C1

“Aria, I’m at the gate. My wolf is pacing—I need to see you. Moon Council Hall in thirty, yeah?”

I stared at the glowing text on my screen, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. This was it. Five years of Northbridge Academy, five years of running through the forest together, and today, Ethan Draven and I were finally registering our bond.

“You just shifted back from the Manchester airfield, didn’t you?” Graham Cole chuckled from the driver’s seat of the pack transport unit. “That’s a look of a female ready to claim her Alpha.”

“Is it that obvious, Graham?” I leaned against the window, the morning sun hitting my face. “It’s the Lunar Equinox. I’ve had this slot booked at the Council for weeks. I wasn’t letting anyone else take it.”

“Young love and high stakes,” Graham laughed, pulling the rugged transport unit onto the main trail. “My daughter tried to get a Valentine’s registration, but the Council told her she’d have to wait for the next moon cycle.”

“Wish her luck for me!” I hopped out as we reached the neutral territory of the Council grounds, my boots hitting the dirt with a confident thud.

But as the transport pulled away, the silence of the clearing felt wrong. My internal compass—the faint pull of the pack bond—felt cold. I pulled out my phone and dialed Ethan.

“Yeah? What?” Ethan’s voice was sharp, cutting through the line like a silver blade.

“Ethan? I’m standing at the Moon Council Hall. Where are you? The Elders are waiting for our signatures.”

“Aria, I can’t make it. Not today.”

“What do you mean? We’ve talked about this since graduation. Today is the day we make it official under pack law!”

“Something came up at the estate. We’ll do it another moon, alright? It’s just a piece of parchment, Aria. Don’t be dramatic.”

My blood turned to ice. “Just a piece of parchment? Ethan, this is our life.”

Before I could scream at him, a high-pitched, melodic laugh drifted through the background of the call. “Ethan! Are you coming? The whole pack is in the Sunrise Den! The breakfast elk is getting cold!”

My grip tightened until the screen creaked. Lila. The girl the Draven family took in as an omega years ago.

“Is Lila back from the northern territories?” I whispered, but the line went dead.

A notification pinged a second later.

Lila: [Aria, was that you? I hope I didn’t interrupt! Ethan threw me a huge ‘Welcome Home’ run last night. I shifted too many times and ended up crashing at the estate. Don’t be mad! Come to the Sunrise Den and eat with us?]

I didn't reply. I moved.

I reached the heavy oak doors of the Sunrise Den minutes later, the scent of pine and roasted meat hitting my senses. I didn't shift; I walked in on two legs, my shadow long and dark against the floorboards.

“So, Ethan,” a voice boomed from inside, “isn’t today the day you finally collar yourself to Aria at the Council?”

“Man, she’s been counting down the minutes for a month,” another pack member snickered. “She’s got that Stone Legal Pack mindset. Always needs everything signed and sealed.”

“What’s so special about today anyway?”

“It’s the Equinox, you idiot! Highest fertility, strongest bonds. Aria’s trying to lock him down tight.”

“Tsk,” a sneering voice cut through the laughter. “Ethan doesn’t want a lawyer for a mate. We all know his wolf only howls for Lila.”

I saw Lila dip her head, her eyes shimmering with fake modesty. “Stop it, guys. Ethan is just my protector. My pack brother.”

I stepped into the doorway. The room was a blur of fur rugs and Alpha posturing. Ethan was lounging in the center chair, his arm draped casually over the back of Lila’s seat, his fingers dangerously close to the nape of her neck—the marking spot.

“Lila,” Ethan murmured, loud enough for the room to hear, “do you really think I only see you as a sister?”

“Ethan...” Lila whispered, her eyes darting to the door. “Are you really standing Aria up at the Council Hall?”

“I told her already,” Ethan said, his voice dripping with boredom. “Nobody in this territory matters more to me than you.”

The room erupted. Howls of approval, desk-thumping, the sound of a pack celebrating a betrayal.

“Am I interrupting the hunt?” I asked, my voice flat and cold as a winter stream.

The room froze. Ethan’s arm dropped from Lila’s chair. He stood up, his brow furrowing with irritation. “Aria? What are you doing here? I told you we’d handle the registration another day.”

“Am I not welcome in the Den?” I walked straight to the center table.

Lila scrambled to stand, her face a mask of concern. “Aria! Here, take my seat. I didn’t mean to—”

“Lila, sit down,” Ethan commanded, grabbing her wrist to keep her in place. He looked at me, his eyes flashing Alpha red. “Aria, you’re making a scene. We had an agreement.”

“The agreement was for a bond, Ethan. Not a cage.” I pulled the Council papers from my pocket—the ones that required both our scents to seal. “Forget the registration. I’m calling it off.”

“What?” Ethan took a step forward, his chest heaving. “You’re doing what?”

“I’m rejecting the bond,” I said, my voice echoing off the rafters. “You said she’s the most important. Fine. Go to the Council with her. Sign her name where mine was supposed to be. Consider it my parting gift to the Draven bloodline.”

I threw the crumpled papers at his feet. They hit the floor with a soft thud that felt like a thunderclap.

“Aria, watch your tone,” Ethan warned, his voice low and vibrating with a growl. “Lila just got back. We can discuss this at the estate, privately.”

“She’s not really leaving,” a voice jeered from the back of the room. “She’s been obsessed with the Draven name since Northbridge. She won’t walk away from an Alpha.”

Lila looked up at me, her eyes wet with crocodile tears. “Aria, please... don’t listen to them. He’s just my brother!”

I looked at her, then at the man I thought was my mate. “Then I hope you two are very happy in the family portrait. I’m done.”