Chapter 3

Aria

“Welcome to Nightclaw.”

Ethan pulled through the tall, ivy-covered wrought iron gate that stood between the enormous hedges. The tops of the hedges stretched so high that they were nearly level with the pine trees overhead, and I couldn’t help but let out a tiny gasp of awe at the compound within.

The moment we stepped out of the car, I swore I felt something that I could only describe as pure magic wash over me. The air felt purer here, more breathable, as if I were drawing in a full breath for the first time in my life.

Ethan’s eyes flickered with humor. “You feel it too, don’t you?” I nodded, and he explained, “Being within the pack for the first time is often described as coming up for air after spending one’s entire life underwater.”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself,” I muttered.

Ethan smiled faintly and led me deeper into the compound. Buildings ranging from tiny, moss-covered cottages to brick buildings thick with ivy were scattered around a central plaza made of cobblestones.

People were bustling around with baskets of produce in their hands, some laughing and chatting under the tall trees while children darted between their legs.

I even spotted a group of wolves playing in a clearing in the distance—although now I wondered if those were werewolves in wolf form. A form that I had almost fully shifted into before Ethan arrived.

Would I be able to do that one day, I wondered? The thought felt both enticing and terrifying.

Up ahead, an enormous manor overlooked the entire compound. It was large and imposing with moss and ivy-covered brick walls, stained glass windows catching the last of the sun’s light, and a tall tower on the eastern side.

“That’s the Alpha House,” Ethan explained. “Your house now.”

I was speechless. That enormous house was mine now… And it was a far cry from the little suburban split level I’d grown up in.

Even from where I stood, I could make out yellow lights winking to life within as the sun began to dip below the horizon. It was probably only four o’clock, but it was darker here because we were so deep within the forest.

As I looked around the plaza, I couldn’t help but notice that there were a lot of couples. Like, a lot of them. Almost everyone seemed to be holding hands with someone else. I even spotted a throuple holding hands and feeding each other in the center of the plaza.

“What’s up with them?” I asked, nudging Ethan and nodding toward the throuple—two women and a man.

Ethan followed my gaze, then snorted again. It seemed my questions amused him.

“In most packs, werewolves only have one mate; but the special bloodline in Nightclaw allows wolves to have multiple mates. The more powerful the wolf, the more mates they have. Usually, male wolves are more powerful and will adopt more mates. The strongest wolf can have up to four mates.”

“So it’s a polygamous society,” I said, wrinkling my nose. That wasn’t how we did things where I grew up—I’d always been taught that you have one husband or wife and that’s it. Having multiple was considered cheating.

Ethan simply shrugged. Just then, my stomach growled loudly, and Ethan sighed. “Wait here. I’ll grab you something to eat.”

I stood there while he slipped off into the market to buy something. As I waited, I looked at that group of wolves playing again—although this time, I noticed that the wolves were actually circling and nipping aggressively at a much smaller wolf.

The smaller one was crying and yelping in pain, but the others didn’t seem to pay it any mind. And it wasn’t fighting back, nor was anyone else stepping in.

Suddenly overcome with protectiveness, I walked over to them and stepped in between the smaller wolf and the others just as they were going in for another nip.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

The wolves all looked at each other, then shifted in front of me. I resisted the urge to collapse as, right before my eyes, three wolves turned into three humans—three girls. The obvious leader of the trio had a sour look on her face and inky black hair that was cropped close to her head.

“Who the hell are you?” she blurted out.

“I’m new here. And I can’t help but notice that you’re outnumbering this wolf, who’s clearly not fighting back.”

The girl exchanged amused glances with her comrades, then shrugged. “Fine. New girl wants to sacrifice herself, I guess. Have at her.”

Before I could react, the two other girls rushed toward me and gripped me by both arms, pinning me against a nearby tree. The smaller wolf barked and yipped in protest, but it was no use. The third girl slowly approached, extending one claw from her index finger.

“Let’s leave a scar on that pretty face, shall we?” she cooed. “Teach the newbie a lesson about getting involved with other wolves’ business.”

I writhed against the girls’ grips, but they held me fast. I was just opening my mouth to scream, the girl’s claw grazing my cheek, when Ethan’s voice cut through the noise.

“Let go of her, Alice.”

The lead girl froze, jaw clenching. For a moment, she didn’t move. Then, finally, she nodded to her friends and they released me. With a horrible sneer, she drew her finger across her neck, winked at me, then left.

Ethan looked thunderous. “That was dangerous. You’ve only just got here and you’re already starting shit? You need to be more careful.”

“They were ganging up on the smaller one,” I said, indicating the wolf beside me—although now it was no longer a wolf, but rather a tall and skinny young girl with a mop of brown hair and a nervous look about her. I tried not to look too horrified by the sudden change.

“Thanks,” she said in a soft voice, wringing her hands. She couldn’t have been older than twelve or thirteen. “Ethan’s right, though. You probably shouldn’t have stepped in—it only makes things worse when it comes to Alice.”

“Come on, Aria,” Ethan said. “Let’s get you to the Alpha House before it gets dark.”

“Alpha House?” The nervous girl stepped forward and peered closer at me. “Are you…”

“Aria.” I stuck out my hand. “I’m Richard Collins’ daughter.”

The girl stared at me as if in shock, but shook my hand anyway. Ethan cleared his throat, and I offered the girl one last smile before running off.

“Don’t worry,” Ethan said, noticing the way I glanced over my shoulder at the girl. “You’ll see her again.”

“Who was she?” I asked.

Ethan didn’t respond to that, but said, “You’re expected to attend the rally this evening to introduce yourself to the other wolves. Perhaps you’ll find your mate there.”

I folded my arms. “I don’t want to find my mate.”

Ethan chuckled. “You won’t feel that way once your wolf emerges.”

“My… wolf? Emerging?” None of this made a damn lick of sense to me.

“You’re half-human, so your wolf soul might take a while to communicate with you,” Ethan said, eyes glimmering with that familiar humor again. “Give it time.”

I still had no clue what any of it meant, but didn’t question it for now. Ethan handed me a sandwich, then shrugged his jacket off and draped it around my shoulders. I only just realized that I’d started shivering in the cool forest air, and hadn’t packed a single thing to bring with me.

Thanking him, I took a big bite of my sandwich and nuzzled down into his jacket. It smelled like woodfire smoke, but there was an underlying scent unlike anything I’d smelled before, and yet that smell alone made me smile for reasons I couldn’t quite explain.