Chapter 6

The night air was cool against my skin as we stepped outside. The smell of pine mixed with something faintly sweet drifting from Lila’s curls. Theo’s car was parked at the curb, a beat-up black Jeep with scratches on the side that looked more like badges of honor than damage.

Theo leaned against the hood, arms crossed, grin already in place. His sandy brown hair fell into his eyes, and he brushed it back lazily when he spotted us.

“Finally,” he drawled. “I thought Lila was going to keep me waiting until sunrise.”

“Don’t act like you don’t love waiting on me,” Lila shot back, striding forward like she owned the night.

Their banter made me smile despite myself.

Theo’s gaze flicked to me, lingering a heartbeat longer than it should have. “You must be Aria. Welcome to the circus.”

I laughed softly. “Circus?”

“You’ll see.” His grin widened as he opened the passenger door for me.

⸻

The drive didn’t take long. Soon the glow of firelight bled through the trees, and the sound of laughter spilled into the night. The bonfire was already alive, flames licking the sky, sparks snapping upward like tiny fireflies. The clearing buzzed with voices, the smell of roasted meat and woodsmoke thick in the air.

Lila tugged me toward the circle. “Come on, meet the crew.”

A girl with glossy dark hair twisted into a braid waved from the logs where she was sitting. Her sharp gray eyes softened when she looked at me. “That must be Aria. I’m Selene.”

Beside her, a shorter girl with curls piled in a messy bun grinned and scooted over. “And I’m Maya. Don’t let Selene scare you she only bites when she’s cranky.”

“Do not,” Selene muttered, but Maya just winked at me.

On the other side of the fire, a tall boy with broad shoulders was tossing twigs into the flames like offerings. He looked up and smirked. “Connor,” he introduced himself. “And before you ask, yes, I put up with these two every day of my life.”

Selene shot him a glare sharp enough to cut wood. “Like we put up with you.”

Maya snorted. “See? Cats and rats.”

The group laughed, the sound easy and familiar, and for the first time in a long time I felt… lighter.

Then Theo plopped down beside me, nudging my arm. “Told you the circus wasn’t so bad.” His voice was warm, teasing, but his eyes… they lingered, searching, like he wanted to read me.

Before I could answer, a sharp shove cut through the moment. Lila stumbled into me with a startled yelp.

“Watch where you’re going,” a girl sneered, brushing past with a sway of her hips. Her blonde hair caught the firelight, gleaming like gold, and her smirk was pure venom.

Lila straightened, fire flashing in her eyes. “You hit me. Maybe you should watch where you’re walking.”

The circle went tense, conversations halting. Someone muttered just loud enough for me to hear, “Ever since her thing with the Alpha, she thinks she’s superior.”

Alpha. The word stuck like a thorn in my mind. The second time I’d heard it, always in whispers, always with weight.

My chest tightened. Who was he to make people’s voices drop like that?

Before I could ask, Maya leaned closer, whispering in my ear, “Ignore her. That’s Serah. She’s not worth the energy.”

Lila rolled her shoulders and tugged me down beside her again, the tension already slipping away. But my thoughts weren’t so quick to settle.

The Alpha. The name is always hovering at the edge of the story, but never here.

And for some reason, that unsettled me more than Serah’s glare ever could.