LOGINDexterI felt her.Not in the casual sense. Not in a way I could shake off or pretend didn’t matter. It hit me deep in my bones—right through the mark we once shared. The bond I thought had dulled over time snapped tight around my chest, choking me with the weight of her distress.I was pacing the fucking living room when it started. That unbearable pull. My skin prickled, and I swear, I could smell her from miles away. Not just her usual scent—but something more dangerous, more intense.Heat.My cock stirred immediately like a damn traitor, hardening in my pants before my brain could even catch up.“Fuck,” I muttered under my breath, running a hand through my hair.I shouldn’t go to her. I knew that.She made it clear—no more fucking, no more sneaking around, not after I got married. But this—this wasn’t just lust. It was something primal, something feral. Her wolf was calling out to me. Screaming for me. And mine? He was already halfway out the fucking door.I tried. I tried to resi
AriaI didn’t sleep. I couldn’t.My skin was on fire. My throat dry. Every breath I took felt like it scratched the inside of my chest. I tossed. Turned. Sat. Lay back down. Nothing worked. The heat was crawling under my skin like ants, biting at me from the inside out. It didn’t help that his scent lingered. Every corner of the house held it—Dexter. I could smell him, like smoke that clung after a fire. Strong. Male. Warm. And I hated that it made my thighs clench together.What the fuck was happening to me?I pressed my palm to my chest, like I could calm the fluttering heartbeat that wouldn’t slow down. My wolf stirred. Restless. Annoyed. She growled whenever she caught a whiff of him. Her growls weren’t angry, no. They were... impatient. Wanting. Desperate. And it scared me.Because I knew what this was.I fucking knew.But I didn’t want to admit it.I dragged myself out of bed and went straight to the bathroom. Splashed cold water on my face. Stared at my reflection for a long ti
DexterCoincidence? Hardly, something like that could never be a coincidence.Aria wasn’t clumsy. I’d watched her. Every move she made was calculated, quiet. She moved like someone trained to disappear into corners, not someone who randomly tripped and fell down stairs. And now? Now she was limping around like someone ran over her leg and everyone was calling it a fucking accident?Bullshit.I didn’t say anything that night. I didn’t lose my temper. I didn’t yell. I just watched.When she stood up from the couch and tried to walk, I saw it—she winced. She didn’t want me to see it, but I did. That’s when I’d told her to follow me, and I didn't ask. I didn’t care if she wanted to or not.She didn’t argue. That told me everything I needed to know.And now here I was, standing in the hall outside the healer’s wing, hands folded behind my back like I was calm. I wasn’t. My blood had been boiling since I saw the bruises forming on her back, her shoulder, the angry swelling around her ankle.
AriaIt was supposed to be just another quiet evening. I wasn’t even planning to stay long downstairs. I only wanted water. That was it. Just a glass of cold water to drown the dry lump in my throat. The halls were dim, lit by the faint amber glow of the wall lamps. Silent. Still. Peaceful. I should've known better. Nothing stays peaceful for too long around here.My feet padded softly on the wooden floor. I didn’t make eye contact with anyone. I didn't speak to the maid that passed me by on the landing either. I didn’t even get the chance to.She bumped into me hard. Too hard. And the next thing I knew, my foot missed a step.Then everything just... slipped.My body tilted forward and time slowed. The gasp never even made it past my throat. My hand reached for the banister that was already too far. My chest clenched. My head spun. The sharp crack of my back hitting the wooden steps echoed in my ears, then another slam of my shoulder, then my hip. Pain flared, white-hot and sharp. I
DexterI saw them before they saw me.From across the yard, past the training grounds, Aria stood with Rio. Laughing. Genuinely laughing. Her body wasn’t stiff like it usually was. She wasn't guarding herself like she did around everyone else—including me. And Rio... he wasn’t his usual tight-lipped, unbothered self either. He actually looked like he was trying to talk to her, not at her. It wasn’t the usual hostility I was used to seeing from him when her name came up.It made me slow down.Not because I was angry. Not because I was jealous. Just... surprised.Rio hated Aria. At least, that’s what he made sure everyone believed. He was one of the loudest voices against her being here when we took her in. Said she was dangerous. Said I was being reckless. I remember him snapping in my face once, telling me I was risking our pack for a girl who didn’t belong.And now he was standing there... talking to her. And she was laughing. Actually laughing.I hadn’t seen her like that in weeks.
AriaI had just stepped out of the pack house. My head was pounding and I needed air—desperately. The sun was out, but it felt colder than usual. Maybe it was the war brewing inside me, or the damn silence that had stretched between Dexter and me after that kiss. Whatever it was, it clung to my skin like a warning, like something was about to fall apart and I wouldn’t be able to hold it together this time.I wasn’t expecting to run into Rio. Not so soon. Not like this.He was leaning against the far end of the training ground wall, arms folded, that same hard expression on his face that made most people avoid him. But not me. I’d seen worse. Been through worse. The second I noticed him watching me, I knew he’d come with questions. I just didn’t expect him to corner me like he had the right.“You know, I thought you’ll be using what you saw to blackmail me,” he said without moving. His voice was calm. Way too calm for the weight of what he was asking.I didn’t stop walking. If he wante
AriaThe door slammed shut, rattling the frame. The moment he stormed back into the room, I shot up from the bed, heart racing. “What the fuck have you done to him?” My voice cracked, but I didn’t care. Rage boiled through me. “I told you — it’s not what you think, you bastard!”I had sat there in
AriaFor the past three days, I hadn’t seen Dexter. Not in the packhouse, not around the training grounds, not even lingering in the shadows the way he usually did. His absence gnawed at me in ways I couldn’t explain — and didn’t want to admit. As much as I hated to see his face and feel the pressu
AriaI managed to start breathing evenly after three days.Three long, miserable days where my body still felt like it had been drowned in fire and left to rot. My limbs were weak, my throat burned from the aftermath of the poison, and the only thing I could do was sit by the window, staring at the
Dexter"Are you out of your mind, son?" My mother’s voice barked from the door. "What is the meaning of this nonsense—letting that little thing outside, on her own for that matter?"Her voice vibrated through my office. Yeah, good question. Why the hell did I let her out with nobody to watch her? T







