005: Claimed By Fire

Aria couldn’t answer him.

Not because she didn’t want to.

Because the words would not come.

Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her pulse racing as the heat inside her shifted again, reacting to his presence in a way that made her skin feel too tight.

The Alpha’s gaze stayed locked on her.

Waiting.

Measuring.

Dangerous.

“Who touched you?” he asked again.

This time, his voice was lower.

Harder.

Aria swallowed, forcing herself to hold his eyes.

“Move,” she said.

It came out sharper than she intended.

A demand.

A mistake.

His expression did not change.

“You’re hurt,” he said.

“I’m fine.”

A lie.

And they both knew it.

The sound of movement behind her cut through the moment.

Closer now.

Faster.

They were coming.

Aria’s head turned slightly, her instincts flaring again, her body already preparing to run.

But when she looked back at him, he still hadn’t moved.

Not even a step.

“Get out of my way,” she said.

This time, there was no hesitation in her voice.

No fear.

Only urgency.

His eyes darkened.

“You’re not running from them.”

Her breath caught.

“And you’re not deciding that for me.”

For a brief second, something sharp passed between them.

A clash.

Not of strength.

Of will.

The heat inside her surged again.

Stronger this time.

Her fingers curled as it spread up her arm, settling deeper into her chest, pressing outward like it was trying to break free.

She staggered slightly.

He noticed.

Of course he did.

“You don’t even know what they put in you,” he said.

“I don’t need to know to leave.”

She tried to step past him.

He moved.

Fast.

Not to grab her.

Just enough to block her path.

Aria froze, her breath catching as the space between them closed.

Too close.

“You’re not thinking clearly,” he said.

Her jaw tightened.

“I’m thinking just fine.”

Another sound echoed behind her.

Branches snapping.

Footsteps.

They were almost here.

Her pulse spiked harder.

“Move,” she said again.

This time, it was not a request.

His gaze dropped once more to her hand.

The mark had spread further.

Darker.

Alive.

When his eyes lifted back to hers, something in them had changed completely.

Not curiosity.

Not interest.

Recognition.

And something else.

Something dangerous.

“They marked you,” he said quietly.

Aria’s chest tightened.

“I figured that out.”

“That’s not a mark,” he continued.

“It’s a trigger.”

Her breath caught.

Before she could ask what he meant, the forest behind her exploded with movement.

The men who had been chasing her broke through the trees.

Faster.

More controlled.

More prepared.

They stopped when they saw him.

The shift in the air was immediate.

Tension snapped tight.

“Step aside,” one of them said.

His voice was calm, but it carried a warning.

The Alpha did not move.

“Leave,” he replied.

Simple.

Final.

The man’s eyes flickered briefly to Aria.

Then back to him.

“She doesn’t belong to you.”

The words settled cold in Aria’s chest.

Belong.

Again.

Her fingers curled tighter.

“I don’t belong to anyone,” she said.

No one answered her.

The Alpha took one slow step forward.

The movement was enough.

The air changed.

Heavier.

Sharper.

More dangerous.

“You shouldn’t have touched her,” he said.

The man’s expression hardened.

“She’s not yours to protect.”

Something in the Alpha snapped.

Not visibly.

Not loudly.

But Aria felt it.

A shift in the air.

A drop in temperature.

A pressure that made it harder to breathe.

“She is not yours to touch,” he corrected.

His voice was no longer calm.

It was controlled.

Barely.

Aria’s pulse pounded harder.

The thing inside her reacted again, pulling tight in her chest, twisting in response to him, to the tension, to the danger surrounding them.

The men in front of them spread out slightly.

Not retreating.

Preparing.

“She was going to come with us either way,” one of them said.

“This just made it easier.”

Aria’s stomach tightened.

The Alpha did not look at them again.

His focus stayed on her.

“Stay behind me.”

The words were quiet.

But they carried command.

Aria’s jaw tightened immediately.

“I’m not—”

The heat inside her surged violently.

Her breath cut off as her body locked for half a second, pain flashing through her chest as the mark pulsed again.

Stronger.

Faster.

Her vision flickered.

And in that moment, she understood.

Whatever they had done to her…

It wasn’t finished.

A hand reached for her.

Not his.

One of theirs.

Too fast.

Too close.

Before she could react, the Alpha moved.

The man didn’t even get to touch her.

He was already on the ground.

The others reacted instantly.

This time, they didn’t hesitate.

They attacked.

Everything happened at once.

Movement.

Force.

Sound.

Aria stumbled back as bodies collided, the forest erupting into chaos. The Alpha moved through them like nothing could slow him down, precise and controlled, each strike deliberate.

But there were more of them than before.

And they were not weak.

One broke past him.

Straight toward her.

Aria reacted on instinct.

She twisted, her body moving faster than she expected, her hand coming up to block.

The moment their skin touched, the mark flared.

The man froze.

His expression shifted instantly.

Shock.

Pain.

Fear.

Aria felt it too.

Not his fear.

His energy.

It surged into her like something being pulled.

Her breath hitched.

The connection broke.

The man stumbled back, collapsing to his knees as if something had been taken from him.

Aria stared at her hand.

Her pulse pounded wildly.

What was that?

She didn’t get time to think.

Another came at her.

This time, she didn’t hesitate.

She moved first.

Faster.

Stronger.

The same thing happened.

Contact.

A flash of heat.

A pull.

The man dropped.

Her chest rose and fell rapidly.

The thing inside her wasn’t just reacting anymore.

It was feeding.

The realization hit hard.

And terrifying.

“Aria!”

The Alpha’s voice cut through everything.

Sharp.

Urgent.

She looked up.

He was watching her now.

Not the others.

Her.

And there was something in his expression she hadn’t seen before.

Not control.

Not dominance.

Concern.

Real.

Dangerous.

“Stop,” he said.

But she couldn’t.

The heat surged again.

Stronger than before.

Her body locked as the power inside her expanded, pushing outward, pressing against her skin like it was trying to break free completely.

She gasped, her knees weakening as the force overwhelmed her.

Everything blurred.

The forest.

The fight.

The sound.

All of it faded for a second.

Then slammed back all at once.

She dropped to one knee, her breath uneven, her vision shaking.

The Alpha was in front of her instantly.

His hand caught her shoulder, steadying her.

“Look at me,” he said.

She tried.

Her vision struggled to focus, but she forced it.

Their eyes met.

And everything stilled.

Just for a second.

The chaos around them faded.

The heat inside her shifted again.

Not gone.

Not weaker.

But… contained.

Her breathing slowed slightly.

“How do you feel?” he asked.

The question was quiet.

Careful.

Aria swallowed.

“Like something is trying to break out of me.”

His grip on her shoulder tightened just slightly.

“It is.”

Her chest tightened.

Before she could ask anything else, a low sound rolled through the forest.

Not a growl.

Not a howl.

Something deeper.

Heavier.

Older.

Every wolf in the clearing froze.

Even the ones still standing.

Aria felt it instantly.

The thing inside her reacted.

Not with fear.

With recognition.

Her breath caught.

“What was that?” she whispered.

The Alpha’s expression darkened.

His gaze lifted toward the distance.

Then slowly, he looked back at her.

“That,” he said quietly, “is what they were trying to wake.”

Aria’s pulse slammed violently against her ribs.

Because somehow…

She knew.

Whatever was coming…

It wasn’t hunting her anymore.

It was coming for her.