Chapter 1

Aria’s POV

My wolf was howling, a broken, desperate sound that echoed in the back of my mind, drowning out everything else.

I didn’t know where I was. The woods? The edge of the territory? I only knew I needed to stop moving, but my body wouldn’t let me.

The heat was consuming me, then, I hit something hard… a wall. No, a chest.

Hands gripped my arms. Big, rough hands that burned against my skin, but it was a good burn. A necessary burn.

"Help," I gasped, the word scraping my throat.

The words had barely left my mouth when the scent hit me then. Spice and pine.

It was the best thing I had ever smelled and it made my knees buckle.

The man caught me, but he didn’t speak. He just pulled me flush against him.

A growl vibrated through his chest, rumbling directly into mine.

My wolf surged forward, taking over.

She didn't care about the heartache from earlier this evening. She didn't care about the betrayal, she only wanted this.

The pull was violent like the snapping of a rubber band that had been stretched too far.

I clawed at his shirt. "Please."

He didn't hesitate. We crashed to the ground, the damp earth cool against my back, but I barely felt it because his mouth was on mine, demanding, hot, and starving.

I tasted iron and desire. There was no gentleness here.

We were just like two animals curdling in the dark.

Clothes tore and buttons popped and the sounds of our breathing filled the small clearing.

I wrapped my legs around his waist, needing him closer, needing to fill the hollow ache that Kade had left inside me.

"Kade," I moaned, the name slipping out automatically, a habit born of three years of devotion.

The man above me froze and for a split second, the rhythm stopped. His hands tightened on my hips, bruising in their intensity.

He lowered his head to the crook of my neck, his breath hot and ragged.

"My name is Damon," he growled.

And before I could process the name, before I could realize that the voice was deeper, colder, and terrifyingly familiar, his teeth sank into the junction between my neck and shoulder.

"Ah!" I cried out, arching my back.

The pain was sharp. But it was immediately followed by a rush of pleasure so potent it made my vision white out.

He marked me. He had claimed me.

He moved inside me again, harder this time. "Mine," he gritted out against my skin. "You are mine."

I was lost in the sensation, the heat finally breaking, replaced by a heavy exhaustion.

My wolf settled, purring, curled around the new bond that hummed in my chest.

We finished together, a tangle of limbs and heavy breaths.

He collapsed on top of me, his weight crushing but comforting. Within moments, his breathing evened out.

He was asleep, knocked out by the intensity of the bond snapping into place.

I lay there, staring up at the canopy of trees where the moonlight filtered through. The fog in my brain began to lift… the heat was gone and panic set in.

Damon.

I turned my head slowly, terrified to make a sound. The moonlight hit his face. His dark hair falling over a forehead that usually held a frown, strong jaw and a scar near his ear.

Damon Rowan. The Alpha-in-training and Kade’s older half brother.

"Oh, Goddess," I whispered.

I looked at his shoulder. No mark. I hadn’t marked him back but my hand immediately flew to my neck as memories flashed across my mind. The skin was tender, raised, which meant that he had marked me.

Memories of the last twenty-four hours crashed into me like a tidal wave.

Yesterday morning, I was happy. I was Aria Vale, girlfriend of Kade Rowan and I had walked into the guest wing of the Packhouse to surprise him with lunch.

I remembered the sound of giggling and I remembered opening the door wondering what was going on because he hadn’t told me he would have company… not to talk of it being a woman.

Kade was in bed and he was not alone. A maid—Sarah, I think that was what her name was… was straddling him and he was laughing.

“She’s boring, Sarah. You know I only keep her around because my father liked her dad and well, she’s... safe.”

That word had shattered me. Safe. Not loved. Not wanted. Safe.

I had dropped the lunch basket. The crash made them jump and Kade had looked at me, not with guilt, but with annoyance.

“Aria, don’t start a scene,” he had said.

I had run after I had snapped the bond and rejected him. I forced it to break and it was agony, it felt like tearing a limb off without anesthesia.

My wolf had screamed, wilting inside me like she was going to lose her mind and die.

That was why the heat had hit so hard. It was a post-bond break heat, rare and dangerous.

I had wandered into the woods to cool off, to get away from the pack, then the rogues came.

I remembered their yellow eyes. Three of them. I was too weak to fight so I ran, I ran until my lungs burned and I had lost them near the ridge.

And then I ran into Damon.

I looked at the sleeping man again. Damon Rowan.

The man everyone feared, the man who never smiled and the man who was going to be Alpha.

And I had just slept with him. Worst of all, I had even called him by his brother's name.

"I have to go," I whispered.

If he woke up... if he knew it was me then— no, goddess no.

He would hate me and he would think I did this on purpose to get back at Kade and to climb the social ladder. I have to get far away from him and keep my distance.

Kade always said I was lucky to be with a Rowan and Damon would think I was a whore hopping from one brother to the next.

I couldn't handle that shame… not now, not when I was already broken.

Carefully, inch by inch, I slid out from under him. He let out a grunt, his hand grasping at the empty air where I had been. I held my breath, my heart hammering against my ribs but he didn't wake, only turned around.

I grabbed my torn clothes. My shirt was ruined, missing buttons. I pulled it on, holding it shut with shaking hands and my jeans were muddy but I didn’t mind.

I looked at him one last time. He looked peaceful, handsome… younger in fact.

"I'm sorry," I mouthed.

I turned and ran but I didn't head back to the Packhouse immediately. I went to the river and I scrubbed my skin until it was raw, trying to wash away his scent but it wouldn't leave. It was embedded in me now.

Now I need help. I needed to hide this.

I reached into my pocket. My phone was cracked but working and I dialed the only person I could trust.

"Mira?" I whispered when she picked up.

"Aria? Where have you been? Kade is looking for you. He’s telling everyone you had a mental breakdown."

"I... I made a mistake, Mira."

"What? Where are you?"

"I'm at the river, please bring the masking paste. The strong stuff and scent blockers."

"Why? Aria, what happened?"

I touched the bite mark on my neck. It was throbbing. "Just bring it. Please. I’ll explain everything later, just do as I asked.”

I sat by the riverbank, shivering, waiting anxiously for Mira. The sun was starting to rise, painting the sky in colors that were too bright for how dark I felt.

I was Kade’s ex and now, Damon’s mate.

Fate had a cruel sense of humor.

I closed my eyes. I could still feel Damon’s hands on me and I could still hear his voice. ‘My name is Damon.’

I would never forget it. But I had to make sure that he never remembered me.