Feral Hearts Book 1: Awakening the Feral
"You're either brave," Aaron said quietly, his accent thickening just enough when he was irritated, "or you have no sense of self-preservation."
I didn't look away.
His dark eyes burned - calculating, controlled, dangerous. The kind of Alpha who didn't need to raise his voice to be obeyed. The kind who was born into power and sharpened by it.
"Maybe I just don't scare easily," I said smugly.
A muscle ticked in his jaw. Slow. Controlled.
He stepped into my space, close enough that the air shifted, close enough that I could feel the heat rolling off him and smell the faint scent of coffee on his breath.
"You should," he murmured, eyes focused on my lips.
⸻⸻⸻
Xavier has one rule: survive.
After being betrayed and left for dead by his own pack, he doesn't trust Alphas. He doesn't trust loyalty. And he sure as fuck doesn't trust powerful families who smile too easily.
Aaron D'Amico is everything Xavier avoids - a strategic, dangerously composed Alpha raised in legacy and control. His pack is strong. His leadership is unquestioned. And his mother's influence runs deeper than anyone realizes, even him. He doesn't make reckless decisions. He doesn't let emotions interfere. And he doesn't lose control.
Until Xavier.
What starts as irritation turns into a battle of dominance neither of them expected. But beneath the tension simmers something more dangerous - quiet political maneuvering, shifting loyalties, and a matriarch who watches every move.
Because in this pack, power isn't taken with claws.
It's taken with strategy.
And the Alpha who prides himself on discipline?
He's about to meet the one wolf who refuses to behave.
WARNING ‼️‼️‼️
CONTAINS MATURE AND SEXUAL THEMES
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Chapter: Chapter 22The training grounds felt strangely small as we gathered for the morning patrol. Mist curled lazily around the cabins, weaving through the trees like it belonged here, like it had always been part of this land. I should've been nursing my ribs still, or at least taking it easy, but as soon as Aaron mentioned the perimeter sweep at last night's pack dinner, my hand shot up before I could stop myself."I'm going," I said, forcing a casual shrug. "I want to see some of the territory and my ribs don't hurt anymore."Okay I may have lied just a little about the last part... so what? A few packmates exchanged glances, quiet smirks flickering between them. I could feel the subtle curiosity—outsider, guest, reckless boy. Aaron, of course, said nothing. Just held my gaze, those dark eyes of his like a question, like he was weighing my stubbornness against common sense. I met it evenly.Finally, he gave a slow, almost imperceptible nod. "Fine. Stay close."I barely restrained my grin.———The
Last Updated: 2026-04-10
Chapter: Chapter 21The moment Aaron spoke, the entire clearing went still.Not loudly.Not dramatically.Just the quiet, instinctive shift that happened when an Alpha entered a situation and everyone else suddenly remembered their place.Aaron looked calm.Too calm.Which was somehow worse."Is there a problem here?" he asked again.His voice wasn't raised.It didn't need to be.Isabella recovered first.Of course she did.Her posture straightened slightly as she turned toward him, that same polished Luna smile settling easily back into place."Not at all, Alpha," she said smoothly. "I was simply speaking with our guest."Guest.The word sat between us like something sharp. Aaron's gaze shifted to me. I held it because I wasn't stupid enough to look away. Something unreadable flickered in his dark eyes before he looked back at Isabella."Xavier is here under my authority," Aaron said evenly.The words were simple, but the weight behind them rolled across the clearing like distant thunder. Several wolves
Last Updated: 2026-04-10
Chapter: Chapter 20Morning in Nightshade territory was quieter than it had any right to be. Days and nights had come and gone, and my wound had been healing itsself slowly for the second time.The forest stretched out beyond the cabins in long bands of mist and pale sunlight, the early light filtering through the tall pines like something careful and deliberate. The pack was already waking—distant voices near the training grounds, the rhythmic thud of paws somewhere deeper in the trees, the faint smell of smoke from the main house kitchens.Normal pack life.Something I hadn't been part of in a long time.I stepped out onto the small porch of the cabin Fiorella had given me, rolling my shoulder slowly as the muscles along my ribs protested. Aaron's bandaging from the day before held firm beneath my shirt.Too firm.The man tied knots like he expected them to survive a war.Not that I was complaining.My fingers brushed the fuzz of my light brown sweater as I pulled it over my head, tugging the fabric fl
Last Updated: 2026-04-10
Chapter: Chapter 19Aaron didn't speak as he led me away from the training yard. His grip on my arm was firm but careful, pulling me toward the cabin Fio had given me like I was both a problem and a responsibility he refused to drop. My ribs throbbed with every step—a constant reminder that I'd pushed too hard.We reached the cabin, the door clicking softly behind us. The sound made the space feel impossibly small. My pulse hammered."Sit," he commanded, low and steady.I slid onto the edge of the bench, grateful for the brief reprieve.Aaron crouched beside me, hands already moving to my shirt. It made me wonder when we'd gotten so comfortable with him stripping my clothes off. "Stay still," he murmured.Soft—but sharp enough that my stomach twisted.I bit my lip as he worked. Pain radiated from my ribs, but it didn't drown out the awareness of him being so close. Every inch of him pressed into my senses—the strength in his shoulders, the scent of sweat and coffee and woods that was uniquely his, the f
Last Updated: 2026-04-10
Chapter: Chapter 18Caterina stepped to the edge of the training circle like she was settling in to watch a performance.The wolves around the yard shifted subtly, creating space without being told. No one wanted to block her view.I could feel her gaze on me.Sharp. Curious. Measuring.Like she was deciding whether I was a problem... or simply entertainment.Aaron noticed it too.I saw the moment his shoulders tightened."Controlled spar," he said quietly, eyes locking on mine. "And you stop if I tell you to.""Relax," I muttered.His jaw flexed."Xavier.""I said relax."He exhaled slowly through his nose.That was the look of a man making a very deliberate choice not to strangle me."Fine," he said at last. "Show me."That was all the invitation I needed.I moved first.Faster this time then the first time we sparred.My fist snapped toward his ribs. Aaron blocked it cleanly and pivoted, redirecting my momentum."Too aggressive," he muttered.I swung again.Harder.Aaron deflected the strike and stepp
Last Updated: 2026-03-22
Chapter: Chapter 17Aaron sighed again, but this time it came out sounding like I was personally responsible for every bad decision he had ever made."Again."I wiped the back of my hand across my mouth, tasting sweat and a little blood where I had bitten my lip earlier. The training yard smelled like dirt, pine, and the faint metallic tang of old fights. Wolves circled the edges of the field, pretending not to watch.They were definitely watching.Aaron stood a few feet in front of me, arms crossed over his chest, looking infuriatingly composed while I felt like my ribs were trying to file for divorce from the rest of my body."You're dropping your left shoulder," he said."I'm not.""You are.""I'm literally not."His dark eyebrow lifted slowly, the expression sharp and unimpressed in a way that made something in my stomach twist.God, I hated when he did that."Xavier," he said calmly, "if you argue with me every time I correct you, this training will take twice as long.""Maybe your corrections are j
Last Updated: 2026-03-22
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