when a second presence swept over the grounds.
Heavier.
Colder.
More dangerous than the two Alphas facing each other.
Then they appeared.
Figures cloaked in authority, their arrival alone enough to silence even the most aggressive warriors.
The Council.
Aria felt it immediately—the shift. Even the Alpha beside her straightened slightly, his grip on her loosening… but not leaving.
"They move fast," he muttered under his breath.
Across the field, her former mate stepped back, his anger carefully masked.
Smart.
No Alpha wanted to challenge the Council directly.
A woman stepped forward from the group, her eyes sharp and unreadable as they scanned the crowd… before landing on Aria.
And stopping.
"You," she said.
Not loud. Not harsh.
But powerful enough to make Aria's chest tighten.
"Step forward."
Aria didn't move.
Beside her, the Alpha's voice dropped dangerously low. "She stays where she is."
The Council member's gaze flicked to him briefly—unimpressed.
"You would challenge the Council over a girl?"
A low growl rumbled in his chest.
"She's not just a girl."
The words hung in the air.
Aria's heart skipped.
The Council member's expression shifted slightly.
Interest.
"Then perhaps," she said slowly, "you should explain why she carries a mark that does not belong to the natural order."
Silence.
Every eye turned to Aria.
Her skin burned under their stares.
"What do you mean?" she asked, her voice steadier than she felt.
The woman stepped closer.
"You were rejected by your fated mate," she said calmly, gesturing toward the other Alpha.
"That alone should have severed your bond permanently."
Aria's stomach tightened.
"But instead…" the woman continued, her gaze dropping briefly to Aria's neck, "you formed another. Instantly."
Murmurs spread through the crowd.
"That is not possible," one of the elders said.
"It is forbidden," another added.
The Alpha beside her stepped forward slightly, placing himself just ahead of her.
"Careful," he warned.
The Council member didn't back down.
"If what we suspect is true," she said, her voice turning colder, "then she is not just an anomaly."
A pause.
Heavy.
Deliberate.
"She is a threat."
The word hit like a slap.
Aria's chest tightened—not with fear.
With anger.
"I didn't ask for any of this," she snapped.
The Council member tilted her head.
"And yet it happened."
Across the field, her former mate watched silently—but his eyes never left her.
Not with anger.
Not with regret.
But something darker.
Something calculating.
The Alpha beside her spoke again, his tone final.
"She's under my protection."
The Council member smiled faintly.
"That may not be enough."
A chill ran down Aria's spine.
"Until we understand what she is," the woman continued, "she will be watched."
Watched.
Judged.
Hunted… if necessary.
Aria clenched her fists.
She had been rejected.
Cast aside.
Now labeled a threat.
But something inside her—something new—stirred.
And this time…
It didn't feel weak.
It felt dangerous.