Chapter Two - Aria (Aria )

The silence in the cottage pressed against my skin like a second layer of flesh.

Kael’s presence filled the room as if the walls themselves bent toward him, trembling in submission. I hated that I still felt it too, that pull, that ache beneath my ribs. His scent, sharp and masculine, mixed with the pine smoke clinging to the rafters. It was like being swallowed whole by memories I’d spent five months trying to burn away.

And still, he looked at me not as a stranger, not as an Alpha, but as if nothing had changed. As if the bond between us hadn’t fractured in the cruel light of dawn.

Except something had changed. I pressed my arms tighter around my belly, fingers splaying protectively over the life that had tethered me to this world.

He was the first to speak.

You should have told me.

The words were low, calm, but a storm lurked beneath. His control was worse than if he had shouted. Kael Donovan rarely needed to raise his voice, his authority dripped like blood from a blade.

My throat tightened. And what would you have done? Dragged me back to your pack? Announced to your council that the Alpha’s heir came from a woman who didn’t fit their plans?

Something flickered in his gaze, something raw that made my chest squeeze. But it was gone in an instant, hidden behind the steel mask of an Alpha. He stepped further inside, and the air grew thinner with every pace he closed between us.

Aria… His voice was quieter now, a dangerous edge beneath it. That is my child. My blood. My legacy. You think I would allow you to carry them in hiding? To keep them from me?

My body trembled, though not entirely from fear. Rage coiled with desperation inside me. This child is more than a legacy. They’re not a pawn in your power games. They don’t belong to your council or your father’s alliances. I lifted my chin, defiance burning in my throat. They belong to me.

For a heartbeat, silence stretched between us. Kael’s jaw worked, a muscle ticking at the corner. His eyes swept over me, lingering on the swell of my belly, softening for the briefest moment.

And then his voice came sharp, like claws. You don’t understand the danger you’ve put yourself in. Rogues are circling our lands. Packs are restless. If word spreads that the Alpha’s heir is unprotected…

Protected? The laugh ripped from my throat, bitter and hollow. You mean controlled. Owned. Just like you always wanted me to be.

The words cut deeper than I intended, and for a fraction of a second his face shifted, wounded. But Kael didn’t bleed easily. He straightened, his voice steady again.

You think you can protect them better than I can? You, hiding in a cottage at the edge of nowhere, alone, with no one to defend you when they come? His eyes darkened, storm breaking in them. Aria, your pride will get you, and our child, killed.

My pride. Always that. I swallowed the sting. And what about my heart, Kael? Did that matter when you chose duty over me? When you let me walk away without fighting for me?

The words hung there, heavy as stones. His lips parted, but no answer came. And maybe that was answer enough.

I turned away from him, pacing the length of the room, though my legs felt weak beneath the weight of my belly. The baby shifted, a soft flutter against my ribs, reminding me I couldn’t crumble. Not now. Not in front of him.

You can’t just appear and demand to take over my life again, I whispered, staring at the cracked windowpane, the darkness beyond. I built this space. I survived. I… My voice broke, and I pressed a hand to my mouth, choking the sob back.

Behind me, his footsteps moved closer. Heat radiated from him, his presence overwhelming even when I didn’t want it to be.

I didn’t stop you because I thought it was what you wanted, he said, voice low, almost rough. You ran. You chose to leave me.

I spun, fire sparking. Because you didn’t ask me to stay! You let me go as if I was nothing. As if that night meant nothing.

His eyes locked onto mine then, and for the first time, I saw the cracks. The fury and the pain, buried but not gone. His hands flexed at his sides, fists tightening like he was holding himself back from reaching for me.

It meant everything, he said finally, the words a raw confession pulled from deep within. Everything, Aria. Do you think I’ve slept since? Do you think I haven’t felt your absence tearing at me every damn day?

The ache in his voice threatened to unravel me, but I wrapped myself in steel. I couldn’t afford to melt beneath him again. Not when everything, our child’s future, my own heart, was on the line.

Words don’t erase choices, I whispered.

A heavy silence followed, thick enough to choke. The baby kicked sharply, as though urging me forward, reminding me what mattered most.

I drew myself up. I won’t let you take them from me, Kael. Not for your council, not for your father, not even for yourself. If you try, you’ll have to fight me.

Something dangerous flickered in his gaze then, not anger, but determination. The Alpha in him stirred, rising like a shadowed tide. He closed the space between us in two strides, towering over me, his scent filling every breath I took.

You can fight me all you want, he said, voice dark velvet. But you can’t change fate. That child is mine as much as yours. And whether you want it or not, you’ll never face this alone again.

His words wrapped around me like chains and promises both. My chest tightened, torn between fury and the part of me that still remembered the warmth of his arms, the safety of his touch.

But I wouldn’t give in. Not now. Not yet.

I met his storm grey eyes with fire in mine. We’ll see about that.

For a moment, neither of us moved. The world shrank to the pulse of my heart and the weight of his gaze. The storm between us had only just begun, and already I knew, this battle wasn’t about who would win.

It was about who we’d become when it was over.