CHAPTER FIFTEEN: ARIA

The next morning I woke up with a headache and found out that my little medical emergency had apparently become pack gossip.

I discovered this when I ventured to the communal kitchen area of our temporary housing to grab some coffee and nearly walked into a conversation that made my blood run cold.

"—can't believe she had the audacity to faint right in front of everyone," a sharp female voice was saying.

"So dramatic and then Alpha Kael carries her off like she's some precious princess? Please."

"Maybe she did it on purpose," another voice chimed in—male this time, and unfortunately familiar.

It was Jake Morrison from my own pack, someone who'd never missed an opportunity to remind me how disappointingly human I was.

"You know how these weak types operate. Always looking for attention from stronger wolves."

I pressed myself against the wall outside the kitchen entrance, my heart hammering against my ribs.

The buzzing sensation under my skin that had been constant since last night suddenly intensified, making me feel like I might crawl out of my own body.

"I heard she couldn't even shift back in Raven Claw," the female voice continued.

"Pathetic excuse for a werewolf, if you ask me. No wonder her own family barely tolerates her."

That last comment hit like a physical blow, mostly because it wasn't wrong.

The truth of it made my chest tight with familiar shame. Mom, Dad and Reena never bothered hiding their disdain for what they called my "human weakness." Their disappointment in my lack of wolf abilities a constant undercurrent in our household.

Only Ryder had ever made me feel like I belonged anywhere.

"Well, she won't last long here," Jake said with cruel satisfaction.

"Not once Lyra gets back from her assignment. Alpha Kael might be entertaining himself with the new girl now, but everyone knows Lyra's going to be Luna. She's everything a pack needs—strong, capable, worthy of an Alpha. Not some fragile little thing who faints at the first sign of real power."

I'd heard enough. More than enough. Moving as quietly as possible, I retreated back to my room, my face burning with humiliation and my hands shaking with suppressed emotion.

The coffee would have to wait. Everything would have to wait until I could get myself under control. 'Weak. Pathetic. Unworthy.'

The words echoed in my head as I sank onto my bed, wrapping my arms around my knees.

This was exactly what I'd feared would happen—that whatever strange connection I felt with Alpha Kael would be noticed, misinterpreted, and used against me.

And now there was apparently some woman named Lyra who everyone expected to become Luna, which made my confused feelings about the Alpha even more complicated and inappropriate.

A sharp knock on my door made me jump.

"Aria? Are you okay?" Chloe's voice, muffled but concerned.

I considered pretending to be asleep, but knowing Chloe, she'd probably just let herself in anyway.

"Come in." I groaned.

She took one look at my face and immediately closed the door behind her, moving to sit beside me on the bed with the practiced ease of someone who'd been dealing with my emotional crises for years.

"What happened?" she asked gently.

"You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Just some friendly pack bonding," I said bitterly, then immediately felt guilty for taking my mood out on her.

"Sorry. I'm just... people are talking about what happened last night. About me fainting and Alpha Kael helping me. It's not exactly flattering."

Chloe's expression darkened.

"What kind of things are they saying?"

I gave her the sanitized version, leaving out the more cutting personal attacks but Chloe knew me too well to be fooled.

"Aria, you know none of that matters, right? People gossip because they're bored and small-minded, not because they're right about anything."

"Aren't they, though?" I pulled my knees tighter to my chest.

"I mean, look at me, Chloe. I can barely shift, I faint at the first sign of real magic, and I'm definitely not Luna material, not that I'm even considering being one. Maybe they're just saying what everyone's thinking."

"Stop."

Her voice was sharp enough to make me look up.

"Just stop. I've known you my entire life, Aria Vale and you are not weak. different, maybe but not weak."

Before I could argue with her assessment, another knock interrupted us. This time it was my brother's voice calling through the door.

"Aria? You in there?"

"Come in, Ryder," I called back, grateful for the distraction.

My brother slipped inside, his expression troubled.

At nineteen, Ryder was everything I wasn't—tall, confident, with the kind of natural charisma that made people gravitate toward him.

His wolf was strong and responsive, his fighting skills impressive, and he'd been one of Spencer's most trusted friends before the rogue attack.

Despite all of that, he'd never made me feel less than himself.

He'd always been my protector, my champion when the rest of our family made their disappointment clear.

"I heard some idiots running their mouths about you," he said without preamble, his jaw tight with anger.

Of course Chloe linked him. I didn't even have the strength to glare at her right now.

"Want me to have a conversation with them?"The protective fury in his voice made my chest warm, but I shook my head.

"It's fine, Ryder. They're not wrong about most of it."

"Like hell they're not." He moved to lean against my dresser, crossing his arms.

"Aria, you saved the children and women under the hatch during the rogue attack. That's not weak. That's incredible."

"I got lucky," I mumbled. "And it's not like I can do it reliably. I would have died of you didn't come to my rescue"

"So? Even the strongest wolves have off days. That doesn't make you—"

"Ryder." I held up a hand to stop him.

"I appreciate you trying to make me feel better, but we both know I'm the disappointment of the family. Mom and Dad can barely look at me most days, and Reena..."

I shrugged, not bothering to finish that sentence.

"I'm used to it."The look on his face suggested he wanted to argue further, but Chloe intervened before he could.

"Speaking of family drama," she said, clearly trying to change the subject,

"Thane mentioned that the integration ceremony is being moved up. Apparently some of the pack officials are returning early from their assignments."

Something in her tone made me look at her more closely.

"Officials? Anyone specific?"She exchanged a glance with Ryder that I didn't like.

"Well, the head tracker, the pack historian, and..." She paused.

"Lyra Stone, the head female warrior."

My stomach dropped. "Stone? As in—"

"Daughter of former Beta of Crescent Pack, yeah." Ryder's expression had gone carefully neutral.

"I've heard she's... formidable."

Formidable. Right and apparently everyone expected her to become Alpha Kael's mate.

Which made my strange attraction to him even more pathetic and inappropriate.

"When is she getting back?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

"Tomorrow, according to Thane," Chloe said gently.

"Aria, I know what you're thinking, but—"

"I'm not thinking anything," I lied.

"Alpha Kael's personal life is none of my business." But even as I said it, I felt that familiar buzzing sensation intensify, like my body was rejecting the words even as they left my mouth.

There was something about the thought of this Lyra woman being with Alpha Kael that made me feel physically ill, which was ridiculous.

I barely knew the man. I had no claim on him, no right to feel... whatever this was.