chapter five

Chapter 5

~~Aria’s pov ~~

“Wait.”

Clara’s voice stopped me.

When she turned around this time, her expression had changed. The excitement was gone, replaced by something cold and deliberate that made my stomach tighten.

“When the Alpha King arrives,” she said, her voice measured, “I need you to stay out of sight.”

I blinked, certain I had misheard. “What?”

“Because,” she continued slowly, “even a king might pity a wolfless omega. And I will not have his attention diverted for even a second by misplaced sympathy.” She stepped closer, lowering her voice. “This is my moment, Aria. Mine. And you will not ruin it. Do you understand?”

Before I could answer, a knock sounded at the door.

Our father, Alpha Markus Silvercrest, entered the room.

He filled the doorway effortlessly. Tall and broad shouldered, with silver threading through his dark hair, his presence pressed down on the room like invisible weight. His alpha aura was strong enough to command silence wherever he went. Once, he had been a fearsome warrior. Now he was something more dangerous. A politician who knew how to maintain power through alliances and calculated decisions.

His amber eyes swept the room before settling on Clara. His expression softened instantly.

“Clara, my dear. The jeweler is here with the diamond sets I commissioned. He is waiting in my study.”

“Oh perfect.” Clara’s entire demeanor transformed, bright and eager. “I will be right down.” She paused, glancing at him thoughtfully. “What do you think, Father? Diamonds or sapphires? Diamonds are classic, but sapphires would make my eyes stand out.”

“Either would be stunning,” he said warmly. “You would make any jewels look pale by comparison. The Alpha King will take one look at you and know he has found his Luna.”

“That is exactly what I keep saying,” Clara said with a delighted laugh.

She swept past me without so much as a glance. Our father’s arm wrapped around her shoulders as they walked toward the door together.

I remained where I was, invisible as always.

Just before leaving, he paused and looked back at me, as though he had only just remembered I existed.

“Aria,” he said, his voice stripped of all warmth. “Clara is right. It would be best if you kept a low profile during the Alpha King’s visit. We want to present our pack in the best possible light.”

The meaning was clear. I was not part of that light.

“I understand,” I said, because there was nothing else I could say.

He nodded once and left, already complimenting Clara on her choice of perfume as they disappeared down the hall.

I stood alone in Clara’s cluttered room, surrounded by evidence of her dreams and my father’s favoritism. The silence pressed down on me, heavy and suffocating.

I had known for years that my father was disappointed in me. How could he not be? I was his greatest failure, proof that even alpha bloodlines could produce something broken. But knowing it was one thing. Feeling it reinforced was another.

I walked back to my room slowly, every step heavier than the last.

My small space with its cracked ceiling and peeling wallpaper had never felt more like a prison. I sat on my narrow bed and stared at the wall, letting the familiar ache of loneliness settle deep into my bones.

At least it was quiet here.

Tomorrow I would go to work. I would do my job. I would stay out of everyone’s way.

Just like always.

Just like I had been taught.

---

I survived the next day by focusing entirely on work.

I arrived early, left late, and spent my lunch break hidden in the file room where no one bothered to look for me.

It almost worked.

Almost.

I was leaving the building just after sunset when a hand closed around my elbow.

“We need to talk.”

Kaelen’s voice was tight, strained in a way I had never heard before.

“Kaelen, I am tired,” I said, already worn thin.

“Now, Aria.”

He guided me toward the side alley beside the building, away from the main entrance where other employees were heading home. His grip was firm, not painful, but unmistakably unyielding.

Once we were alone in the shadows, he released my arm but positioned himself between me and the exit. His face looked drawn, his eyes darker than usual, his jaw clenched tight.

“What is wrong?” I asked, unease mixing with genuine concern.

“The Alpha King arrives tomorrow,” he said bluntly. “Everyone knows he is looking for a mate. Every unmated she wolf in the city will throw herself at him.” His eyes searched my face. “Including you?”

