CHAPTER 5

Aria POV

"Where is everyone?"

I stood in the empty hallway, my voice bouncing off the stone walls. Three days. It had been three days since the kings came to my room, since they touched me like I was everything and then told me to forget it all happened.

Three days of nothing.

I walked through the castle like a ghost. Nobody saw me. Nobody needed me. Everyone else had somewhere to be, something important to do.

Luna spent her mornings with the Ravencrest witches now. They were teaching her about herbs and healing potions, and she came back to her room each night smelling like lavender and strange smoke, her eyes bright with excitement.

"It's amazing, Aria," she'd told me last night. "Willow says I have a natural gift for it. Can you believe that? Me, working with witches!"

I was happy for her. I really was. But watching her find her place here just made me feel more lost.

Ethan and Cade were busy too. They spent their days with Blake, working on competition strategies and studying the other competitors. My father had given them clear orders—make connections, build alliances, make the Blackwood pack look good.

Nobody gave me any orders. Nobody expected anything from me.

I should have been relieved. Instead, I felt invisible.

I wandered into the library, then the gardens, then back inside again. I walked past the training grounds where other competitors were practicing combat moves. I watched them through the window, their bodies strong and confident, and felt like a fraud.

What am I even doing here?

The mate bond tugged at my chest, always pulling me toward the royal wing where I knew the kings were working. I ignored it. They wanted me to forget? Fine. I would forget.

Except I couldn't forget. Every time I closed my eyes, I felt King Darius's fingers on my face. Every time I breathed, I remembered King Orion's lips on mine.

Stop it. Just stop.

I found myself in an empty corridor near the back of the castle. I didn't even know how I got here. My feet had just carried me while my mind was somewhere else.

"You look lost."

I spun around. Blake stood behind me, his kind eyes full of concern. He was dressed casually today, no royal uniform, just simple clothes that made him look more like a friend than the Royal Gamma.

"I'm not lost," I said quickly. "Just... walking."

"Walking to nowhere?" He smiled gently. "I've done a lot of that myself. It usually means something's bothering me."

I didn't answer. What could I say? That I was mated to both kings but they refused to claim me? That I felt like I didn't belong anywhere in this castle?

Blake studied my face for a moment. "You look like someone who needs a distraction. Want to go for a run?"

"A run?"

"I run the castle grounds every morning. Good way to clear your head." He shrugged. "Could use the company, if you're interested."

I thought about saying no. I barely knew Blake. But he was being kind, and kindness had been hard to find lately.

"Okay," I said. "Let's run."

We changed into training clothes and met at the back gates of the castle. The morning air was cool and fresh, and as soon as we started running, I felt some of the weight lift from my shoulders.

Blake was fast, but not so fast that I couldn't keep up. We ran through the forest trails behind the castle, our feet pounding against the dirt path, our breaths coming in steady rhythms.

"You're quick," Blake said, not even breathing hard. "Did you train back home?"

"In secret," I admitted. "My father didn't think girls needed to be fast or strong. I practiced alone in the woods when no one was watching."

"Sounds lonely."

"It was." I didn't know why I was telling him this. Maybe because he was easy to talk to. Maybe because I was tired of keeping everything inside. "My whole life has been kind of lonely, actually."

Blake was quiet for a moment. We stopped by a small stream to catch our breath, the water bubbling over smooth rocks.

"You know," he said, splashing water on his face, "I could use some help in my office. Nothing exciting—just answering messages, filing papers, that kind of thing. But it would give you something to do. And you'd be in the middle of everything."

"You don't have to—"

"I want to." He smiled. "Besides, my office is right between the kings' offices. You'd hear all the important gossip."

Right between the kings' offices. My heart stuttered.

I should say no. Being that close to them every day would be torture.

But what was my alternative? Wandering the halls like a ghost for the rest of the competition?

"Okay," I said. "Thank you, Blake. Really."

"Don't thank me yet. The work is boring." He grinned. "Come on. Let's head back."

