The night in Ravencrest had not softened. The forest was restless, the winds carrying murmurs of wolves who still argued in the shadows, torn between Damien's leadership and Kaelen's whispered dissent. But in the quiet courtyard behind the Alpha's hall, there was only silence broken only by the steady thrum of Aria's heartbeat.
She sat on the low stone wall, staring at the moon above. Its pale glow washed over her skin, painting her in silver, and for the first time since the trial, she didn't feel like prey. She felt… seen.
A door creaked open, and her senses sharpened before her eyes confirmed what she already knew. Damien.
His presence filled the space before he even spoke. He crossed the courtyard with slow, purposeful steps, his tall frame outlined by the torchlight. His golden eyes, though weary, glowed with something that cut through her fear.
"You should be resting," he murmured, stopping a breath away from her.
"So should you," Aria replied, her lips curving into the faintest smile. "But I'm guessing neither of us is good at listening to advice."
His mouth twitched at her boldness, and the silence stretched between them not uncomfortable, but charged. The air seemed to pulse with every glance, every subtle shift.
"I heard what you said tonight," Damien said at last, his voice low and raw. "When you stood before the Council. You've no idea how much you risked for me."
Her heart stuttered. "I didn't do it just for you. I did it because I meant every word. This is where I belong… with you."
The confession hung between them like lightning caught in air. Damien inhaled sharply, as though the words were both a gift and a burden he had long feared to claim. He reached out, his hand hovering near hers, trembling not from weakness, but restraint.
"Aria," he said, her name almost reverent. "You have no idea how dangerous it is for me to want this. To want you."
She leaned closer, her voice steady despite the storm in her chest. "Then don't hold back. Not anymore."
Damien's control cracked in that instant. His hand slid against hers, rough and calloused, yet careful as though she were the most fragile thing he had ever touched. The spark of their bond flared, hot and undeniable, surging through their skin where they met.
Aria's breath caught. The bond was not just warmth it was wildfire. It licked through her veins, searing yet comforting, a call and answer between two souls that had always been meant to find one another.
Slowly, Damien leaned in. His forehead brushed hers, his breath mingling with hers.
"Tell me to stop," he whispered, golden eyes darkened with hunger and something far deeper. "And I will."
Her answer was simple. "Don't stop."
And then his lips were on hers.
The kiss was not soft, not tentative it was a storm breaking, a release of everything they had held back. His hand cupped the back of her neck, pulling her closer, while her fingers fisted in the fabric of his shirt as though she could anchor herself in him alone.
The bond roared, an echo of fire and moonlight exploding between them. She saw flashes in her mind wolves running beneath a blood-red sky, fire consuming forests, and at the center of it all, Damien's eyes locking onto hers. It was more than passion. It was fate sealing itself, choice intertwining with destiny.
When they finally pulled apart, both were breathless, foreheads pressed together as though afraid to lose contact.
"I've waited a lifetime for this," Damien murmured, his voice roughened by more than desire. "And yet, I fear it's only the beginning of something that will demand everything from us."
Aria's chest ached with the weight of his words, but she didn't falter. "Then we'll face it. Together."
The moonlight glimmered over Damien's sharp features as his lips curved into something rare hope. He kissed her again, gentler this time, but no less certain.
For a heartbeat, the war, the whispers, even Viktor himself faded away. There was only Aria and Damien, two souls bound by fire, choosing each other against all odds.
But in the shadows of the courtyard, unseen by them, Kaelen watched with cold, narrowed eyes.
And he knew now that their bond was unbreakable. Which meant only one thing.
To destroy Damien, he would have to destroy her.