I stared at him. “What? No. Of course not. Why would I?”

“Good.” He stepped closer, tension easing slightly. “Good. Because you need to understand something. If the Alpha King looks your way, if he shows you any attention at all, you need to stay away from him.”

“That is not going to be a problem,” I said, confused. “Kaelen, I am wolfless. I am not exactly Alpha King mate material. Clara already has her future planned.”

“Clara does not concern me.” His hands came up to grip my shoulders, his fingers digging in. “You do. Lyrian Blackthorn is dangerous. Wolves like him destroy everything they touch. They burn too bright, too hot. Anyone who gets close ends up consumed.”

Something about the way he said it made my skin prickle. There was fear in his voice, but there was also something else. Something possessive.

“I appreciate your concern,” I said carefully, “but the Alpha King is not going to notice me.”

“You do not know that.” His grip tightened. “You are more than you think you are. You are kind. You are gentle. You are…” He stopped abruptly, swallowing. “You are vulnerable. Powerful wolves take advantage of vulnerability.”

“Like you are doing right now?” The words escaped before I could stop them.

His eyes widened. “What?”

“You are gripping my shoulders hard enough to bruise,” I said calmly, though my heart was racing. “You are blocking my way. You are telling me what to do. That feels like taking advantage.”

For a moment, something dark flickered across his face. Then he released me and stepped back, raising his hands.

“I am sorry,” he said, and he sounded sincere. “You are right. I just… I cannot lose you.”

“Lose me?” I shook my head. “Kaelen, you do not have me.”

“Do I not?” he shot back. “For two years I have protected you. I have stood between you and every wolf who wanted to hurt you. I defended you when no one else would. I cared for you when your own family turned their backs. Does that mean nothing?”

“It means I am grateful,” I said slowly. “But gratitude is not the same as what you want.”

“What I want is to keep you safe,” he said quietly. “To be the one you turn to. To be the one who matters.”

He stepped closer. I stepped back.

“It is wrong when it comes with conditions,” I said. “When it comes with expectations and control.”

“I have never demanded anything from you.”

“You are demanding something right now,” I said, my voice rising. “You are acting like you have a claim on me that I never agreed to. That is not protection. That is control.”

Silence stretched between us.

Finally he spoke, his voice carefully neutral. “I know things about Lyrian Blackthorn that you do not.”

“Then tell me.”

“I cannot.”

“Cannot or will not?”

“Both.” He held my gaze. “Just trust me. When he arrives, stay away from him. If you care about your safety, listen to me.”

There was real fear in his eyes now, and that unsettled me more than anything else.

“What are you so afraid of?” I asked softly.

“Of losing you to a monster,” he said. Then even softer, “Of history repeating itself.”

“What does that mean?”

He shook his head. “Promise me you will stay away.”

“I promise I will be careful,” I said.

It was not what he wanted, but it was all I could give.

“Tomorrow everything changes,” he said quietly.

He stepped aside, and I walked past him without looking back.

Only when I turned the corner did I stop, my hands shaking.

Kaelen’s warning echoed in my mind.

Wolves like him destroy everything they touch.

But so did Kaelen’s intensity.

Maybe the real danger was not the Alpha King at all.

Maybe it was the cage slowly closing around me.

---

I was not supposed to be there.

I had planned to stay away, not out of obedience, but because I truly wanted no part in the spectacle. But my supervisor insisted that everyone attend the formal welcome ceremony at pack headquarters.

So I stood at the very back of the crowd gathered in Silvercrest’s grand courtyard.

Hundreds of wolves filled the space, not just from our pack but from neighboring territories as well. Everyone wanted to see Lyrian Blackthorn.

The courtyard was normally used for ceremonies, surrounded by sl

eek glass and steel buildings. Today, the tension was so thick it felt suffocating.

And as I waited, heart pounding, I could not shake the feeling that something was about to break.