***

Blake's office was smaller than I expected—a cozy room with a big wooden desk covered in papers, bookshelves lining the walls, and two doors on either side.

"That one leads to King Orion's office," Blake said, pointing to the door on the left. "And that one leads to King Darius's." He pointed to the right. "The walls are thick, but sometimes you can still hear them if they're being loud."

Great. Just great.

I spent the rest of the morning helping Blake sort through messages and organize documents. The work was simple, but it kept my hands busy and my mind focused. Almost.

Every few minutes, I'd hear voices through the walls. King Orion's voice, deep and passionate, arguing about something with an advisor. King Darius's voice, cold and precise, giving orders that sounded more like threats.

I tried not to listen. I failed.

"You're staring at the wall," Blake said.

I jumped. "Sorry. Just... thinking."

He gave me a knowing look but didn't say anything.

Around midday, the office door opened and Cade walked in.

"Aria?" He looked surprised to see me. "What are you doing here?"

"Working. Blake needed help."

"Oh." Cade glanced at Blake, then back at me. Something strange flickered in his eyes. "Can I talk to you for a minute? Alone?"

Blake stood up. "I need to deliver some papers anyway. Take your time."

He left, and suddenly it was just me and Cade in the small office. The silence felt heavy.

"What's going on?" I asked.

Cade sat down in the chair across from me. He wouldn't meet my eyes. His hands were shaking slightly, and he kept rubbing them together like he was nervous.

"I need to tell you something," he said. "Something I should have said a long time ago."

My stomach dropped. "Cade..."

"I've had feelings for you." The words came out in a rush, like he'd been holding them back for years. "For a long time. Since we were teenagers. I've loved you, Aria, and I never told you because your father would have killed me and because I knew... I knew you saw me as a brother, nothing more."

I stared at him, my heart aching. Cade. Sweet, loyal Cade who had always been there for me, always defended me when my father was cruel.

"Why are you telling me this now?" I asked softly.

"Because I couldn't leave this castle without saying it. Because watching you here, watching you become someone new... I needed you to know." He finally looked at me, his eyes full of pain. "I know you don't feel the same way. I've always known. But I had to say it out loud, at least once."

"Cade..." I reached across the desk and took his hand. "You're amazing. Any girl would be lucky to have you."

"Just not you."

"I'm sorry." The words felt so small, so useless. "I really am."

He smiled, but it was sad. Broken. "I know. It's okay. I just needed to say it."

"We're still friends?"

"Always." He squeezed my hand. "Always, Aria."

I stood up and walked around the desk. Without thinking, I pulled him into a hug. He held me tight, his face buried in my hair, and I felt his body shake with silent emotion.

"Thank you," I whispered. "For telling me. For being honest."

"Thank you for not hating me."

We stood there for a long moment, two people who cared about each other but could never be what the other needed.

I didn't hear the door open.

I didn't know anyone was watching.

***

That night, I was in my room getting ready for bed when my door flew open.

I spun around, my heart leaping into my throat.

King Orion stormed in first, his green eyes blazing with fury. King Darius followed close behind, his storm-blue gaze cold as winter ice. Both of them looked like they wanted to kill something.

"We need to talk," Orion growled.

"Ever heard of knocking?" I crossed my arms, trying to hide how much their sudden appearance had startled me.

"You were swimming with Blake today." Darius's voice was flat, dangerous.

I blinked. "What?"

"After your work in his office," Orion said, practically spitting the words. "You went swimming. In the castle pool. In a bikini."

Blake had suggested it after we finished for the day. The pool was beautiful, and I'd been so hot from running and working. I hadn't thought anything of it.

"So?" I said. "We went swimming. That's what people do in pools."

"He was looking at you." Orion stepped closer, his body radiating heat and anger. "The way he looked at you—"

"He's my friend."

"He's a male wolf who wants you," Darius cut in. "Any fool can see that."

"And?" I lifted my chin, refusing to back down. "You don't want me publicly. You made that very clear. So why do you care who else looks at me?"

"Because you're ours," Orion snarled.

