SHADOW’S SECRET

ARIA

Kael's chambers at night were somehow more intimidating than during the day.

The massive bed dominated the space, covered in black furs and soft sheets. Candles flickered on every surface, casting dancing shadows on the walls. The scent of pine and smoke filled the air, his scent, everywhere, surrounding me.

I stood near the door in the nightgown Helena had provided, suddenly very aware that I'd agreed to share a bed with a Lycan King I'd known for less than forty-eight hours.

"You can still change your mind," Kael said from where he sat on the edge of the bed, removing his boots. "I won't force you."

But I could feel his need through the bond, not sexual, though that was there too. This was something deeper. A desperate craving for closeness, for the comfort of his mate nearby.

It made him seem almost... vulnerable.

"I said I would." I forced my feet to move, crossing to the opposite side of the bed. "Which side do you prefer?"

"I sleep in the middle usually. Take up the whole thing."

Of course he did.

"But tonight, I'll take the left. You take the right." He pulled off his shirt, and I quickly looked away from the expanse of muscle and scarred skin. "Unless you want the left?"

"Right is fine."

I climbed under the covers, keeping as close to the edge as possible. The bed was massive, but Kael's presence filled it completely. Heat radiated from his body, and I could hear his heartbeat, steady and strong.

He settled beside me, and I felt the mattress dip under his weight. For several minutes, we just lay there in awkward silence.

"You don't have to be scared," he said finally. "I meant what I said. Just sleeping."

"I'm not scared."

"Liar. I can smell your fear."

I turned my head to glare at him. "Stop smelling my emotions. It's invasive."

His laugh was low and rough. "Can't help it. Heightened senses, remember? I can hear your heartbeat, smell what you're feeling, sense every tiny movement you make."

"That's deeply creepy."

"That's being a Lycan." He shifted, turning toward me. In the candlelight, his golden eyes seemed to glow. "Ask me what I want to know."

"What?"

"You have questions. I can feel them bouncing around your head through the bond. Ask them."

I hesitated. But he was right, I did have questions. Hundreds of them.

"The curse you mentioned. What is it exactly?"

His expression darkened. "Lycan madness. It affects unmated Lycan kings after they take the throne. The longer we go without a mate, the worse it gets. Starts with nightmares and shadows at the edge of your vision. Progresses to rage, paranoia, violent episodes. Eventually, the beast takes over completely, and the man is lost forever."

Ice filled my veins. "How far along are you?"

"Stage three. Out of five."

"What's stage three?"

"Violent episodes I can't always control. Shadows that whisper. A beast that fights me for dominance daily." He said it so matter-of-factly, like discussing the weather. "I've been managing it. Barely. But another year or two and..." He trailed off.

"And you'd be gone completely."

"Yes."

I absorbed this. "That's why you were so desperate at the Culling. You were running out of time."

"Time ran out three years ago. I've just been stubbornly refusing to die." His hand moved across the sheets, stopping just short of touching mine. "Until yesterday. Until you."

"What changed?"

"Everything. The shadows quieted. The rage cooled. My beast finally settled." His voice dropped. "You're my cure, Aria. The mate bond is the only thing that can stop the madness."

The weight of that responsibility pressed down on my chest. "What if it's not enough? What if I can't…"

"You already are." His hand covered mine, warm and solid. "Just being near you helps more than fifteen years of healers ever did."

I should pull my hand away. Should maintain distance. But the raw honesty in his voice kept me still.

"Why does the curse exist?" I asked. "What causes it?"

"No one knows. Some say it's a punishment from the Moon Goddess for something my ancestor did. Others think it's just the price of Lycan power, we're too strong, too dominant, and without a mate to balance us, we collapse under our own strength."

"That's a terrible design flaw."

His laugh surprised me. "You sound like Ryker. He says the same thing."

"Ryker seems decent. For someone who serves a terrifying Lycan King."

"He's the best man I know. Saved my life more times than I can count. If something happens to me, he'll protect you."

"Nothing's going to happen to you."

"You sound very sure about that."

"Because you're too stubborn to die." I turned my hand over, palm up, and laced my fingers through his. "And because I'm not ready to be a widow yet. I just became Luna. Give me at least a few weeks before I have to plan a funeral."

His grip tightened. "Deal."

We lay there in comfortable silence, our hands linked between us. The bond hummed, content with the contact.

"Can I ask you something?" Kael's voice was careful. "About Bryson Cole?"

Everything in me tensed. "What about him?"

"He hurt you. I can see the scars, smell the old fear. What did he do?"

