Chapter 5

He froze. His eyes flickered, as if he’d just remembered something. He stepped back, rubbing his neck awkwardly. The air between us grew thick.

“I…uh, I’m sorry,” he said with a nervous laugh. “You should rest. You’ve had a rough day.”

My heart was still pounding. “Eli…”

He looked away. “I shouldn’t have… you know. You’ve been through enough. I just…”

“Eli, it’s okay,” I said softly. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

He gave me that look again…the one that said he wanted to tell me something but couldn’t.

“I’ll walk you back,” he said.

I shook my head. “No. I can go alone. You’ve done enough.”

“Aria…” His tone carried both warning and worry.

“Please,” I insisted. “If anyone sees us together, it’ll make things worse.”

He sighed, then nodded. “Fine. But promise me you’ll be careful.”

“I will.”

He hesitated, then pulled me into a hug. I melted into it…it felt like safety, brief but real. When he let go, his thumb brushed my cheek once more.

“Happy birthday in advance, Ari,” he whispered.

I smiled faintly. “Thank you, Eli.”

I watched him leave before heading back to the pack house. The walk was slow, painful, but his words echoed in my mind…”You deserve to feel beautiful.”

When I reached my window, I climbed back in quietly and placed the red dress gently on my bed, running my fingers over the soft fabric. I was supposed to wear it tomorrow… birthday.

For a moment, I just stared at it. I could almost imagine wearing it… feeling free, unafraid, like I belonged somewhere other than this cursed place.

Then footsteps sounded in the hallway.

I quickly hid the dress under my pillow just before the door creaked open.

“Aria.”

It was Alpha Malrick. His voice was calm, but there was weight behind it. I turned slowly, lowering my head.

“Yes, Alpha?” I said quietly.

He stepped into the room, his tall frame casting a shadow across the floor. “You’ve caused quite a stir today.”

My heart raced. “I…I didn’t mean to.”

“I know,” he said, though his eyes stayed cold. “Still, Luna Grace is upset. And when she’s upset, things get… complicated.”

I swallowed hard, saying nothing.

He studied me for a long moment. “Keep your head down for the next few hours. No trouble, no wandering. Understand?”

“Yes, Alpha.”

He nodded slowly. “Good. Then… your wounds…they look old. That’s… unusual.”

I froze.

His gaze lingered on my neck, then drifted to my shoulder where the whip had struck. The skin was already closing.

“I’ll have the healer check on you tomorrow,” he said finally, turning to leave. “Rest now.”

When he was gone, I locked the door and slid to the floor, shaking.

Unusual.

That word echoed in my mind until sleep finally pulled me under…right there beside the bed, the red dress hidden beneath my pillow, and a strange warmth in my chest where Eli’s arms had been.

It was my birthday tomorrow… the day I'm supposed to flee with Eli, the day I’m supposed to be turning eighteen, the day I'm supposed to find my mate. Yet, a dull ache lingered at the back of my mind.

Sleep didn’t come easily. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Luna Grace’s face twisted in fury, Eli’s eyes filled with something I didn’t understand, and Alpha Malrick’s cold stare when he said that word…unusual.

Something in me was changing. I could feel it under my skin, heat, light, something that didn’t belong to a slave or an outcast. It scared me, and yet, a part of me… liked it.

When dawn finally oozed through the cracks in my curtains, I rose quietly and washed my face. My reflection in the mirror stopped me for a moment. My eyes looked brighter, sharper. The bruises had faded more than they should have.

Today was my birthday. The one day I used to dream would mean freedom or at least something close to it.

Downstairs, the pack would be setting up the hall for the evening celebration… Alpha Malrick’s command, not mine. The younger wolves would laugh, dance, drink. And me? I’d be invisible again, unless someone needed a servant.

Still, my gaze fell to the pillow hiding the red dress. I remembered the reservation at Nana’s as my hand hovered around the red dress for a long time before I pulled it out. The fabric glowed in the light. I traced its seams and whispered to myself,

“Just one night… maybe I can feel alive for one night.”

Outside, I heard the bell ring… the pack’s morning call. The day had begun.

And so had the countdown.