The soft clatter of utensils and the faint smell of eggs and tea filled the den. Morning sunlight streamed through the open windows, bathing everything in a gentle glow.
Aiden sat across from Theron, their breakfast simple — bread, fruit, and a pot of tea that still steamed faintly between them. For once, it was quiet. Not tense, not awkward — just… quiet.
Theron was half-focused on his food, half on the stack of papers beside him. His hair was tied loosely, a few strands falling into his eyes. Even here, even barefoot and relaxed, he carried that calm, commanding energy that reminded Aiden exactly who he was.
Aiden bit into a piece of bread, trying not to stare too long. "You work even during breakfast?" he said finally, his voice soft but teasing.
Theron hummed, not looking up. "Work doesn't wait for anyone."
"You're an Alpha, not a human boss," Aiden muttered. "What's so important anyway?"
Theron finally lifted his gaze, amber eyes catching the light. "You'll see."
That look — steady and unreadable — was the kind that made Aiden's stomach twist. He wanted to argue, to push, but something in Theron's tone said this wasn't a morning for fighting.
Instead, he just said, "Fine," and went back to eating.
When they left the den later, walking out of the pack, and a little father. Aiden didn't expect to see a car waiting for them — sleek, black, and completely out of place among the trees.
Theron didn't explain. He simply opened the door and nodded for Aiden to get in.
Aiden hesitated. "Where are we going?"
"To the city," Theron replied, closing his own door once Aiden was seated. "There's something I want to show you."
Aiden blinked. "Wait, the human city?"
Theron's lips curved just slightly. "You sound like I've taken you to another planet."
"I just didn't think… you'd go there," Aiden said, watching the trees blur past the window as the car started moving. "You don't seem like the type."
Theron leaned back in his seat. "I spend more time there than you'd think. The human world is useful — full of resources, information, opportunities."
"You make it sound like you own it," Aiden said, half teasing.
Theron gave a small hum — almost amused. "In some ways, I do."
The city rose ahead like a different world — glass towers, rushing people, the hum of engines instead of wind. Aiden pressed his forehead lightly against the window, watching everything move so fast. He hadn't been this deep into human territory in years.
The car stopped in front of a tall building — black glass reflecting the morning sky. The name at the top was short, sharp, and powerful. Aiden didn't recognize it, but the way people bowed slightly when Theron stepped out told him all he needed to know.
"Theron…" he said slowly, following him inside. "You're not just visiting, are you?"
"No," Theron said, leading him through the lobby. "I own it."
Aiden stopped mid-step. "You what?"
Theron didn't turn. "I told you — the human world is useful. The pack's wealth, our network, the land we protect — all of it's connected here."
The elevator doors slid shut behind them, and Aiden found himself staring at the floor numbers climbing higher and higher.
He wasn't sure what to feel. Shock? Admiration? Maybe something in between.For all his power as Alpha, seeing Theron like this — calm, suited, moving through a world of humans who didn't even know what he was — made him feel… different.
When they reached the top floor, the doors opened to a quiet, sunlit office. Floor-to-ceiling windows revealed the whole city below.
Theron walked to the window, hands in his pockets, looking down like he could see every heartbeat that moved in the streets below.
Aiden stayed near the doorway, unsure whether to move or speak. "So this… this is what you do when you're not leading the pack?"
"This is part of leading it," Theron said. "Keeping our territory safe means more than claws and teeth. Humans rule by money and power. I rule both."
Aiden stepped closer, his voice soft. "You live in both worlds."
Theron turned to him then, his expression unreadable. "And you, Aiden — you've never learned to. You keep choosing one over the other. Your human side. Your wolf side. That's why you're always caught in between."
Aiden frowned. "I didn't choose to be caught in between."
"No," Theron agreed quietly, "but you can choose how to live there."
Something in his tone wasn't commanding — it was gentle.It made Aiden's chest tighten.
He looked away, toward the city again. The reflection in the glass showed both of them — one in shadow, one in light.
"…I don't know if I can," Aiden said after a while.
Theron stepped closer, the air shifting with his scent — calm, steady, faintly possessive. "You don't have to know yet. Just stop running from what you are."
Aiden looked up at him, their eyes meeting. For once, there wasn't challenge or anger — just quiet understanding.
And maybe, for the first time, Aiden didn't feel small standing next to him.
He followed Theron through the office afterward, pretending he wasn't trailing him — insisting, even to himself, that he was just exploring. But somehow, his feet always ended up taking him in the same direction Theron went.
Theron said nothing about it. He only cast the occasional sidelong glance, the faintest hint of amusement tugging at his lips when Aiden pretended to examine a painting or a stack of documents on a passing desk.
"I'm not following you," Aiden muttered once.
"I didn't say you were," Theron replied, his voice smooth.
