Aria stared at Lucien, her heart still pounding. Her instincts screamed to run, to get away from the creature watching her like a hawk. But another part—deeper, primal—was drawn to him.
She sat up, forcing her aching body to obey. "What do you mean, I'm changing?"
Lucien crouched in front of her, his expression unreadable. "There's power in your blood—ancient, buried deep. Something neither your pack nor your beloved Alpha ever noticed." He paused, voice lowering. "But I did."
She swallowed hard. "Why do you care?"
"Because I don't believe in accidents," he said, eyes glowing faintly red. "You weren't meant to die in that forest. You were meant to find me."
His words sent a chill down her spine. She didn't believe in fate—not after what Kael did—but Lucien's presence stirred something undeniable.
"And what do you want from me?" she asked cautiously.
"A choice," he replied simply. "Stay here and learn what you truly are. Let me train you, protect you, help you unlock what's been buried. Or..." His eyes darkened. "Crawl back to the pack that rejected you and die a little more each day."
Aria clenched her fists. The memory of Kael's voice rejecting her echoed in her head. The sneers. The pitying looks. The pain.
"I'm not crawling back to anyone," she said, voice low and sharp.
Lucien's lips curled into a half-smile. "Good. Then stay. Learn. And maybe one day… make Kael regret the day he let you go."
Aria's breath hitched. That idea—that power—ignited a fire in her chest.
Lucien stood, extending a hand.
"Come, Aria Blackwood. Let me show you what it means to stop surviving… and start ruling."
She looked at his hand, heart r
acing.
And then… she took it.