Sleep abandoned Aria that night.
No matter how tightly she wrapped herself in the blanket, no matter how she buried her face in the pillow, she couldn't escape it—the burning tether inside her chest, the unrelenting pulse that dragged her thoughts back to him. To Damian.
Every beat of her heart carried his name. Every breath carried his scent, though he was nowhere near. It was maddening, suffocating, impossible to ignore.
She had thought the rejection would weaken the bond, but instead, it grew stronger. As if the pain only fed it, twisting it into something fierce and consuming.
By dawn, she couldn't take it anymore.
Aria rose, her hands trembling as she pushed open the window. The forest stretched before her, dark and endless, whispering his name in every rustle of leaves, every sigh of wind. She hated it. She hated herself for craving him after everything.
But the bond didn't care about hate.
It pulled. Harder. Stronger. Until her knees buckled beneath the weight of it.
"Stop," she whispered to the empty air, clutching her chest. "Please… stop."
But it didn't.
---
The village stirred to life around her, unaware of the storm raging inside her. People greeted one another, children laughed as they ran past, merchants opened their shops. To them, it was just another day.
To Aria, it was unbearable. Every smile, every voice grated against the emptiness inside her. She didn't belong here anymore.
Not when half her soul lived in the forest.
She wandered aimlessly until her feet carried her back to the river's edge. The water shimmered under the morning sun, calm and deceptive. She sank to her knees, dipping her fingers into the icy current, hoping it would numb her.
It didn't.
Instead, it sparked another memory—the first time she had seen him shift. The sound of bones cracking, the ripple of muscle, the raw power radiating from his form. And then, those golden eyes locking on hers with a recognition so fierce it had stolen her breath.
Her chest ached. She pressed her palms to her face, willing the tears not to fall.
"Aria."
Her head snapped up. Ethan stood a few feet away, his expression unreadable but his eyes… his eyes carried something softer.
She quickly wiped her face, trying to compose herself. "What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same," he replied, stepping closer. "You shouldn't be alone. Not when the pack is restless."
A bitter laugh escaped her. "I'm always alone."
Ethan's jaw tightened, but he didn't argue. Instead, he crouched beside her, his presence steady and grounding. For a moment, neither spoke. The river filled the silence, its endless current mocking her fractured thoughts.
Finally, Ethan broke the stillness. "You feel it, don't you?"
Her throat constricted. "The bond?"
He nodded once.
Her eyes stung again, but she refused to cry in front of him. "It's… unbearable. I thought if he rejected me, it would fade. But it's worse. It's like he's inside me, clawing at my chest, refusing to let go."
Ethan's gaze softened, and for the first time, she saw pity in his eyes. "That's because rejection doesn't sever the bond. It only twists it. Hurts both of you."
Both.
The word struck deep. Her heart stumbled. "He feels it too?"
For a moment, Ethan hesitated, as if debating how much truth to reveal. Then he said quietly, "Yes. He feels it."
Her breath hitched. "Then why—why is he doing this to me? To us?"
Ethan looked away, his jaw clenched, the muscles in his neck tight. "Because Damian believes he has no choice. The pack is watching. They're waiting for him to slip, to show weakness. An Alpha who chooses a human mate…" He shook his head. "It would divide us. Destroy us."
Aria's chest tightened until she could barely breathe. She had always known she didn't belong, but hearing it aloud, hearing how her very existence threatened him—it broke something inside her.
"I didn't ask for this," she whispered. "I didn't ask to be his mate."
"I know." His voice was quiet, but certain. "Neither did he."
Their eyes met, and something passed between them—something raw, unspoken, dangerous. Aria's breath quickened.
Ethan reached out, almost hesitantly, brushing his fingers against hers. It was the barest touch, but it grounded her in a way that surprised her. Unlike the searing fire of Damian's bond, Ethan's touch was steady, warm, almost human.
"You're stronger than you think," he said again, the same words he had given her the night before. "Don't let this break you."
Her heart twisted painfully. She wanted to believe him. She wanted to believe she could survive this bond, this rejection, this war between her soul and her reality. But deep down, she knew the truth.
The bond was not something she could fight.
That night proved it.
---
The moon was high when Aria woke again, drenched in sweat, her body trembling. The pull was worse, far worse. It burned through her veins, clawed at her bones, demanded she rise.
She tried to resist. She bit her lip until it bled, gripped the sheets until her knuckles whitened. But the bond was relentless.
Her body moved before her mind could protest, carrying her into the night. Barefoot, breathless, she stumbled through the forest, guided only by that invisible thread tying her to him.
Branches tore at her skin, roots snagged her ankles, but nothing stopped her. She had no control. She was a prisoner of the bond.
And then she saw him.
Damian stood in the clearing, shirtless, the moonlight glinting off his sweat-slicked skin. His chest heaved as though he had been running, though his eyes—those cursed golden eyes—were fixed on her with an intensity that froze her in place.
For a moment, neither moved.
Then, his voice, raw and hoarse, broke the silence.
"I told you to stay away."
Aria's breath came in ragged gasps. "I tried. I can't—" Her hand pressed against her chest. "It won't let me."
Damian's jaw clenched, his entire body taut as if he were fighting himself. His voice was a growl. "You think it's any easier for me?"
Her heart stuttered.
He took a step closer, then stopped, fists clenched at his sides. "Every second, I feel it. The bond tearing at me, demanding I take you, claim you, make you mine. Do you have any idea what it's like to fight that?"
Tears spilled down her cheeks. "Then why fight it? Why deny what we are?"
Damian's eyes burned, fierce and tortured. For one breathless moment, she thought he would close the distance, crush her against him, give in to the fire that consumed them both.
But instead, he turned away, shoulders rigid. His voice was broken glass.
"Because loving you will destroy us both."
---