The warmth of Kael's hand lingered long after he let go.
Aria stumbled back a step, breath shallow as the forest pressed around her, thick with night and something else—something she couldn't name. Her wolf stirred beneath her skin, anxious and hungry, drawn to the raw energy pulsing between them.
"What the hell was that?" she whispered, voice shaky.
Kael didn't answer right away. His eyes burned like wildfire, staring into her like he was peeling back every layer she'd so carefully built. "You felt it," he said, voice hoarse. "Didn't you?"
She swallowed. "That doesn't mean I want it."
Kael stepped closer. "It's not about what you want. It's what the bond wants."
Aria clenched her fists. "I never asked for a bond."
He smiled bitterly. "Neither did I. But the moon chose."
The blood moon hung low in the sky, casting a reddish glow over everything. Shadows twisted like claws across the forest floor. Her heart pounded—not just from fear or confusion—but from something ancient clawing its way to the surface. A force older than logic, older than pain.
Kael's fingers brushed her jaw.
She slapped his hand away. "Don't touch me."
But it was already too late. The mark on her shoulder burned hot, searing her skin as Kael's presence pulled at it. A magnetic force, undeniable and cruel.
He flinched. "You're rejecting the bond."
"Of course I am!" she snapped. "You think I want to be tied to someone like you? A killer? A stranger? Someone who—who rips people apart?"
"I didn't choose this life," he growled.
"Neither did I."
Silence fell between them. Heavy. Painful. Real.
Then Kael looked up, past her shoulder, his body going tense. "We're not alone."
Aria spun around. A low growl rippled through the trees.
She saw them—three shapes in the shadows. Red eyes. Snarling teeth. Rogues.
Kael moved first, shoving her behind him. "Run."
"I'm not leaving you!"
"Aria, now!"
But her body wouldn't move. Her wolf surged forward, answering the challenge before her mind caught up. Her bones cracked, skin stretched, and within seconds, she was fur and fang.
She launched forward.
The fight was chaos.
Snarls and screams echoed in the woods. Blood splattered the trees. Aria twisted midair, sinking her teeth into one rogue's throat. Kael ripped another in half with terrifying ease. The third tried to run—but Kael was faster. One blur of motion and it was over.
The silence after was almost worse.
Aria shifted back, trembling and naked beneath the moonlight. Kael was already pulling off his shirt, tossing it to her without a word.
"Thanks," she muttered, holding it against her chest.
He stood shirtless, body streaked with blood and dirt, but those eyes—those damned eyes—were locked on her like she was all he'd ever wanted.
"You shouldn't have stayed," he said softly.
"You shouldn't have told me to leave."
Something in his expression cracked. "You're not safe here."
"I've never been safe," she said, stepping closer. "Not since I was marked. Not since you showed up."
He reached for her, slower this time. She didn't stop him.
His hand touched her cheek again—and this time, she didn't flinch.
"You feel it too," he murmured.
She hated it. Hated how true it was. How her body leaned into his touch, how her wolf purred beneath her skin.
"It doesn't mean I trust you," she said.
"I don't need your trust. Just time."
She looked up at him, heart in her throat. "And what happens when time runs out?"
He didn't answer.
They walked back to the packhouse in silence.
Aria didn't know what they were now. Allies? Enemies? Mates? It felt like none of those labels fit. Like whatever was between them existed outside the rules of this world.
Inside the packhouse, Kael led her to a small guest room.
"You'll sleep here," he said, voice distant again.
She nodded. "Fine."
But as he turned to leave, she grabbed his wrist. "Wait."
He looked at her, question in his eyes.
"Stay," she said.
He hesitated, then stepped inside, closing the door behind him. They didn't speak as they sat on the edge of the bed, their shoulders barely touching. The silence was thick with things neither of them wanted to say.
Finally, Aria spoke. "I keep dreaming of fire."
Kael turned to her.
"Everything burns," she whispered. "The village. My parents. My pack. It's all flames. And I'm just… watching."
He didn't try to comfort her. He just sat there, listening. That was somehow worse—and better—than empty words.
"When I was a kid," he said, "my alpha father used to tell me that dreams of fire meant change. That the old life has to burn before the new one can rise."
She met his gaze. "You really believe that?"
"I don't know," he said. "But maybe we're both burning."
They lay back on the bed, not touching, but closer than before. Aria stared at the ceiling, counting the cracks in the plaster. Kael's breathing evened out beside her. He was close enough for her to feel his warmth, but far enough that she didn't have to face the truth in his eyes.
She didn't sleep.
At dawn, she slipped out of the room, Kael still asleep.
Outside, the woods looked peaceful again. Like the night hadn't happened. Like blood and death weren't staining the earth beneath her feet.
She walked until she reached the river. The place where she first saw him. The place where everything changed.
She knelt at the edge, touching the cold water, staring at her reflection.
The mark on her shoulder glowed faintly beneath the collar of Kael's shirt. A soulmark. Binding. Eternal.
Tears welled in her eyes.
"I didn't ask for this," she whispered.
But deep down, something inside her answered: Neither did he.