Chapter 5

Aiden's POV

The woods were too quiet. Not the kind of peaceful silence that calmed your soul, but the type that made the hairs on your neck rise. I’d taken the long route to the ridge on purpose, hoping the trek would slow my thoughts. But, It didn’t. They were louder than ever.

My wolf paced just beneath my skin. He hated this. Hated Jake and loved him too.

I reached the top and there he was. Leaning against a rusted fence post, like the past years hadn’t happened.

He looked up, eyes locking onto mine. "You came."

I stayed a few feet away, arms crossed. "What do you want?"

Jake pushed off the post. "I’ve been thinking about everything—about us."

I snorted. "Bit late for that."

"I thought it would get easier," he admitted with a low voice. "Pushing you away. Pretending none of it meant anything."

I laughed bitterly. "You didn’t pretend. You were just mean."

Jake winced. Good. Let it sting.

"I had to," he said. "You don’t know what it was like back home. The pressure. The expectations."

"Don’t give me that crap. You left me hanging, Jake. You turned down my feelings so stop talking about this damn thing over and over again."

His jaw clenched. "I didn’t know what else to do."

I stepped closer. "You think you're the only one who got hurt?"

Jake’s shoulders sagged. "I’m sorry. Truly. But it’s complicated."

"It’s always complicated with you."

I hesitated. "I’m getting mated tonight."

I could tell the words sucker-punched him.

"To Lila? " He backed up a step, "You’ve got to be kidding me."

I shook my head. "The full moon’s tonight. The ritual is already set."

"So why the hell am I here?"

He looked tortured. "Because I needed to see you. One last time and tell you goodbye."

I stared at him. The man who'd haunted my dreams and now stood in front of me shattered like I was years ago when I confessed my feelings to him. My heart screamed. My wolf growled. My pride forced me to keep it together.

"You don’t get to say goodbye like this," he said. "Not when you're about to bind yourself to someone else."

My eyes flickered without emotion. "That's your problem, not mine."

"That's why are you still going through with it"

"Because I can't be who you need me to be. Not openly. Not in our world." I said back to him.

He laughed, harsh and sharp. "Coward."

Jake flinched. "Maybe."

"And I’m nothing, right? Just your dirty secret." I asked him.

He didn’t deny it.

"Good luck, Aiden. I hope the bond doesn’t choke you."

He didn’t call out as I walked away.

By the time I got home, the sky was glowing. Lila was already in the ceremonial robes, her long dark hair was braided with silver thread. She looked stunning. And nervous too.

She greeted me with a soft smile. "You’re late."

I forced a smile back. "I got held up."

She studied my face. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," I lied.

The pack courtyard was buzzing with preparation. Elders lined up near the altar, their chants were low and steady. Pack members stood in rows, dressed in dark cloaks, eyes trained on us.

I took my place beside Lila. She didn’t reach for my hand, and I didn’t offer it.

The moon began to rise. Its pull was immediate, deep and thrumming. My wolf stirred. So did the pain.

High Elder Merek raised his hands, the ceremonial staff glowing faintly with ancient runes. His voice was deep and it echoed across the clearing.

“On this blood moon, under the blessing of the moon goddess, we call upon the bond of fate. May your wolves intertwine. May your spirits merge. May your hearts never beat alone again.”

I tried not to look into the crowd. Tried not to imagine Jake lurking somewhere in the shadows, his eyes burning a hole through me. If he was here—gods, if he was watching—I didn’t want to know. I couldn’t afford to know.

Lila turned to me. “Do you accept this bond?” the High Elder asked.

Lila’s voice was a whisper. “I do.”

His gaze moved to me.

“And you, Aiden, do you accept this bond?”

“I do.”

The wind stirred and the ceremonial pit in front of us flared higher. Lila squeezed my hand.

“Now,” Elder Merek intoned, “offer the vow of flesh.”

I drew the ceremonial dagger from my belt. Lila held out her palm without hesitation. I sliced a thin line across her skin. Her blood welled bright and red, catching the moon’s glow. She took the dagger and did the same to mine.

We pressed our bleeding palms together and heat surged between us. Something felt ancient and feral and it erupted from the pit, flames leaping skyward. The wolves within the crowd howled, one by one, until the forest echoed with song.

Our blood mingled, it sizzled when it touched. The flames changed—white-hot, pure, consuming. Then the light swallowed everything.

My knees buckled as I gasped and fell forward. A heartbeat later, I wasn’t alone in my body anymore.

He was there fully. Not Lila. My wolf. Snarling, writhing, clawing through the surface, dragging me into the bond.

I saw flashes of Lila’s soul—her memories, her strength, her pain. I saw her crying as a girl beside her dead brother. I saw her standing tall as alpha-born, demanding respect in a world that silenced women like her. I saw... her pride.

And she saw me. Every secret and every crack. Including Jake. Her wolf shuddered in recognition—but didn’t pull away.

Instead, she stepped closer. The bond snapped tight. And the moon sealed it.

With a final burst of energy, the flames roared and then went out, plunging the clearing into silence. I collapsed to one knee with a heaving chest.

The High Elder nodded solemnly.

“It is done.”

Lila stood tall, her palm was still bleeding, her eyes were now glowing gold. The crowd erupted in a chorus of howls, the sound wild, primal, joyful.

She reached down, helping me to my feet. Her expression was unreadable—but not angry. Not even hurt.

Just... resigned.

“You’re still thinking about him,” she said quietly, so only I could hear.

I didn’t deny it.

“Then forget him for tonight,” she whispered. “We are bound now. Whatever comes tomorrow... we face it together.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but something in the crowd shifted.