The silence stretched between them, taut as a bowstring.
Aria's lungs burned as she stared at the man who stood before her, the impossible creature who had shifted from beast to human in the span of heartbeats. His presence filled the clearing, heavy and suffocating, as though the forest itself bent to his will.
She tried to speak, but her throat was dry. The word she had whispered only moments ago still lingered in the air between them, sharp and fragile. Mate.
He had heard it. She saw it in the tightening of his jaw, in the way his golden eyes flickered—anger, shock, something far darker.
Aria's knees trembled. "You're… you're not just a man."
His gaze cut through her like a blade. "No. And you should not have seen this."
The authority in his tone struck her harder than the words themselves. He wasn't simply warning her—he was commanding her. The kind of command that demanded obedience, the kind that was carved into his very being.
Her voice shook. "What are you?"
He stepped closer, and every instinct screamed for her to retreat. She stumbled back, her shoulders brushing against the rough bark of a pine tree. He loomed over her, broad-shouldered and unyielding, yet controlled with a predator's precision.
"You don't want the answer," he said. His voice was a low growl, vibrating through her bones. "Go home, girl. Forget what you saw."
But how could she? The bond that had snapped into place the moment their eyes met pulsed inside her like fire. It was undeniable, inescapable. She could feel it in her blood, in her soul, in the very rhythm of her heart.
Her lips trembled. "You're my—"
"Stop."
The single word cracked through the night like thunder. He slammed his palm against the tree beside her head, caging her in without touching her. His golden eyes burned, but there was no tenderness in them—only fury.
"I am not your anything," he said, voice sharp and merciless. "Whatever you think you feel, whatever foolishness made you say that word, it is wrong. Do you understand?"
The rejection hit harder than she expected. Aria flinched as though struck, her heart twisting painfully in her chest. She shook her head, confusion clouding her thoughts. "But I… I felt it. I know you did too."
For the briefest moment, his mask cracked. She saw it—the flicker of truth, of recognition, of longing he desperately wished to hide. And then it was gone, replaced by iron resolve.
"You know nothing." His voice was ice. "I am Damian Blackwood. Alpha of the Northern Territories. My life is bound to my pack, not to some fragile girl who wandered where she doesn't belong."
Aria's lips parted. Alpha. The word rolled through her like a revelation and a curse. She had heard stories of them—leaders of hidden packs, creatures who ruled the forests in shadows. But she had never believed they were real. Not until now.
Her throat tightened. "If you're Alpha… then that means…"
"It means nothing to you," Damian snapped. His arm dropped to his side, though his posture remained rigid, as though every muscle in his body fought to maintain control. "Go home. Forget me. If you value your life, you will never come back here."
Her eyes stung, but she lifted her chin despite the tears threatening to spill. "You can deny it all you want, but I know what I felt. You're my mate."
The word seemed to wound him. His chest rose sharply, his hands curling into fists at his sides. A storm raged in his eyes, golden light flickering with something dangerous—anger, yes, but also something else. Desire. Pain.
"Don't say that word again," he warned. "Not to me. Not ever."
Aria's heart broke. The bond that had ignited within her pulsed like a living thing, clawing against her ribs, begging for him. But he was pushing her away, rejecting her as though she were poison.
Her voice cracked. "Why? Why deny what we both know is true?"
His silence was heavy. Then, slowly, he stepped back, the space between them suddenly colder than the night air.
"Because it will destroy you," Damian said at last, his tone quieter, but no less cruel. "It will destroy us both."
Before she could respond, before she could even process the weight of his words, he turned. His body shifted once more, bones snapping, muscles twisting, until the man was gone and the beast stood in his place.
The massive black wolf gave her one last look—eyes burning with the war he fought inside himself—before vanishing into the forest shadows.
Aria was left alone, her chest aching as though something vital had been ripped from her. The night closed in around her, colder, darker, heavier than before.
She slid down against the tree, clutching her chest, gasping for air that would not come. Tears blurred her vision, but the word whispered from her lips once more, broken and desperate.
"Mate…"
The bond burned inside her, unanswered, rejected.
But somewhere in the depths of the forest, she knew Damian Blackwood felt it too. And no matter how hard he tried to deny it, fate had already bound them.
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