The storm came without warning.
Wind slammed against the fragile windows of the Moonstone cottage, rattling the old frames as if the forest itself was trying to force its way inside. Aria pressed her palm against the glass, her breath fogging the cold surface while thunder rolled across the night sky in jagged, angry waves.
Something felt wrong.
Very, very wrong.
Her aunt's voice echoed down the narrow hallway again.
"Aria," she called sharply. "Come here. Now."
Not Arie.
Not darling.
Not little one.
Just Aria.
Her full name.
The name strangers used.
The name her aunt only pulled out on nights like this, nights when secrets pressed too close to the surface.
Aria tucked a strand of her silver-brown hair behind her ear and stepped into the hallway. The air smelled different, it was filled with burnt sage, old parchment and fear.
Her aunt stood at the dining table, trembling hands wrapped around an ancient wooden box Aria had never seen before. The carvings on the lid glowed faintly, reacting to the storm, or to Aria. She couldn't tell.
"What's going on?" Aria whispered.
Her aunt's eyes lifted, glossy with guilt.
"They've come for you."
Aria's heart stopped.
"Who?"
A beat.
A breath.
And then the words that shattered her world:
"The Alpha King."
The floor tilted under Aria's feet.
That was impossible.
She had lived her whole life in a human village, hidden from wolves, packs, politics, and everything. Her aunt protected her. Hid her. Warned her.
But the Alpha King of the Blackthorn Pack?
The most feared werewolf ruler alive?
Why would he want her?
Her aunt pushed the carved box onto the table. It thumped heavily, like something alive moved inside.
"You were promised to him," she whispered. "At birth."
Aria's mind blanked.
Promised.
To the Alpha King.
A man she'd never met.
A man known for his brutality.
A man wolves feared to anger.
"No," Aria choked out. "You said my parents died in an accident. You said—"
"I lied to protect you."
Lightning cracked.
The house shook.
Aria stumbled back. "Promised for what? Why me?"
"Because your bloodline isn't what you think." Her aunt's voice broke. "You were meant to bring peace between two kingdoms. Your marriage was arranged the moment you were born. And tomorrow, at dawn—"
But Aria didn't let her finish.
Marriage.
To a king she didn't know.
To a kingdom she had never seen.
To a monster humans whispered about in fear.
"No," Aria whispered. "This can't be real."
Her aunt reached for her, desperate. "Aria, please—listen—"
But Aria was already shaking her head, stepping back, heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird.
Inside the storm, she felt movement, shadows shifting between trees, something large circling the house.
Wolves.
The Alpha King's wolves.
They were here.
Her aunt's voice broke into a sob. "You must go now. If he finds you, if he marks you tonight, you will never escape him again."
Aria's lungs squeezed painfully.
"Go where?" she whispered.
Thunder roared as if answering for her.
"Anywhere," her aunt choked out. "Just run. RUN!"
Aria grabbed her cloak, the carved box, and bolted out the back door just as a deep howl tore through the forest, low and powerful enough to vibrate through her bones.
Not a wolf.
Not a guard.
Not a scout.
This was something else—
the Alpha King's own wolf.
Aria froze for one heartbeat.
And in that heartbeat, she felt it.
A pull.
A sharp tug in her chest.
Like something inside her recognized the sound… and responded.
She slapped her hand over her heart, terrified.
Not now.
Not this.
Not him.
The storm swallowed her as she sprinted into the forest, branches clawing at her arms, the box thumping against her chest. She didn't know where she was going; she only knew she had to go far.
But behind her, through the thunder and rain, another howl rose, deeper, darker, unmistakable.
He knew she was here.
He could smell her fear.
He could taste her scent.
And the worst part?
Something inside her whispered his name even though she'd never said it before.
Kairo.