LOGINAria’s POV The hallway felt too small. Or maybe I felt too… seen. I practically ran down the stairs, pretending my heart wasn’t still sprinting from Kaelen saying: “I don’t forget anything when it comes to you.” Who even says that at 7 a.m.? I walked into the kitchen, breathing out slowly, trying to get myself together. Lila and Lena were already there, arguing about pancakes like it was life or death. “Tell her, Aria,” Lila said the second I appeared. “Tell this woman that chocolate chips belong inside the pancakes, not on top.” Lena gasped dramatically. “Inside? INSIDE? What are we, animals?” I forced a smile. “Please don’t involve me in this war.” Lila squinted at me. “You’re acting weird.” “I’m always weird,” I said quickly. “True,” she nodded. “But today it’s a different weird.” Before I could answer— I felt him. The air behind me shifted. My wolf straightened. My skin heated instantly. Kaelen entered the kitchen. He wasn’t wearing a shirt. I choked on air. L
Kaelen’s POV The first thing I felt was pain. No, it wasn’t emotional but rather physical. My back was screaming at me for sleeping on a hard floor like some abandoned mutt. I groaned before my brain even finished booting up, then I remembered why I was here.. Aria. My eyes snapped open. The room was dim, the early light filtering through Lena’s too pink curtains. I glanced up at the bed. She was curled up near the edge, hugging one of the pillows to her chest like it was the only safe thing she had in the world. The sight knocked the air out of me. Then I saw our hands. Hers had slipped off the pillow sometime during the night and landed on the floor, right on top of mine. My chest tightened. Black purred. I melted like an idiot. She looked so small, so guarded, even in her sleep like she was bracing for something. I’d heard every word she whispered last night. Every plea. Every tremble. Including my name. Gods, my wolf had almost broken down the door
~ Kaelen~ Sleep refused to come.I’d changed positions a dozen times, but the sheets smelled like her. Honey, smoke, moonlight.I’d tried breathing through my mouth, tried counting breaths hell, I even tried thinking about tax paperwork but nothing helped.Black, my wolf, was pacing like a caged beast.Go to her.She’s ours.“Not helping,” I muttered into the dark.I rolled onto my back, glaring at the ceiling like it owed me peace. Then I heard it.A sound , small, broken.At first I thought it was the wind. But then came another… a strangled little cry.No… please… stop.I was out of bed before my brain caught up.Her door wasn’t even closed all the way. I pushed it open slowly, praying I wouldn’t wake the entire house. The moonlight spilling through the curtains painted her face silver, and even in sleep she looked haunted.Her hands were clenched in the sheets, knuckles white. Her body trembled like she was fighting something I couldn’t see.She’s hurting, Black growled. Fix it.
~ Theo~ We walked in silence for a while. The night air was cool, sharp a good contrast to the heat burning somewhere deep in my chest. Lila finally spoke. “You okay?” I chuckled softly, staring at the ground. “That’s a dangerous question.” “Because I already know the answer?” I smiled small, pained. “You always do.” Lila’s eyes softened. “I know how much you like her.” I exhaled slowly, shoving my hands into my pockets. “Yeah. But it doesn’t matter anymore, does it? She’s his.” Lila frowned. “Theo…” I gave her a weird smile sad, tired, but still genuine. “It’s okay. As long as she’s in good hands.” Then, quieter, almost to myself , I added, “Even if those hands aren’t mine.” ⸻ KAELEN’S POV Back inside, I sank into one of Finn’s ridiculously soft couches, watching Aria fidget with the hem of my shirt. My shirt. Lena leaned close to Finn and whispered something that made him grin. I didn’t bother asking. I already knew what they were thinking. Aria sat acro
~Kaelen~ The first thing that hit me wasn’t the silence. It was the scent. Pine, smoke… and wild honey tangled with moonlight. It slammed into my lungs so hard I nearly forgot how to breathe. I’d just walked into Finn and Lena’s living room, still dusting off the road, when the world tilted. My senses sharpened until every noise, every flicker of light, felt too loud, too close. The air thickened no, shifted. Something was here. Someone. Black stirred inside me, the growl in his voice low and rough. She’s here. Who? I asked, already knowing. The answer burned through me like wildfire. Mate. My pulse stuttered. No. That couldn’t….before I could complete my sentence, the door opened. And then the universe had the audacity to stop moving. Three people stepped in, laughing. Lila, a male I recognized as Theo and a girl who didn’t belong to this world. She had long, soft chestnut hair that looked like she’d run a hand through it one too many times. Stormy gray
~Aria~ Something was off. It started as a faint hum in my chest barely there at first. Then it spread, tingling beneath my skin like static before a storm. My wolf was restless. Pacing. Whispering things I couldn’t understand. I tried to ignore it. Finn and Lena were curled up on the couch beside me, half watching a movie, half lost in each other’s eyes. I sat on the other end of the sofa, pretending to be invested in the cheesy dialogue on screen. But my wolf wouldn’t calm down. Her energy was wild, unpredictable like she could sense something I couldn’t. Her heartbeat thrummed against mine, quick, impatient, alive. What’s wrong with you? I muttered in my head. She didn’t answer, but I could feel her excitement bubbling, almost trembling through me. Every sound in the house felt louder the ticking clock, the distant rustle of trees outside, even the steady breathing of Finn and Lena. I rubbed my arms, trying to shake off the strange electricity crawling over my







