The days blurred into nights, and the nights into endless torment.
Aria barely ate. She barely slept. Every moment was consumed by the fire in her veins, the pull in her chest that refused to release her. She had thought she understood pain before—Damian's rejection, the pack's disdain, her own loneliness—but this was something far worse.
This was torture.
And yet, she wasn't alone in it.
Because every time she looked at him from afar—when she caught a glimpse of him training his pack in the clearing, when she saw his silhouette patrolling the forest's edge—she saw the same torment reflected in him. The clenched jaw. The restless movements. The raw fury in his golden eyes whenever they strayed to her.
He felt it too.
And knowing that made it worse.
---
It came to a head under the blood moon.
The entire pack had gathered, their howls echoing through the night as the crimson glow bathed the forest in eerie light. Aria kept to the shadows, unseen, unwanted, but unable to stay away. Something about the blood moon intensified the bond—it throbbed inside her like a living thing, pulling her closer, closer, until she stood at the edge of the gathering.
Her gaze found Damian instantly.
He stood at the center, commanding, powerful, every line of him radiating authority. But when his eyes flicked to her, just for a second, something cracked. His breath caught, his body stiffened, and she felt it—his control slipping.
The bond roared between them, violent and unyielding.
Aria gasped, clutching her chest as heat seared through her. Her knees buckled, and she would have fallen if not for a steady hand catching her.
"Easy," Ethan murmured, his voice low but urgent. "You shouldn't be here."
She shook her head weakly, unable to form words. The fire was too much. Her body trembled, sweat beading at her temple. "I—can't—"
Ethan's eyes darkened with worry. He tightened his grip on her arms, steadying her. "The bond is too strong tonight. It'll tear you apart if you fight it."
Her gaze lifted to Damian again, drawn helplessly. His eyes burned like molten gold, fixed on her with raw hunger and pain. For one terrifying moment, she thought he would break—give in, claim her in front of everyone.
And part of her wanted him to. Desperately.
But then the first howl of warning split the night.
The pack froze, every head snapping toward the northern ridge. Shadows moved between the trees, swift and unnatural. The air thickened with the stench of blood and rot.
Rogues.
Ethan's grip on her tightened. "Stay here."
Before she could protest, he shifted, his form exploding into a massive gray wolf. He bounded toward the threat, disappearing into the chaos.
Aria stumbled back, panic clawing at her chest. The clearing erupted into violence—wolves clashing, snarls and screams echoing through the night. Her heart raced, fear twisting with the unrelenting pull of the bond.
And then she saw him.
Damian.
He tore through the rogues with savage power, every movement precise, lethal. Blood streaked his black fur, but he didn't falter. He was a storm, unstoppable, terrifyingly beautiful.
But the bond screamed inside her, louder than the battle, louder than the chaos. It wasn't just calling her—it was dragging her.
Her feet moved before her mind could stop them. She ran into the fray, desperate, reckless.
"Aria!" someone shouted, but she didn't hear.
A rogue lunged at her from the side, its jaws snapping. She cried out, too slow to react—
—and in a blur of black, Damian slammed into it, ripping it away from her. He shifted mid-motion, his massive form twisting back into a man, his chest heaving, his eyes blazing.
He grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking with fury. "Are you insane? You'll be killed!"
Tears streamed down her face, her body trembling. "I can't stay away!"
His grip tightened, his breath hot against her skin. The battle raged around them, but in that moment, the world narrowed to just the two of them. The bond roared, fierce and unrelenting, demanding they give in.
Damian's control shattered.
With a growl torn from deep in his chest, he pulled her against him, his lips crashing onto hers. The kiss was fire and fury, desperation and surrender all at once. Aria melted into him, the bond igniting like wildfire, burning away every doubt, every fear.
For one perfect, agonizing moment, they were whole.
And then—
A scream split the night. Ethan's.
Aria tore away from Damian, her heart seizing. Her gaze whipped to the battlefield where Ethan lay on the ground, blood pooling beneath him, a rogue's fangs sinking into his side.
"No!" she cried, breaking free of Damian's hold. She stumbled toward Ethan, her hands reaching for him, her vision blurring with tears.
Damian's roar shook the earth as he shifted back into his wolf form, launching himself at the rogue with lethal rage.
Aria fell to her knees beside Ethan, her hands pressing against the wound, her voice frantic. "Stay with me, please, don't you dare leave me—"
Ethan's eyes flickered open, pain etched across his face, but his lips curved into the faintest, broken smile. "You came for me."
Her heart twisted violently. "Of course I did!"
And then his gaze flicked past her, to where Damian tore through the last of the rogues with savage fury. A shadow passed through Ethan's eyes, a silent acknowledgment of the bond that tied her to another.
His hand weakly brushed hers, warm despite the blood. "Even if he doesn't deserve you…" His voice faltered, soft and raw. "I would have chosen you. Always."
Aria's tears fell freely, blurring everything. She held his hand tighter, her heart breaking under the weight of too many truths.
Behind them, Damian's howl split the night—furious, desperate, and full of pain.
The bond had reached its breaking point.
And something told Aria that none of them would survive it unchanged.
---