Chapter Four - Cracks in the Veil ( Aria )

The morning began like any other, mundane, ordinary, almost fragile in its simplicity. My coffee was too bitter, the kind that scraped the back of my throat and left me wrinkling my nose. The old refrigerator hummed in its familiar off, beat rhythm, and the faint thump from inside my belly reminded me I was never truly alone. My baby, five months along, rolled lazily, pressing a quiet rhythm against me. I told myself it would be a normal day, the kind of day I could bury myself in chores and routine, pretending the blood running through me wasn’t rewriting my life from the inside out.

But Alpha blood doesn’t listen to prayers or wishes. It has its own plans.

The diner was still half-asleep when I arrived, the neon OPEN sign buzzing faintly, the smell of yesterday’s grease clinging to the walls. I tied my apron at the waist, letting the familiar ritual ground me. Work meant noise, people, distraction. Work meant normal.

The bell over the door jingled just as I was smoothing my hair back into a messy ponytail. A man stepped inside.

He was broad-shouldered, dressed in a dark jacket that looked like it had seen too many miles and too little rest. Dust clung to the hem, road, weary, but there was nothing weary about the way he carried himself. His eyes swept the room once, sharp, assessing, cataloging exits and faces. Not a local. Not friendly.

Something about him tugged at the animal deep in my blood, made every hair on the back of my neck rise.

“Coffee,” he said, voice rough, clipped. He slid into a booth as if he already owned it.

Sarah, cheerful as ever, scribbled down the order and leaned toward me with a mischievous grin. “Looks like we’ve got ourselves a stranger. Maybe a drifter. Be nice to him, huh?”

I forced a smile, but my gut knotted. Not all strangers were harmless. Some hunted.

The morning rushed forward as it always did, the clang of silverware, chatter of regulars, the smell of bacon curling through the air. I tried to lose myself in the rhythm of wiping counters, refilling mugs, keeping my head down. Anything to ignore the prickling awareness that told me I was being watched.

When the busboy tripped, it happened in a blink. A tray slipped, plates spun through the air, a coffee pot tilted toward the floor. Too fast for anyone else. But not for me.

My hand darted out, catching everything in one smooth motion. Not a plate cracked. Not a drop spilled.

Silence.

“Damn, Aria!” Sarah laughed, wide-eyed. “You should be in the circus with reflexes like that.”

Laughter rippled across the room, easing the moment, but my heart slammed against my ribs. Too smooth. Too inhuman.

And then I felt it, his gaze. The stranger in the booth wasn’t laughing. His storm, grey eyes were locked on me, unblinking. Measuring.

I turned quickly, fussing with dishes I didn’t need to clean. But dread pooled in my stomach like ice water.

By the time my shift ended, clouds had gathered heavy and low, muting the sky into iron. I tugged my coat tighter, praying I could slip home unnoticed. But the weight of his presence clung to me like smoke.

When I glanced back, his booth was empty.

The street was too quiet. The kind of quiet that feels staged, waiting. Rain began to fall in steady needles, and I kept my head down, pace quickening. My child stirred inside me, restless, as though sharing my unease.

Footsteps echoed behind me.

I didn’t need to look. My body already knew.

From the alley, a shadow detached itself. The man.

“Hold up,” he called. His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried like a command, slicing through the hiss of rain.

I froze. The air tasted of iron, damp and electric. My wolf's blood whispered danger.

He stepped closer, his coat darkening under the rain. “You’ve got quick hands.” His eyes raked over me, sharp as blades. “Not the kind of quick you learn waiting tables.”

I swallowed hard. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

His head tilted slightly, nostrils flaring. My stomach sank. Wolves weren’t the only creatures who hunted by scent. Men did too, hunters who knew what walked outside human sightlines.

“You smell…” he leaned forward, voice lowering, “different. Not human. Not normal.”

Fear clamped like a fist around my throat. The rain beat harder, masking the sound of my ragged breathing.

“Stay away from me,” I forced out, the words brittle.

A thin smile tugged at his lips. “I knew there was something here. They’ll pay good money for you.”

The words detonated inside me. They. Whoever he served, whoever he meant, it didn’t matter. He wasn’t here by accident. He was here for me.

He lunged.

Instinct roared alive in my blood, burning through fear. I ducked under his arm, shoving hard. He slammed against the brick wall with a grunt, shock flashing across his face.

“What… what are you?” he gasped.

I didn’t answer. I ran.

The world blurred around me. Streets vanished in streaks of light and shadow, my feet eating distance in heartbeats. The baby kicked hard, fierce, every thud syncing with the wild drum of my pulse. Strength coursed through me, hotter, heavier than it ever had before. Too much. Too wild.

If anyone saw me, if a camera caught even a glimpse of this speed, this power, my fragile human mask would shatter.

By the time I stumbled into my apartment, my lungs burned. I slammed the door shut, pressed my back against it, chest heaving. My reflection stared back from the rain, streaked window, hair plastered to my face, lips trembling, and eyes. Gold eyes.

They glowed faintly, defying the storm outside.

The baby shifted again, strong, unyielding. Not just a child anymore. A force. A legacy reshaping me, tearing down the fragile walls of my human façade.

Hours passed before my breathing steadied, but fear never loosened its hold. Instead, something colder rooted inside me. Not panic. Not even desperation.

Certainty.

The veil was cracking. People had seen too much. The stranger wasn’t the first to notice, and he wouldn’t be the last. My secret wasn’t safe anymore. My child wasn’t safe.

I pressed both hands to my belly, whispering fiercely, “I’ll keep you safe. No matter what it takes. I’ll find a way.”

But even as I spoke, truth gnawed at the edges of my vow.

The Alpha’s blood had already painted a target on our backs.

The first danger had found us.

It would not be the last.