Chapter 5 The First Night

Aria locked the bedroom door the moment she returned from dinner.

It was a pointless gesture.

She already knew locks meant nothing in this house.

She stood with her back against the heavy wood, breathing hard, trying to slow the frantic rhythm of her heart. The ghost of Kael’s hand still burned on the back of her neck. Every place he had touched felt branded. Her wolf paced restlessly inside her chest, restless and hungry, pushing against her control with a strength she had not felt in three years.

She hated it.

She hated how easily he affected her.

She hated that the broken pieces of her old mate bond still ached, and yet this new one felt stronger, sharper, impossible to ignore.

Aria pushed away from the door and walked into the bathroom. She turned the shower as hot as it would go and stood under the spray until her skin turned pink. She scrubbed until she could no longer smell his scent on her, but it didn’t matter. The bond lived deeper than skin. It lived in her blood now.

When she finally stepped out, the mirror was fogged. She wiped a clear circle with her hand and stared at her reflection. Dark circles under her eyes. Pale skin. The silver strands in her hair seemed brighter under the bathroom lights, impossible to hide completely.

She looked like prey that had already been caught.

Aria pulled on the softest sleep clothes she could find—a long black shirt that fell to mid-thigh—and climbed into the massive bed. The sheets were cold and expensive. She curled on her side, facing the windows, watching the dark forest beyond the glass.

Sleep did not come.

Every time she closed her eyes she felt the pull.

It was subtle at first, like a quiet tug behind her ribs. Then it grew stronger. Her wolf began to whine, low and desperate, demanding she get up and find him. The mate bond did not care about contracts or fear or the rejection that had nearly destroyed her. It only cared about the Alpha sleeping somewhere in this house.

Hours passed.

The digital clock on the nightstand glowed 2:17 a.m. when the pull became painful.

Aria sat up, pressing a hand hard against her chest. Her breathing had turned shallow. The bond throbbed like an open wound. She had heard stories about newly recognized mates struggling to stay apart, but she had never believed the need could feel this physical.

A soft sound came from the hallway.

Footsteps.

Heavy. Controlled. Getting closer.

Aria’s entire body went rigid. She stared at the locked door, heart slamming against her ribs.

The footsteps stopped directly outside her room.

Silence stretched for several long seconds.

Then a low, rough voice spoke through the wood.

“Open the door, Aria.”

Kael.

She didn’t move.

“Go away.”

A quiet exhale, almost a laugh, but darker. “I can smell your distress from the other side of the house. My wolf is losing patience. Open the door before I decide locks are optional.”

Aria’s hands curled into fists in the sheets. She knew he could break the door down without effort. She also knew that letting him in felt like surrender.

The bond gave another sharp, painful pull.

She stood on unsteady legs, walked to the door, and turned the lock.

The moment the door opened, Kael filled the frame.

He wore only black sweatpants. His chest was bare, marked with old scars and the faint shadow of tattoos that looked like ancient runes. His dark hair was slightly messy, as if he had been running his hands through it. But it was his eyes that stopped her breath.

They were no longer black.

They glowed deep, burning crimson.

The Alpha was close to the surface.

Kael stepped inside and closed the door behind him without looking away from her. The click of the lock sounded final. His scent flooded the room—pine, winter, and raw power—and Aria’s wolf surged forward so hard she staggered.

“You’re hurting,” he said. His voice was rougher than usual, scraped raw by the animal inside him. “The bond does not like distance this early.”

“I don’t care what it likes,” Aria whispered.

Kael moved closer. Each step was slow, deliberate, giving her time to back away. She didn’t. Her feet stayed rooted to the floor as he stopped directly in front of her. Heat rolled off his bare skin. The crimson in his eyes brightened.

“I told myself I would stay away tonight,” he murmured. “I lasted four hours.”

His hand rose and settled against the side of her neck, exactly where he had touched her at dinner. This time his palm was hotter, his grip firmer. His thumb brushed over her pulse.

Aria’s breath shuddered out of her.

Kael’s eyes dropped to her mouth, then lower, to the exposed line of her throat. A low, dangerous sound rumbled in his chest. The sound of a wolf fighting itself.

“My control is thinner than I planned,” he admitted, voice barely human. “The longer I stay in this room, the harder it becomes not to mark what belongs to me.”

Aria’s heart hammered so hard she was certain he could feel it. “You promised you wouldn’t force it.”

“I won’t.” The words were gritted out between clenched teeth. “But you need to understand something, little wolf. Every second I am near you, my wolf is screaming to claim you. To bite. To bind. To make sure no other male can ever touch what is mine.”

He leaned down until his forehead rested against hers. The contact was electric. Aria’s eyes fluttered shut against her will. The bond between them roared in satisfaction, flooding her body with heat and a dangerous, unwanted calm.

Kael’s breathing was heavy now. His hand on her neck tightened just enough to tilt her head slightly, exposing more of her throat. She felt the soft brush of his nose against her skin as he inhaled her scent deeply.

A growl vibrated through his chest and into hers.

“You should tell me to leave,” he said, the words strained. “Say it clearly. While I can still listen.”

Aria opened her eyes.

Crimson stared back at her, wild and hungry and barely leashed.

She should say it.

She should push him away and lock the door again.

Instead, her hands rose of their own accord and settled lightly against his bare chest. His skin was burning hot under her palms. The mate bond sang.

Kael’s control snapped one inch further.

He backed her against the wall in two steps, caging her there with his body. One hand stayed on her neck. The other braced against the wall beside her head. His mouth hovered just above hers, close enough that she could feel every uneven breath.

“Last chance,” he warned, voice almost gone.

Aria’s fingers curled against his chest.

She didn’t push him away.

For one long, dangerous second, Kael hovered on the edge of losing everything.

Then, with a snarl of pure frustration, he tore himself backward.

He put three full steps between them, chest heaving, eyes blazing. The crimson slowly, painfully, bled back toward black.

“Sleep,” he ordered, the word rough. “I will have someone check the perimeter. You will not be disturbed again tonight.”

He turned and walked out before she could speak. The door closed hard behind him.

Aria stayed pressed against the wall, legs shaking, the bond still throbbing inside her like a second heartbeat.

Outside her room, she heard his footsteps retreat down the hallway—fast, almost running—as if distance was the only thing keeping the monster in check.

She slid down the wall until she sat on the floor, arms wrapped around her knees, and realized the truth with terrifying clarity.

Kael Blackthorn was fighting the bond just as hard as she was.

And he was already losing.