"No, I'm not." My voice was steady even though my heart was pounding. "You can't have it both ways. You can't push me away and then get angry when other people are nice to me."

"And what about Cade?" Darius moved closer too, the two of them boxing me in. "You were hugging him in Blake's office. We saw you."

"You were watching me?" Anger flared in my chest. "You were spying on me?"

"We're always watching you," Orion said, like it was obvious. "We can't help it. The bond—"

"That's not creepy at all." I took a step back, hitting the wall. Nowhere else to go. "Cade is like my brother. He told me he had feelings for me and I let him down. The hug was comfort, nothing else."

"You let him touch you," Darius said, his voice dropping low and dangerous. "You let another male put his hands on you."

"Because you won't!" The words exploded out of me. "Because you tell me I'm yours and then you disappear for three days! Because you kiss me like I'm everything and then tell me to forget it happened! What am I supposed to do? Wait around forever for kings who won't claim me?"

Silence. Heavy and thick.

Orion moved first, crowding me against the wall. His hands slammed against the stone on either side of my head, caging me in. "You don't touch other males," he said, his voice barely controlled.

"Or what?"

"You need to stay away from other male wolves," Darius added, moving to stand right behind his brother. "All of them. Blake. Cade. Everyone."

"Only we can touch you," Orion growled.

Something inside me snapped.

"You're both insane," I said. "You know that? Completely, totally insane."

Darius reached out and grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him. His grip was firm but not painful. His storm-blue eyes burned into mine.

"You're ours, Aria," he said quietly. "Only ours."

I don't know what came over me. Maybe it was the frustration. Maybe it was the anger. Maybe it was three days of feeling invisible and unwanted and confused.

I bit his lip.

Hard.

Hard enough to draw blood.

Darius jerked back, shock flashing across his usually controlled face. Blood welled on his lower lip, bright red against his pale skin.

"What the hell—" Orion started.

"I'm your mate, not your puppet," I said, tasting copper on my tongue. "You don't get to control who I talk to. You don't get to tell me who I can be friends with. Not when you won't even claim me publicly."

"Aria—" Darius wiped the blood from his lip, staring at it like he couldn't believe what had just happened.

"No." I pushed past Orion, putting distance between us. "I'm done with this. Done with the hot and cold. Done with feeling like a dirty secret you're ashamed of."

"We're not ashamed—" Orion tried.

"Then prove it." I turned to face them both. "Claim me. Tomorrow. In front of everyone. Show the whole kingdom that I'm yours."

Silence.

"You know we can't," Darius said quietly.

"Then I'll choose someone else."

Both of them went rigid.

"If you can't accept me publicly," I continued, my voice cold, "then I'll find someone who can. Blake seems nice enough. And there's an Alpha from the Northern Pack I met at dinner—he couldn't stop staring at me. Maybe I'll give him a chance."

"You wouldn't," Darius said, his jaw tight.

"Watch me." I walked to my door and opened it. "The Moon Goddess may have chosen you two as my mates. But I still have free will. And I choose not to be anyone's secret."

They stared at me. Green eyes and storm-blue. Fire and ice. Both burning with emotions I couldn't read.

"Choose," I said. "Claim me in front of everyone, or leave me alone. Forever."

More silence. Longer this time. Heavy enough to crush me.

Neither of them spoke. Neither of them moved.

"That's what I thought," I whispered, my heart breaking. "Get out. Both of you."

They left without another word.

I closed the door behind them and leaned against it, sliding down until I sat on the cold floor. My whole body was shaking. My eyes burned with tears I refused to let fall.

What did I just do?

I'd challenged them. Threatened them. Drew blood from one of the most powerful kings in the realm.

They could destroy me. With a single word, they could have me thrown out of the competition, sent back to my father in disgrace. Or worse.

I thought about the look in their eyes as they left. Not anger. Not even hurt.

Something darker. Something more dangerous.

I wrapped my arms around my knees and stared at the door, a terrible realization settling in my chest like ice.

I may have just made the two most powerful enemies in the entire kingdom.