The forest was quiet that night, far too quiet. The usual chorus of crickets, the rustle of nocturnal creatures in the undergrowth, the whisper of owls all had gone still. Aria noticed it first as she followed Damien down the winding trail, their footsteps crunching softly against fallen leaves. It felt as though the very woods were holding their breath, waiting.
Damien, however, walked with the silent confidence of someone who belonged to the night. The moonlight caught the sharp lines of his jaw, his dark hair, and the faint scar that traced across his cheek. Every step he took was sure, precise, as though the forest bent to him, not the other way around. Aria couldn't stop glancing at him, her chest tightening with each passing second. He looked dangerous, untouchable and yet, he was the only one who made her feel safe.
"Where are we going?" she asked, her voice hushed, though she wasn't sure why. The silence of the forest pressed down on her like a secret.
Damien glanced back, a half-smile tugging at his lips. "Somewhere only the pack knows. I thought you deserved to see it."
"See what?"
His smirk deepened, though his golden eyes softened as they rested on her. "You'll know when we get there."
Aria swallowed hard and looked away, her cheeks heating. Ever since her first partial shift, her senses had been heightened in ways she could barely comprehend. She could hear the steadiness of Damien's heartbeat whenever he drew near, could feel the pull of his presence like gravity. The mate bond it was there between them, invisible yet unbreakable, tugging at her every time she tried to resist.
She tried not to think about the way his gaze lingered on her lips when he thought she wasn't looking. Or the way his touch accidental or not left a trail of fire on her skin.
The path opened suddenly into a clearing, and Aria gasped. Before her stretched a lake, its surface glowing with moonlight so bright it looked like silver glass. The water was still, reflecting the vast sky littered with stars. All around the clearing, white wildflowers bloomed, glowing faintly as if touched by magic. The air was heavy with the scent of pine, water, and something richer Damien's presence.
"It's beautiful," Aria whispered, stepping closer to the shore. The reflection of the moon rippled with each movement she made. "It doesn't feel… real."
"This place is sacred to my pack," Damien said quietly. "We come here to swear oaths. To heal. To find clarity. The water has always been… more than water." His gaze lingered on her, unreadable. "And I thought you should see it. Because whether you realize it or not, you're part of this now."
Her heart skipped. "Part of the pack?"
"Part of me," he corrected, his voice low, roughened by something more than words.
She turned to him, breath caught in her throat. His eyes glowed faintly in the moonlight, and for the first time, she didn't feel fear at the sight. She felt claimed, tethered, as though she had always belonged in his gaze. The world around them melted away until there was only him the Alpha who had haunted her dreams long before she ever knew his name.
"Damien…" she began, but her voice faltered.
He stepped closer, closing the distance between them. The air thickened, charged with heat and unspoken longing. "Tell me to stop," he whispered, his face inches from hers. "If you don't want this if you don't want me I'll walk away."
Aria's breath came unevenly. Every rational thought screamed at her to slow down, to think, to remember all the warnings Lydia had given her about the dangers of the mate bond. But her heart her body answered differently. She wanted him. Needed him. Even if it destroyed her.
"I don't want you to stop," she whispered, her words trembling.
His hand lifted, brushing a strand of hair from her face. The touch was so gentle it nearly undid her. His thumb lingered against her cheek, tracing the curve of her jaw. Then his fingers slid lower, resting against the rapid thrum of her pulse. "You're trembling," he murmured.
"Because you're too close," she breathed.
"Or maybe not close enough." His voice was a growl now, velvet and dangerous.
Her chest rose sharply as he tilted his head, closing the last sliver of distance between them. Their breaths mingled, warm in the cool night air. His golden eyes darkened, fixed entirely on her lips. The mate bond roared between them, demanding, insistent.
Aria's eyes fluttered shut, her body swaying toward his. The world stilled, the silence of the forest deepening to nothing but the sound of her heartbeat thundering in her ears.
And then
A sharp crack split the night.
Damien's head snapped up instantly, his hand shooting to Aria's arm and pulling her behind him. His body stiffened, every line of him going taut with alertness. The golden glow in his eyes flared brighter, wolf surging to the surface. "We're not alone."
Aria's heart raced, the heat of the almost-kiss vanishing, replaced by cold fear. She scanned the tree line, but all she saw were shadows. Still, she felt it the oppressive weight of eyes watching them.
Another sound followed: the faint metallic click of a weapon being cocked.
Damien bared his teeth, a low growl rumbling in his chest. "Hunters."
Before Aria could react, a voice rang out from the darkness. "Step away from the girl, Alpha. Or we'll put a bullet through your heart."
Her stomach dropped. From the trees, figures emerged five, maybe six armed with crossbows and rifles glinting with silver-tipped arrows. Their faces were hidden by masks, but their stance was unmistakable: killers, trained and ready.
Damien moved slightly, keeping his body between Aria and the hunters. His voice was cold, lethal. "You think silver will stop me? You should have brought fire."
One of the hunters laughed darkly. "We brought enough. And we know what she is too."
Aria froze. They knew? Her secret the part of her that wasn't fully human? Panic clawed at her chest. If hunters knew about her, she was a target too.
Damien's hand found hers, gripping tight. "Run when I say," he murmured without turning. "Don't stop. Don't look back."
Her fingers clenched his instinctively. "I'm not leaving you."
"You'll do as I say, Aria," he growled, though his thumb pressed reassuringly against her skin. "I can't protect you if you hesitate."
The hunters shifted, spreading out in a semicircle, cutting off escape routes. The leader raised his crossbow. "Last chance, Alpha. Hand her over. She's worth more alive than dead."
Damien snarled, his body vibrating with restrained fury. "Over my dead body."
The tension snapped like a cord pulled too tight. Arrows whistled through the air, silver flashing in the moonlight.
"Now!" Damien roared.
He shoved Aria toward the trees, his body twisting mid-motion as his shift ripped through him bones cracking, muscles surging, fur exploding across his skin in a blur of motion. The monstrous wolf landed where Damien had stood, golden eyes blazing with feral rage.
Aria stumbled forward, heart pounding, but she couldn't make herself run. Not when Damien hurled himself into the fray, tearing through the first hunter with brutal efficiency. The clearing erupted into chaos growls, shouts, the metallic clang of weapons striking against claws.
Aria's breath came ragged as she ducked behind a tree, watching the carnage unfold. Damien was magnificent, terrifying a blur of fur and fangs and strength but there were too many of them. For every hunter he felled, two more pressed in. Arrows embedded in his flank, silver burning against his skin, yet he fought on, unstoppable.
And all the while, her lips still tingled with the memory of the kiss that never happened.
Aria's hands clenched into fists. She should run. That was what he wanted. But something inside her rebelled at the thought of leaving him. She wasn't helpless anymore not entirely. Power pulsed in her veins, wild and untested, but hers all the same.
"No," she whispered fiercely. "I won't run."
And for the first time, she stepped toward the fight.