I wanted to lie. To brush it off as nothing. But something about the darkness, the intimacy of lying beside him, made the truth spill out.

"He never wanted me. My mother married him because she was desperate, a widow with a child needed protection. He agreed because it looked good politically. But from the moment they married, he made it clear I was an unwanted burden."

I stared at the ceiling, the memories flooding back. "At first, it was just neglect. Extra chores. Less food. But after my mother died, it got worse. He gave me to Selene as a personal servant. She and Derek took out all their frustrations on me. Beatings. Humiliation. Being locked in the cellar for days."

Kael's hand tightened on mine painfully. Through the bond, I felt his rage building.

"And when I turned eighteen and didn't shift," I continued, "it got even worse. A wolf-less Omega was an embarrassment. They made sure everyone knew it. Made sure I knew I was worthless."

"You're not worthless."

"I know that now. But for years, I believed them." I turned my head to look at him. His eyes were pure gold, his beast very close to the surface. "That's why I hid my wolf. Because if Bryson knew I had power, he would have used me. Sold me. Turned me into a weapon."

"I'm going to kill him," Kael said softly. "Slowly."

"You can't. He's an Alpha. It would start a war with his pack."

"Don't care."

"Kael…"

He rolled toward me suddenly, his body covering mine, one hand cradling my face. "Listen to me. No one hurts what's mine. Ever. I don't give a fuck about politics or pack alliances. He put his hands on you. He's going to pay for that."

I should be frightened. Should push him away. But all I felt was a fierce, protective warmth flowing through the bond.

He wasn't threatening me. He was threatening for me.

"What if I asked you not to?" I whispered. "What if I said I wanted to handle Bryson myself?"

His beast growled, but he forced it back. "Then I'd let you. But I'd be right there, ready to step in if needed."

"Even though it goes against every instinct you have?"

"Even then." His thumb brushed across my cheekbone. "You're not some helpless Omega who needs me to fight your battles. You're a silver wolf. A Luna. If you want revenge, you're strong enough to take it yourself."

Something in my chest cracked open. No one had ever said anything like that to me before. No one had ever seen me as strong.

"Thank you," I breathed.

"For what?"

"For seeing me. The real me. Not the broken servant everyone else saw."

His expression softened. "Aria, you were never broken. Just hidden. There's a difference."

Then he kissed me.

It wasn't like the claiming bite, rough and possessive and overwhelming. This was gentle. A question instead of a demand. His lips moved against mine slowly, giving me every chance to pull away.

I didn't want to pull away.

I kissed him back, my hand coming up to tangle in his hair. Heat flooded through the bond, desire mixing with something deeper, something that felt almost like...

He pulled back with a groan. "We should stop."

"Why?"

"Because if we don't, I won't be able to keep my promise about just sleeping." His eyes were pure gold now, his beast very much in control. "And you said you weren't ready."

He was right. I wasn't. But kissing him had felt like coming home in a way I couldn't explain.

"Tomorrow," I said impulsively. "If I still feel this way tomorrow, we complete the bond."

His whole body went rigid. "You mean that?"

"Yes." And I did. The bond was already there, incomplete but real. Fighting it was only making both of us miserable. "But you have to promise me something."

"Anything."

"Promise you won't lose yourself to the curse. Promise you'll fight it."

"Aria…"

"Promise me, Kael. Because I'm not doing this just to save you. I'm doing it because..." I stopped, unsure how to finish that sentence.

Because despite everything, despite knowing him for less than two days, something in me recognized him. Trusted him. Maybe even was starting to care for him.

"I promise," he said fiercely. "I'll fight every day. For you. For us."

I believed him.

He rolled back to his side of the bed, putting distance between us. "Sleep now. Before I change my mind about waiting."

I smiled and settled into the pillows. For the first time since arriving at the palace, I felt almost... safe.

Kael's arm snaked around my waist, pulling me back against his chest.

"What happened to your side of the bed?" I asked, but I was already relaxing into his warmth.

"Changed my mind. Need you closer."

I should protest. Should maintain boundaries. But I was so tired of being strong, of fighting, of being alone.

So I let myself melt against him, let his steady heartbeat lull me toward sleep.

"Aria?" His voice was soft against my ear. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For not running. For giving me a chance. For being brave enough to be here."

I laced my fingers through his where they rested on my stomach. "Thank you for finding me."

As I drifted off to sleep, safe in the arms of a monster who somehow made me feel more human than I had in years, I almost believed everything might actually be okay.

Almost.

Because in the shadows at the edges of the room, I could have sworn I saw something move.

Something watching.

Waiting.