"You're smirking."
"Am I?"
Aiden huffed, crossing his arms as the Alpha entered a glass-walled meeting room. "Whatever. Go to your big important meeting. I'll just… stay here. Not following you."
Theron's eyes gleamed, the faintest spark of laughter in them. "Try not to burn the building down."
Then the door closed, and he was gone.
Ten minutes passed.
Aiden sat on the couch outside, legs crossed, watching the clock tick. The soft hum of city noise below and the faint murmur of voices behind the glass felt foreign. He wasn't built for stillness — he'd never been.
After another five minutes, he was pacing.
And five after that, he decided that if he stayed another second, he'd lose his mind.
So he left.
The air outside the building was different — cooler, sharper, heavy with human scents and exhaust. The street below buzzed with life; people passed without glancing twice at him, unaware of the wolf who stood among them.
Aiden adjusted the collar of his borrowed jacket and started walking. His wolf side twitched restlessly under his skin, sensing the strangeness of this world — all metal and noise and heartbeat.
He told himself he was fine. He told himself he wasn't lost.
He lied.
A flash of color caught his eye — gold hair, soft waves glinting in the light.
Aiden froze.
No.
His heart lurched, and before he could stop himself, he turned.
She was standing near a café patio, laughing lightly with a man he didn't recognize. Her hair was pulled into a loose braid, the same way she used to wear it when she wanted him to play with it. The sight struck him like claws to the chest.
"Evelyn…" he whispered.
The sound of her name left his lips before he could think. And maybe she heard it — because her laughter cut short, and her head turned.
Their eyes met.
Her smile faltered for only a fraction of a second before she masked it with practiced grace. "Aiden?"
The sound of his name in her voice made something in him twist.
He took a step closer, the crowd blurring around them. "You… what are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing," she said lightly, though her eyes flicked over him — his clothes, his posture, like she was studying something deeper. "I thought you disappeared. Everyone did."
Aiden's throat worked. "I… had to leave, but i didn't wanted to leave you."
Evelyn's lips curved, soft and knowing. "You always were good at that, faking you stil wanted me after that full-moon."
The words stung. More than they should have.
"I didn't have a choice."
"Didn't you?" she asked, tilting her head. There was something behind her tone — something sharp, hidden under the sweetness. "You always talked about destiny and belonging. Did you finally find it?"
Her perfume reached him then — faint, floral, and unmistakably the same one Theron had smelled on the rogues. His wolf bristled, a low warning growl curling deep in his chest, though he fought to hide it.
Aiden's eyes narrowed. "You shouldn't wear that perfume."
Evelyn's smile didn't waver. "Why? Does someone else hate it?"
"You—" He stopped himself. His voice came out too raw. "You were seen near the border."
Her gaze flickered for a heartbeat — a crack in her calm. But just as quickly, she laughed, the sound light and practiced. "The border? Aiden, you sound ridiculous. I haven't been near your… forest since you left me."
The way she said forest made it sound small. Dirty. Unreal.
He wanted to believe her. But something in her scent — faint traces of pine and wolf musk — told him the truth.
"I don't believe you," he said softly.
Evelyn's smile faded, just a little. "You're starting to sound like them. Like him."
The word carried weight — venom hidden under silk.
Aiden straightened, instincts flaring. "Don't talk about Theron."
Her brows lifted. "Theron?" she repeated, tasting the name. "So that's who it is. The one who took you away from me."
Her voice trembled on the last word — real emotion, or a perfect imitation of it.
Aiden's jaw clenched. "It wasn't like that. you left me, i tried to come back to you!!" his wolf growl indside of him, and he hate how he could feel that his pheromones leak into the air.
She stepped closer, her voice softening, dripping with nostalgia. "Then what was it, Aiden? You left me without a word. And now you stand here, looking at me like I'm the stranger?"
Aiden's breath caught. For a second — just a second — guilt stabbed through the confusion. He looked down, and Evelyn's fingers brushed his arm.
"Maybe you've forgotten what it's like," she whispered. "To be human. To be free."
The contact burned. His wolf snarled inside him, warning, recoiling — her scent was wrong, too sweet, too sharp. He stepped back, voice rough. "Don't touch me."
Evelyn blinked, her eyes darkening. "You're different."
"I had to be," he said.
They stood there for a long moment — two ghosts of something that used to be.
Then Evelyn smiled again, softer this time, almost pitying. "Then I suppose we'll see just how much you've changed, Aiden."
And before he could reply, she turned and disappeared into the crowd, her golden hair flashing once more before it was gone.
Aiden stood there, heart hammering, the city noise roaring around him.He didn't realize his hands were trembling until he looked down.
Theron's voice echoed faintly in his mind — She already did.
For the first time, Aiden wondered if he'd been right.