The meeting was over before it truly began.
Theron's attention had fractured the moment Aiden's scent started fading from the hall outside — that faint thread of warmth and restless movement tugging at the edge of his senses. At first, he forced himself to ignore it. Aiden was safe. The building was secured.
But then the bond shifted.
It wasn't pain. It wasn't fear. It was something subtler, a ripple of unease that twisted deep in Theron's chest — a wolf's instinct whispering that his mate was too far away.
He stopped mid-sentence, ignoring the startled faces around the table."I'll be back," he said curtly, already halfway out the door.
The city air hit like a rush of static — too sharp, too loud, filled with the heavy tangle of scents that only humans could create. But beneath all that chaos, he found it.
Aiden.
That scent was impossible to miss — wild pine, fresh rain, faint traces of warmth that still clung to him even when he tried to hide it. Theron followed it down the street, his stride long, silent, the subtle shift in his eyes betraying the wolf underneath his skin.
The trail wound around corners, down a quieter side street, past a café… and that's where he stopped.
Her scent hit him like a blow.
Sweet. Synthetic. Familiar.
The same perfume that had tainted the rogues' trail. The same one that clung to the golden hair he'd found tangled in the branches.
Evelyn.
Theron's jaw tightened, his wolf's growl rising before he could stop it. His gaze darted ahead — and then he saw him.
Aiden stood near the edge of the street, his body tense, his eyes lost somewhere far away. His hands trembled slightly, like he was still trying to make sense of what had just happened.
Theron's anger cooled instantly — not gone, but redirected. The sight of Aiden did that to him; the wolf inside him always softened at the edges when it came to his mate.
He walked forward, slow and measured, his voice quiet but firm."Aiden."
The smaller man flinched, startled, before turning. "Theron?"
Theron stopped a few feet away. His eyes flicked over Aiden — searching, checking — before his expression hardened again. "You left the building."
"I—" Aiden hesitated, swallowing. "I needed some air."
Theron didn't answer. His gaze sharpened as the scent hit him again — faint but undeniable. His nostrils flared, and the air around him thickened with a silent, primal warning.
"Who were you with?"
Aiden froze. "What?"
"You heard me." Theron's voice dropped lower, quieter — too quiet. "Who were you with, Aiden?"
"I wasn't—" He stopped, then forced the truth out, voice small. "Evelyn."
For a heartbeat, neither of them moved.
Then the growl came — deep, low, rumbling from Theron's chest before he could stop it. "You saw her?"
Aiden stepped back instinctively, his body responding before his mind could. "I didn't plan it—she was just there! I—"
"Her scent is all over you!" Theron's control snapped, the Alpha bleeding through every word. His eyes glowed faintly amber, tail bristling in phantom tension even in his human form. "Do you have any idea what she's done? What she called to our border?"
Aiden flinched at the sharpness of his tone but didn't back down this time. "I know what you said! But I had to see for myself. I needed to know!"
Theron stepped closer, the bond crackling hot between them. "You could've told me."
"And you would've what?" Aiden's voice rose, shaking. "Locked me up? Watched me twenty-four hours a day? You already treat me like I can't breathe without you!"
Theron's growl deepened — not anger, but fear wrapped in it. "You don't understand, Aiden. You don't know what she's capable of—"
"I know she's human," Aiden snapped. "And I know you think that makes her dangerous."
"It's not because she's human," Theron snarled, voice dropping to a growl. "It's because she's not innocent."
Aiden's breath hitched. "You think I can't tell the difference?"
Theron stepped closer again — too close now — until Aiden had to tilt his head back to meet his eyes. "No," he said softly. "I think you don't want to."
The words landed like claws.
For a long moment, the world went still. Aiden's breath trembled in his chest. His fingers curled into fists at his sides.
Then he whispered, "You think I'm blind because I cared for her."
Theron didn't answer.
"You think I'm weak because I still feel something."
The Alpha's jaw clenched, but he said nothing. The silence spoke louder than any words could.
Aiden turned away, anger and shame tangling so tightly he couldn't tell them apart. "You're wrong," he said, his voice hoarse. "I don't love her. But I needed to see."
Theron's wolf pushed against his control again, a growl rumbling faintly under his breath. "And what did you see, Aiden?"
Aiden turned back, eyes bright, raw. "That you were right."
That broke something in the air between them.
Theron's body relaxed, tension bleeding out, though his heart still pounded too fast. He stepped forward, carefully this time, one hand reaching out to touch Aiden's arm.
She didn't hurt you, he wanted to say. But he didn't trust his voice not to break.
Aiden looked up at him, searching his face, then whispered, "Why does it hurt even when I know the truth?"
Theron's voice softened. "Because you cared. That doesn't make you weak."
Aiden swallowed, looking away. "…It feels like it does."
Theron's gaze lingered on him — the stubborn tilt of his chin, the quiet tremor in his shoulders, the lingering human heartbreak that no amount of wolf instinct could erase.
He exhaled slowly, fighting the instinct to pull him close right there in the middle of the city.
"Come," he said quietly. "Let's go home."
And this time, when Aiden followed, it wasn't out of fear — it was because despite everything, the bond between them still pulled.
The den was quiet when they returned.Too quiet.
Aiden slipped past Theron without a word, shedding his shoes by the door, the soft rustle of fabric the only sound. The air still smelled faintly of the city — smoke, metal, human perfume — and beneath it, the sharp edge of Evelyn's scent still clung to Aiden's skin.
Theron's wolf hated it.Every cell in his body wanted to wash it away — not out of jealousy, but because it screamed danger. It smelled like betrayal dressed in sweetness.
But Aiden didn't look at him. He just moved to the edge of the bed, sat down, and stared at the floor. His tail — faint, half-shifted from stress — lay curled over his lap like a shield.
For a long time, neither spoke.
The only sound was Aiden's uneven breathing, and the faint hum of the bond between them, restless and aching.
Theron leaned against the wall across from him, arms crossed, chest rising with slow, deliberate breaths. He was forcing calm — but Aiden could feel the storm still moving beneath the surface.
"I told you she was dangerous," Theron said at last. His voice wasn't harsh this time. Just tired. "And now you've seen it."
Aiden didn't answer. His fingers twisted in the fabric of the blanket, knuckles white. "She looked at me like I was something to study," he said quietly. "Like she already knew what I'd become."
Theron's gaze sharpened. "What did she say?"
"Nothing," Aiden whispered. "Just smiled. Said I looked different. Then she touched my arm…" He looked up, eyes burning with something like shame. "And all I could smell was wrongness. Like… like something rotting under the perfume."
Theron pushed off the wall, crossing the room in two strides. "She touched you?"
Aiden flinched at the sudden edge in his voice. "I didn't let her—she barely brushed me, but—"
"That's enough," Theron growled softly. "You're washing that off. Now."
He wasn't asking.
Aiden blinked up at him, startled. "You can't just—"
Theron's hand brushed his cheek, gentle but firm. "Please," he murmured, softer this time. "It's not dominance. It's instinct. My wolf—he's on edge. You smell like a threat, and I don't want him turning that on you."
The quiet sincerity in his tone cut straight through Aiden's resistance. After a long pause, he nodded once and rose silently.
When the sound of running water finally filled the air, Theron let his control slip for a moment. His eyes burned gold in the reflection of the window. Evelyn. The name alone stirred every protective instinct in him.
He could forgive Aiden for needing answers. But the human woman had just stepped into the Alpha King's world—and that was something she wouldn't walk away from lightly.
Aiden come back over to Theron "there, done...happy?" Aiden hold his arm up, Theron look at him, and nodded "yes"