The forest was quiet that night.
Too quiet.
The wolves had retreated into their dens, the scars of battle still fresh in their minds. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath as the silver moon climbed high, spilling its light across the clearing where Damien stood.
He had left the den after speaking with the elders, his patience stretched thin by their whispers. They wanted answers what Aria was, whether she could be trusted. He had growled his way through their questions, his Alpha authority silencing their voices, but their doubts lingered like a sickness in the air.
And beneath it all, Damien's own fears lingered too.
He stared up at the moon, hands curled into fists. He had never felt so strong, and yet so weak, as he did with Aria near. She made him believe in things he had long abandoned hope, warmth, something like a future. But he also knew she made him vulnerable. And vulnerability, for an Alpha, was death.
The sound of footsteps broke through his thoughts. Light, hesitant.
"Damien?"
Her voice.
He turned, and there she was, standing at the edge of the moonlit clearing. Aria. Her dark hair tumbled over her shoulders, silver light kissing her skin, making her look as though she had been born from the night itself.
For a long moment, he just stared, drinking her in. And then he said softly, "You shouldn't be out here."
"Neither should you," she countered, stepping closer. "The pack is worried. About us. About me."
His jaw tightened. "They'll get over it."
"Will they?" she asked, her gaze steady. "Or will they always see me as something dangerous? Something that doesn't belong?"
Damien took a step toward her, his voice low, fierce. "You belong. With me."
The words hung between them, raw and unplanned. Aria's breath hitched, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
"With you," she whispered, almost as if testing the weight of the words.
"Yes," he said, closing the distance until only inches separated them. His golden eyes burned in the moonlight, softer now, but no less intense. "I've tried to fight it. To deny what I feel for you. But every time I see you, every time you look at me...." He exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "It's like the bond tightens. And I can't breathe without you."
Aria's lips parted, her own heart racing. She wanted to speak, to say something, anything but her voice caught in her throat.
Damien reached up, brushing a strand of hair from her face, his fingers lingering against her skin. "I'm afraid, Aria. Not of you. But of what this means. The Moon has tied you to me, and I can't… I won't lose you. Not like I lost her."
Her brows furrowed. "Your mother?"
His eyes darkened, but he nodded. "She was light. She was love. And when she was gone, the world turned cold. I swore I'd never let myself feel that kind of loss again." His thumb brushed her cheek, his touch trembling despite the strength in him. "And then you came."
Aria's eyes burned with unshed tears. She lifted her hand and pressed it over his, holding it to her cheek. "Damien… you don't have to protect me from what we feel. I'm not afraid of it."
Her voice cracked, but her gaze was unwavering. "I'm afraid of losing you too. And that's how I know this is real."
The bond pulsed between them then, warm and undeniable, as though the moon itself leaned closer to listen.
Damien's breath shook as he leaned in, his forehead resting against hers. "Say it," he whispered, his voice desperate. "Tell me you feel it too."
Aria's lips trembled. For so long she had fought it, denied it, told herself that what pulled her to him was only danger and instinct. But standing here, with the moon watching, she couldn't deny it anymore.
"I feel it," she breathed. "Damien… I love you."
The words struck him harder than any blade. For a moment, he froze, as if afraid the world would rip the confession away. But then something broke inside him fear, restraint, the last wall he had built against her and he pulled her into his arms, crushing his lips to hers.
The kiss was fierce, desperate, but laced with tenderness. It wasn't just passion it was a confession in itself, the unspoken words he had been too afraid to say. Her hands tangled in his hair, his arms wrapped around her waist, holding her as though letting go was no longer an option.
Above them, the moon blazed brighter, bathing them in silver light.
When they finally pulled apart, both breathless, Damien pressed his forehead against hers again. "You're mine, Aria," he murmured, voice shaking with intensity. "Not because fate says so. Not because of the bond. But because I choose you."
Her lips curved in a trembling smile. "And I choose you."
For the first time in years, Damien felt something break free in his chest. The weight of fear eased, replaced by something fragile yet stronger than steel hope.
And under the watchful gaze of the moon, Alpha and mate finally surrendered to the truth binding them.