The forest was restless.
Aria felt it before she understood it—a low hum beneath her skin, like the earth itself was holding its breath. The air squeezed close, thick with pine and softened soil, and every intuition she had cried out that she should turn back.
She didn't.
The pack grounds opened into a wide clemency, torches scorching along the edge as night settled in fully. Wolves—too many to count—stood in lax groups, their conversations silent, eyes sharp. Aria swallowed hard and revised the sleeve of her jacket, suddenly conscious of how small she felt among them.
Just deliver the supplies, she told herself. Then leave.
She wasn't considered to be here for meetings like this. She knew that. Everyone did. Aria was no one—no rank, no power, no family worth mentioning. She helped where she could, stayed out of the way, and survived by being hidden.
But tonight, invisibility failed her.
The moment she strolled fully into the clearing, the world inclined.
Her breath snagged painfully in her chest. Heat gushed through her veins, sharp and rash, twirling low in her stomach and rising up her spine. Her knees weakened, and she reached out blindly, fingers touching the ragged bark of a tree to help herself.
What is happening to me?
Across the vindication, a massive figure went still.
Alpha Kael had been listening to his beta report when the scent hit him—wild, clean, precise. His heart banged against his ribs with enough force to steal his breath. Power swelled through him, primal and demanding, his wolf roaring awake after years of disciplined quietness.
Mate.
The word grumbled through his mind.
His gaze snarled toward the border of the clearing, locking onto her with deadly accuracy. Small. Human-looking. Wide-eyed like a cornered deer. She stared directly back at him, as if something had tugged her concentration to him alone.
The bond snapped into place.
Kael felt it like a blade sliding home—painful, flawless, irreversible. His wolf gushed forward, ready to claim, protect, dominate. The air around him condensed with power, and conversations died mid-sentence as the pack felt the change.
Aria gasped.
The pull toward him was indisputable now, a force stronger than solemnity, jerking at something serious inside her chest. Tears pricked her eyes, unbidden and hot, as panic took hold.
No. No, no, no.
She knew what this meant. Everyone did. The stories weren't modest.
Mate. Alpha. Fate.
Her pulse wailed in her ears as Kael began walking toward her.
Each step he took sent a surge through the clearing. Wolves bowed their heads, instincts causing compliance. Aria's feet felt entrenched to the ground, affliction freezing her in place even as every nerve ending cried out at her to run—and to go to him.
Kael stopped a few feet away.
Up close, he was even more imposing—tall, broad-shouldered, dark-haired, his eyes a piercing silver that appeared to see through her entirely. Power shone from him in waves, pressing against her skin, demanding acknowledgment.
His nostrils flared as he inhaled and exhaled her in.
"It's you," he said, voice low and harsh.
Aria shook her head violently. "No."
The single word came out shattered, barely more than a whisper, but it held up. Murmurs gurgled through the pack like wind through leaves.
Kael glared, disarray flickering briefly across his features before his jaw narrowed. "You feel it," he said. It wasn't a question.
"I don't care what I feel," she shot back, surprising even herself. Her hands gripped into fists at her sides, nails biting into her palms. "This is a mistake."
A growl thundered deep in his chest—instinctive, risky. Several wolves strengthened, eyes flicking between them.
"There is no mistake," Kael said, power bleeding into every syllable. "You are my mate."
The words hit her like a physical blast.
Her chest scorched, breath coming in short, rough gasps. Memories blinked unbidden—years of being overlooked, of whispered decisions, of surviving by never wanting too much. Of learning, again and again, that power was owned by people like him.
And cost people like her everything.
"I don't want this," Aria said, louder now. Her voice shook, but she didn't look away. "I don't want you."
The bond shouted in objection, pain piercing through her ribs, but she held her ground.
Kael stared at her, shock cutting through his distaste. Rejection—true rejection—was infrequent. Unbelievable. His wolf growled, angry and wounded, pressing against his control.
"You don't understand what you're saying," he said tightly.
"I understand exactly," Aria replied. "Being your mate means losing myself. Being watched. Judged. Held."
His eyes grew dark. "You would be Luna. Admired. Protected."
"Caged," she snapped.
Silence fell over the clearing.
Kael took a step closer without realizing it. The bond erupted again, heat and yearning trapped badly between them. He could feel her fear now, sharp and real, and something unfamiliar twisted in his chest.
"You are not prey," he said, quieter. "Not to me."
"Then let me go," she whispered.
The words hurt more than he predicted.
For a long moment, neither of them moved. The forest seemed to lean in, waiting.
Finally, Kael untangled, forcing his wolf back with iron domain. His face stiffened into the mask the pack knew well.
"Very well," he said, voice cold. "Go."
Gasps echoed around them.
Aria blinked, startled. "You… you're letting me leave?"
"For now," he replied. "But fate is not so easily restricted."
Her stomach curled, but she nodded, turning away before her courage could fail. Each step felt like walking through fire as she moved past the edge of the clearing, the bond extension, hurting, crying between them.
Kael watched her disappear into the trees, his hands gripped at his sides.
The pack waited, tense and uncertain.
"She is my mate," he said at last, voice carrying. "And this is not over."
The woods jiggled in agreement.
Somewhere deep in the shadows, destiny smiled—and sharpened its claws.