Aria’s POV

    Two days.

    Only two more days until the full moon–until Lucien must leave.

    b84 /b

    s

    I walked out of Professor Maeryn’s cottage with my chest tight, every word she had spoken still pricking at me like thorns beneath the skin. Memories stirring. Secrets buried. Aedric’s suspicions sharpening. The weight of it all pressed down until I felt my wolf pacing restlessly inside me, ws scraping against the walls of my ribs, urging me to run.

    The night air was sharp with damp earth and pine, the kind of cold that slid beneath the skin. I inhaled deeply to steady myself–only to freeze.

    There.

    A trace on the wind.

    It wasn’t the smell of the forest, nor the faint smoke of distant hearth fires. It was something sharper. Human, but not just human. The musk of a wolf soldier masking his presence in the dark.

    A tail.

    My jaw clenched. My wolf bristled.

    I didn’t need to turn to know who had sent him. “Aedric,” I whispered under my breath, low enough that only the wind carried the name.

    Of course. He wouldn’t trust me. My erratic behavior, my secrecy these past nights–it had drawn his suspicion. And instead of facing me directly, he had set shadows to follow.

    I bit down hard on my tongue, tasting the iron tang of blood. Anger burned in me, but beneath it–something colder. Guilt.

    I quickened my steps, boots striking the packed dirt path with sharp, clipped rhythm. My wolf urged me to move faster, to shed my skin and outrun them all. But I couldn’t–not now, not with Lucien hidden in my den.

    By the time my door came into view, my heart was hammering. I reached for the handle, desperate to slip inside before whoever stalked me made themselves known.

    9:08 Fri, Sep 12

    “Aria,”

    :

    The low voice rumbled behind me, deep and edged with steel.

    I stiffened. My hand froze on the handle. For a moment, I couldn’t breathe.

    b84 /b

    s

    Slowly, I turned my head. Aedric stood only a few paces away, tall and broad–shouldered, moonlight glinting off the scar at his jaw. His eyes burned like frostbitten embers, locked on me with the weight of Alpha authority.

    I forced my hand off the handle and pulled the door shut behind me, blocking his view inside. My heart was a wild drum in my chest, but I schooled my face into calm.

    “Aedric,” I said evenly. “You startled me.”

    He didn’t answer right away. His nostrils red, sharp and subtle, as he tested the air around my door. I felt every muscle in my body tighten. Was he scenting Lucien? Could he?

    “You’ve kept yourself locked away thesest few days,” he finally said, voice smooth but coiled. “Are you unwell?”

    “I’m fine,” I replied too quickly, then steadied my tone. “Training’s been exhausting. I needed rest.”

    He took a step closer, the pressure of his aura brushing against mine like a de against skin. “Then perhaps I shoulde in. Sit with you. Make sure you are truly recovering.”

    “No.” The word snapped from my mouth before I could leash it. I softened my expression quickly, forcing a small, polite smile. “I mean–I prefer privacy in my own quarters.”

    His eyes narrowed, suspicion ring. My wolf growled inside me, sensing the danger.

    “You’re hiding something.”

    The words were a knife. He didn’t ask. He stated.

    I met his gaze with fire. “You think I’d lie to my Alpha?”

    He didn’t blink. “A wolf on the border was bitten by rogues the other night. The very next morning, he vanished. That night–you were on patrol.”

    My stomach dropped. He knew. Or at least, he guessed.

    I lifted my chin, baring my throat in defiance instead of submission. “So you suspect me? You think I helped him escape?”

    9:08 Fri, Sep 12

    His silence was damning.

    :

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    Heat red in my veins. I spun on my heel, shoved the door open with a crash, and threw my arm wide. “Then go on, Acdric. Search. Tear my den apart if you must. I told you I don’t let men into my chamber unless they are my mate, but if it will ease your mind, then by all means -inspect every corner. See for yourself if I am hiding anyone.”

    The words spilled like venom, my wolf snapping at his. My pulse pounded so loud I could hardly hear.

    For a long moment, he simply stared at me, fury battling with doubt in his eyes. Then, slowly, he stepped back.

    “You think this is a game, Aria,” he said, voice low, nearly trembling with restrained rage. “But this is about more than you. Our Pack stands at the edge of war. We need strength. Stability. Loyalty.” His gaze hardened, Alpha authority rolling from him like thunder. “It’s time you stopped resisting. Time you epted me as your mate. With our bond, the Western Pack will rise untouchable.”

    The air around us thickened, choking. My wolf snapped, baring teeth inside me, but I forced myself to hold his gaze. I didn’t speak. If I did, the scream wing up my throat would spill out, and I would shatter.

    Finally, with a frustrated snarl, he turned and stalked into the night. The tension in the air eased, but it left me hollow, trembling.

    I mmed the door shut, leaning against it as my breath came in ragged gasps. My nails bit into my palms, leaving crescents of blood.

    Duty. Loyalty. My Pack.

    And then–Lucien. His face. His golden eyes that haunted my dreams. The strange ache of memory I couldn’t shake.

    I pressed a hand to my chest, caught between two worlds tearing me apart.

    “Aria.”

    The voice was softer this time, close. Too close.

    I spun around.

    Lucien stood only a few steps away, shadows clinging to him as though he’d grown out of the night itself. His wounds had mostly healed, the strength in his frame unmistakable even beneath the in clothes I’d given him. His golden eyes glowed faintly in the dimness,

    9:09 Fri, Sep 12

    catching every flicker of

    my

    turmoil.

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    “I heard,” he said quietly, his gaze never leaving mine. “You told him your room has never been open to another man. That only your mate may cross that threshold.”

    My heart stuttered. “And what of it?”

    He tilted his head, studying me with something that made heat rush to my cheeks. Then, with the faintest curl of his lips, he asked,

    “Does that mean I need to take responsibility for you?”

    9:09 Fri, Sep 12