Chapter four

Aria woke to the soft smell of pine and fresh linen.

Her eyelashes moved slightly before her eyes fluttered open- slowly and weakly, revealing an unfamiliar ceiling. The dull pain in her chest ached like a forgotten wound that never truly healed.

She inhaled sharply.

A room. Big. Warm. Not the pack infirmary, but a room that belongs to someone with a high caliber.

Her fingers twitched. She tried to sit upright, only to realize a weight was pulling her down.

Alpha Cain had fallen asleep while watching over her, one hand draped around her waist protectively. His head rested on the bed while the remaining part of his body was set on the ground.

She stirred a little and his grip on her instinctively tightened before his lashes lifted and his eyes met her.

He stood up abruptly, help her up. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice husky from sleep.

She nodded, "I'm fine." she said softly.

She swallowed, eyes darting around. "W-where am I?"

"You're in my room at the left wing." he replied. “I brought you here. You fainted after the rejection.”

The memory hit her like a blade.

The moon festival. Kael. His voice.

His rejection. The tearing bond.

The pain. The collapsing and... Cain's claiming.

Aria’s chest tightened due to the pain that hit her hard upon remembrance.

Cain's wolf whimpered, as he felt the pain of his mate. She glanced at Cain unable to look him in the eye.

Her fingers clutched the blanket as her vision blurred slightly. "How… long was I out?"

"For hours." he replied. "Your wolf shut down. Your body almost followed."

She blinked, "my wolf? No." she shook her head.

Just how badly did Kael rejection hurt her, that her wolf has to shut itself. It was the only thing that reminded her that she wasn't wolfless like people claimed. But now it's gone.

Tears dripped down her eyes slowly. Cain immediately wiped it, before it could fall.

"I promise you that you won't have any reason to cry again." he whispered affectionately, staring deep into her eyes. His expression showing that he meant every word he had just said.

"Why did you call me yours, when you could have simply rejected me like your brother did." she whispered.

"I'm not my brother. I'm Cain– your mate and I would never hurt you." he whispered back.

"I... can't feel the bond...with you. What if it isn't real?" she muttered, her head lowered. "It could simple pity for-"

"It’s forming, Aria" Cain cut in. "It forming slowly. Your wolf is hurt, it did take time for her to sense me."

"What if it never does?" she mumbled.

He held her hands, squeezing it slightly. "You will still be my mate and my Luna, Aria."

Silence stretched heavy between them.

~~~~~~~~

Aria tightened her grip on the wooden stick Cain handed her, feeling the smooth surface vibrate slightly in her hands as she swung it rapidly. Sweat rolled down her face down to her neck as they had been training for hours.

She faced him, her feet slightly wide apart as she ensure she had the right stance.

"Keep your wrists loose as possible as you can, or you will end up straining it?" Cain instructed, moving swiftly around her. "Don’t fight with your arms alone, fight with your body, let it move rhythmically together."

Aria nodded, trying to focus and grasp everything he is saying.

She was now Luna of left wings pack, everyone treated her with love and care, which help in speeding up her healing from Kael's rejection. Although her wolf hasn't opened up, she still felt it every now and then, which was a little progress.

And Cain? He had been her support, her strength and her weakness. She couldn't imagine life without him.

She swung the stick swiftly in a wide arc, aiming for Cain’s shoulder. He guided it effortlessly, a grin settled on his face.

"Too slow," he teased, stepping forward, tapping her chest lightly with the end of his stick.

Aria exhaled sharply and tried again, this time moving her feet as he had taught her, spinning the stick precisely and diagonally. Cain clapped his hands lightly.

"Better! Now, pivot, pivot, always stay balanced."

She followed his instruction, then tried landing a hit on him, but he lowered his head quickly, but she still managed to land a hit on his shoulders.

Lynn, standing nearby, clapped loudly. "That was a hit... She did it."

"Yayy!" Aria screamed smiling brightly and at that moment she felt her wolf move faintly.

Cain walked up to her, wiping the sweat off her face. "You are getting better, mama." he whispered.

She smiled. "I know all thanks to you." she replied wiping his own sweat.

Lynn approached, holding a cup of water, eyes twinkling. "Here, Aria drink this" she said, handing the cup to her.

Aria smiled sweetly at her friend. "Thanks Lynn."

Cain smirked and took the cup just as she was about collecting it. He took a sip, before offering it to her. She drank, her cheeks flushed.

Behind the thick lines of tress in the forest, forming a boundary to the training ground, Kael stood rigid, watching silently. His jaw was tight, nostrils flaring as he watched Aria laughing with Cain. His hands clenched into fists.

"She was supposed to be ours," a deep voice growled inside his head— his wolf. The words echoing in his head as his wolf's piercing grey eyes filled his mind with rage, regret and possessiveness.

Kael's grabbed a nearby branch tightly, his eyes still fixed on Aria and Cain. He felt a rush of jealousy.

Why did his brother have to be the one to claim her? Why did he have to be the one?

The same old question filled his head and consumed by rage, he broke the branch.

As he watched, Aria looked up, her eyes meeting his. For a moment, they locked gazes, the tension between them palpable.

Then, she looked away, her face expressionless. Kael's wolf whimper, feeling the sting of rejection.

Cain, sensing the tension, looked up, his eyes meeting Kael's. A silent message passed between them, one that only they could understand.

Aria was his now, and Kael would have to accept it.

But as Kael turned and walked away, his wolf's words still echoing in his mind.

"She is mine to begin with Cain and I will get her back." he affirmed.