The wind whispered my name like a warning. Aria!! I stood slowly, the silver robe flowing around my legs like liquid light, my fingers curling as I tested the unfamiliar surge of strength in my veins. The forest no longer felt like a threat. It felt like it belonged to me now every branch, every whisper, every shadow.
But the peace didn't last. Before I could take another breath, they found me. Blackblood warriors. Six of them, all towering, broad shouldered, armored in red and obsidian. Their scent was unmistakable blood, smoke, and Alpha command. One of them barked something I didn't hear. Another pointed at me with narrowed eyes.
"There she is! The rejected omega."
"She ran off into sacred land what do we do?"
"She's not supposed to be alive…"
The third one, clearly the highest ranked, stepped forward. "Alpha Kade wants her taken alive. Bound. No bite marks." Alive?
My stomach twisted. They didn't see the new me. They still thought I was weak. But I wouldn't go down quietly.
As they charged, I didn't hesitate. The power inside me answered like a roar. My eyes burned silver. My hands glowed. I didn't even understand what I was doingI just moved. Instinct took over.
The first warrior lunged, and I spun out of his grasp, slamming my palm into his chest. He flew backward like he'd been struck by lightning, crashing through a tree. The others froze, shocked.
"What the hell was that?!"
"She's a damn omega, how—"
I didn't wait, I leapt forward, primal rage exploding from within. The second guard tried to pin me, but my claws real claws burst from my fingers. I slashed his face, blood spraying into the snow. Two more grabbed my arms, but a scream tore from my throat, laced with something ancient, something unnatural, and they dropped me, clutching their ears. It wasn't me screaming. It was the new found power inside me. The last warrior standing pulled a silver dagger. My wolf growled, eyes locked on the glinting blade. I moved fast faster than I should've been able to and knocked it from his hand. He snarled, tried to tackle me, but I flipped him onto the ground with a strength that didn't belong to a girl like me. When it was over, five of them lay on the ground unconscious. One was missing. Suddenly A horn blew in the distance low and ominous. A warning sound I didn't stay to fight more. My legs moved on instinct, carrying me deeper into the woods. Away from the chaos. Away from the bond I could still feel thrumming in my chest like an echo waiting to be answered, But I didn't make it far. I felt a sharp pain at the side of my neck. I gasped, stumbling, vision tilting sideways as the world spun around me. My limbs went heavy. Cold. The fire inside me flickered but didn't die. My knees buckled. I hit the ground. And then everything became black again.
When I woke, the silver robe was gone. Chains clinked as I turned. My arms were stretched above my head, shackled to the cold stone wall. The air was damp and smelled of blood, mold, and death. My body ached, but the power inside me remained, faint but alive. I was in a dungeon. I blinked hard, trying to adjust to the dim torchlight. The walls were lined with old iron tools. Screams echoed faintly through the corridors beyond.
Then I felt it. I felt his presence, Kade. He was close. I sensed him before I heard his footsteps slow, deliberate, filled with the arrogance of a man who believed himself untouchable. The cell door creaked open, and there he was. Alpha Kade Varyn. Every inch of him exuded dominance. Cold fury simmered in his silver eyes, but his expression was unreadable. He stepped inside the cell alone, his black coat trailing behind him like a shadow. I raised my head and glared.
"I was expecting guards," I said, my voice hoarse. "Did you come to gloat in person?"
His lips curled, but it wasn't a smile. "I came to see it with my own eyes."
"See what?"
"That you're still breathing."
He stepped closer, and I tensed, heart racing. Not from fear. From something more dangerous.
"You should be dead," he said softly, almost to himself. "I rejected you. You should've collapsed. Your wolf should've gone feral. You should've run until your body gave out in the snow."
I lifted my chin. "Sorry to disappoint."
His eyes narrowed. "What happened to you in that forest?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?"
His hand lashed out fast. He gripped my jaw, tilting my face toward him firmly like he was examining something that didn't make sense.
"You feel different," he murmured. "You smell like... moonfire."
I smirked despite the ache in my bones. "Maybe the Goddess fixed her mistake."
He flinched. It was the smallest thing a twitch in his jaw but I saw it. I yanked my face from his grasp. "You think rejecting me ended this? You still feel it, don't you?"
He didn't answer. But his silence said enough. The bond wasn't gone. Not completely. He could feel it too. The same pull I did. The same thread trying to stitch itself back together.
"You don't get to reject fate," I whispered. "Not even an Alpha like you."
He stared at me for a long, tense moment. Then he stepped back, voice colder than before. "I should kill you."
"But you won't."
"Don't be so sure."
"You had the chance already. And yet here I am. Chained. But alive."
His jaw clenched, "I don't know what the hell you are now," he muttered. "But I'll find out." Then he turned, disappearing into the hallway, the door slamming behind him. I exhaled slowly, the chains biting into my wrists, but I felt no pain.