10

ARIA

My wolf almost never came out. When she did, she was scared of everything. I barely had any control over her at all.

The idea of freedom was the only thing that had carried us this far. But now she was frightened, and when my wolf got scared, she ran. I was too close to stopping now.

I could not let her bolt. I could not let her take over.

"Wait," a familiar voice snapped.

Kael Nightborne stepped into view and looked down at me. His gaze was sharp and cold.

"She was in the luggage?" he said. "We drove five hours with a stowaway in the trunk, and you didn't even smell her? You're fucking fired."

Five hours.

My stomach dropped. I hoped this had been just a short stop. Five hours still meant we were too close to my father.

The man he was speaking to immediately dropped his head and stepped back. Another man cleared his throat.

"Don't go anywhere," he said. "You're not fired."

"Excuse me?" Kael growled. "Who gives orders here, Corvin?"

"You do," Corvin replied calmly. "But I can smell her from here. I know exactly why he missed her. She smells like that damn shirt you refuse to wash."

I let out a small whine before I could stop myself. I did not understand what they were talking about. I only knew I had not done all of this just to die because of a mistake.

Kael's eyes locked onto me.

"Shift," he ordered.

I did it immediately. I pulled my wolf back until I was human again, naked on my hands and knees in front of him. I sat back slowly, my legs tucked under me, and tried to smile.

"Surprise."

He stared at me. Everything felt frozen.

This was not how I imagined seeing him again. Not like this. Not bare and kneeling on rough asphalt.

But we were here.

We were face to face.

And something cold slid into place over his expression.

"Surprise," he repeated, his voice flat and sharp. "This is taking clingy a little too far."

Clingy. That word hit harder than I expected. This was not the welcome I had hoped for.

I wrapped my arms around myself.

"I'm sorry, Kael," I said quietly. "I'm not trying to be clingy. I'm in trouble. I thought maybe you could help me."

"Kael," Corvin snapped.

I flinched, suddenly remembering we were not alone.

"Did you just call him Kael?"

My head dropped at once. My heart started racing. I had forgotten myself. I had forgotten where I was and what he was now.

"I'm sorry," I said. My throat tightened. "Alpha Nightborne of Goldenreach. I didn't mean to disrespect you."

Everything was unraveling too fast.

The men around him went silent. I dared to glance up. His face was unreadable. His eyes gave nothing away.

"It's King Kael," he said coldly.

My heart sank straight into my stomach. King Kael.

I had heard rumors about a new king. I had not listened. I had been too busy surviving. I should have listened.

Suddenly everything made sense. His dislike of the Grand Moon Hall. The way every alpha had obeyed him without question. The way he had corrected me when I called him alpha before.

King Kael was not the man I remembered. And the edge in his voice told me something inside me was about to break.

"You knew I didn't know," I whispered.

"Did I?" he asked. His tone was icy. "Or do I think you're a very good actress. A broken little bird who couldn't catch an alpha, so she aimed higher and went after a king."

"No," I said quickly. "That's not what happened...."

"Your father says you're a disappointment," he cut in. His voice dropped lower. "And I see why. If I'd known what kind of slut you were, I never would have touched you. I don't care what trouble you're in. Leave. Before you embarrass yourself even more."

Something cold spread through me.

I knew that feeling. I used it when I had to survive. It helped numb everything.

But it wasn't strong enough this time.

His words still cut deep. Pain bloomed in my chest, sharp and unfamiliar. My throat tightened, and tears burned behind my eyes.

No. I could not let them see this.

I closed my eyes and reached for my wolf. She resisted, feeling my pain, but I needed out. I needed to disappear. I needed to hide before anyone saw how weak I really was.

Before they saw how desperate I had become.

She took over, and I slipped away from myself. I turned and ran into the nearest line of trees, pushing my body as hard as it would go. I needed distance. I needed space between me and the only hope I had left.

"Shit," someone shouted behind me. "She can't go in there. The rogues will tear her apart."

I didn't know what that meant. I didn't care.

I ran faster, straight into the Blackwood Wilds.