Chapter 6 The Pack

Morning light spilled across the bed in pale gray stripes.

Aria had not slept more than two hours. Every time she closed her eyes she felt the heat of Kael’s body pinning her to the wall, the tremor in his voice when he told her to order him to leave, and the way her own hands had refused to push him away.

She showered in cold water, pulled on dark jeans and a plain black sweater, and braided her hair tightly. Armor, of a sort.

A soft knock came at 8:00 a.m. sharp.

Mrs. Lang stood in the hallway, expression as neutral as ever. “Mr. Blackthorn requires your presence in the east wing meeting room in twenty minutes. The senior pack members have been called.”

Aria’s stomach tightened. “Already?”

“The Alpha does not delay what must be done.” Mrs. Lang’s eyes flicked over Aria’s simple clothes. “There is a more appropriate outfit laid out in your closet. I suggest you change.”

Aria almost refused on principle. Then she remembered Kael’s warning about leverage and silver-wolf blood. She changed.

The dress waiting for her was deep forest green, long-sleeved, elegant without being revealing. It fit as if it had been tailored to her exact measurements. She stared at herself in the mirror and barely recognized the woman looking back.

Twenty minutes later she followed Mrs. Lang through the quiet halls of the estate. The east wing meeting room was large and circular, with dark wood walls and a long table that could seat twenty. Morning light poured through high windows. Several men and women already stood inside—powerful wolves with sharp eyes and carefully controlled scents. The moment Aria stepped through the door, every conversation stopped.

Kael stood at the head of the table.

He wore a black shirt and black trousers, the picture of cold control. Only the faint crimson rim around his irises betrayed that last night had cost him anything. When his gaze landed on Aria, something dark and possessive flashed through it before he locked it down.

“Come here,” he said.

It was not a request.

Aria walked the length of the room under the weight of a dozen stares. She stopped beside him, close enough that his scent wrapped around her again. Her wolf immediately settled, traitorous and calm.

Kael’s hand settled on the small of her back—light, but unmistakably claiming.

“This is Aria Vale,” he said, voice carrying easily through the silence. “She is my mate. From this day forward she is recognized as Luna of the Blackthorn Pack. You will show her the respect that title demands.”

A ripple of shock moved through the room.

A tall woman near the far end of the table stepped forward. She was beautiful in a sharp, polished way—long auburn hair, perfect posture, eyes the color of winter ice. Her smile did not reach those eyes.

“Alpha,” she said smoothly, “we were under the impression you had not chosen a mate. Some of us had… expectations.”

Kael’s expression did not change. “Those expectations were incorrect, Lila.”

Lila.

The name struck Aria like a physical blow.

This was the same woman Jace had chosen three years ago. The one who had stood in the moonlight wearing red while Aria bled in the dirt.

Lila’s gaze slid to Aria and narrowed with recognition and pure hatred. “I see. The rejected little orphan from the Whispering Woods pack. How… unexpected.”

Several wolves shifted uncomfortably.

Kael’s hand on Aria’s back flexed once. The temperature in the room seemed to drop.

“You will address her as Luna,” he said, each word precise and cold. “Or you will not address her at all.”

Lila’s smile sharpened. “Of course, Alpha. Forgive me. I simply find it curious that you would claim a wolf who was publicly rejected and left for dead. The pack may have questions about her strength… and her bloodline.”

The threat was thinly veiled.

Aria felt every eye in the room turn toward her. Her spine straightened. She had spent three years hiding. She would not shrink now.

Kael’s voice dropped into something lethal. “Her bloodline is no longer your concern. Mine is the only opinion that matters. Aria is under my protection and my claim. Anyone who challenges that will answer to me directly.”

Silence fell, heavy and absolute.

One by one, the senior wolves inclined their heads. Some looked curious. Some looked calculating. A few looked openly hostile. But none of them spoke against him.

Lila was the last to lower her gaze. When she did, her eyes promised future violence.

Kael’s thumb brushed once against Aria’s spine—an almost private gesture. “We are finished here. The formal announcement to the full pack will take place under the next full moon. Until then, Aria’s word carries the same weight as mine in this house.”

He dismissed them with a look.

The wolves filed out quietly. Lila lingered just long enough to let her shoulder brush Aria’s as she passed, whispering so only Aria could hear:

“Enjoy it while it lasts, reject. He will tire of you the same way Jace did.”

Then she was gone.

The door closed.

Only Kael and Aria remained.

Aria stepped away from his hand the moment they were alone. “You didn’t tell me she was part of your pack.”

“She is useful,” Kael said flatly. “Her family holds territory on the eastern border. That usefulness has limits.”

“She hates me.”

“I noticed.” He turned to face her fully. In the morning light the crimson in his eyes had faded, but the intensity remained. “She will not touch you. No one in this pack will. I made that clear.”

Aria wrapped her arms around herself. “You can’t control what people think.”

“I can control what they do.” Kael stepped closer. “Last night changed nothing about the contract. You are still here for one year. But the pack now knows you are mine. That protection is real. Use it.”

She looked up at him. “And when the year ends?”

Something unreadable moved through his expression. “We will discuss that when the year ends.”

He reached past her and opened the door. “Mrs. Lang will show you the rest of the estate. Trainers will begin assessing your combat skills this afternoon. A Luna who cannot defend herself is a liability I will not tolerate.”

Aria blinked. “You’re going to have me trained?”

“Yes.” His gaze flicked over her once more, lingering on the pulse at her throat. “I almost lost control last night because the bond is new and raw. I will not allow the same weakness from you. Learn to fight. Learn to survive. The enemies who will come for you now that you are publicly claimed will not be as gentle as I was.”

He walked out, leaving her standing alone in the empty meeting room with the weight of a dozen new targets already settling on her shoulders.

Outside the high windows, the forest stretched dark and endless.

Aria touched the place on her neck where Kael’s hand had rested the night before and understood something with cold certainty:

The real danger had only just begun.