A Claim

Chapter 2

A Claim

Aria's POV

One was pure black, like a piece of the night had come alive. His eyes glowed like golden fire.

One was a shimmering silver, his fur looking like shiny something in the moonlight.

The last one was a dark, midnight blue, almost black, but with a strange, beautiful sheen.

They surrounded me. The black wolf, the biggest one, took a step forward. He lowered his head, sniffing the air. A low, rumbling growl vibrated in his chest. It was a sound of pure power and danger.

I was too terrified to even scream. I just trembled, waiting for the end where they would just tear me apart and chop my body to pieces.

Suddenly, there was a sound of cracking bones and shifting muscle, and where the wolf had been, now stood a man.

He was tall and built like a warrior, all hard muscle and scars. A jagged line cut across his cheek. His hair was short and black, his eyes the same icy blue as a winter sky. He was dangerous. He was deadly. He was the most terrifying thing I had ever seen.

He crouched down in front of me, his gaze intense, taking in my broken, bleeding body. His eyes widened slightly. Something shifted in them. It wasn't cruelty. It was... recognition.

His voice was a low, rough growl when he spoke. 

"Mine."

He just said it, just like that. It wasn't a question like he was asking whether I was his mate or not. It was a statement. A claim, as if he were sure of what he was saying. It was the last thing I expected to hear.

I flinched, waiting for the blow, or his claw digging into me, or his teeth biting and killing me, but it didn't come. The man just stared at me, his icy blue eyes seeing right through my broken skin and into my scattered and painful heart. 

The other two wolves, the silver and the midnight blue ones took a step closer. They didn't growl. They just… watched. Their massive heads were tilted, their glowing eyes fixed on me with an intensity that made my skin prickle.

“Mate.” They both growled softly at the same time, but it was faint in my ears. 

I tried to speak, to beg, but all that came out was a choked whimper. My body was shutting down. The world started to spin, the edges of my vision turning black. The last thing I saw was the scarred man’s face, his expression shifting from cold calculation to alarm.

Then, the darkness swallowed me whole.

I woke up with my body feeling warm. 

That was the first thing I noticed. I wasn't shivering on cold, wet stones that were called a bed. I was wrapped in something so soft. My head was resting on a real pillow. My eyes flew open in a panic.

This wasn't the forest. This wasn't the silver chamber.

I was in a large bed. A heavy, grey fur blanket was pulled up to my chin. The room was… beautiful. Stone walls, a warm rug on the floor, a fire crackling in a fireplace. It was the kind of room I had only ever cleaned, never slept in.

My heart hammered against my ribs. Where was I? Whose was I?

The memories flooded back. The rejection. The run. The three massive wolves. The man with the scar and the icy eyes. His voice and theirs when they said, Mine.

I had to get out. This… could be a trick for all I know. They wanted to kill me. To destroy me when I would be alive to feel the pain. That was rogues for you.

I threw the fur blanket back, my body already straining in protest. Every muscle ached. The claw marks on my side were bandaged, and anytime I saw that wound and felt the sting, it would remind me of how I had been so close to getting dragged back there. I was wearing a soft, clean t-shirt that was far too big for me. It smelled like the forest and the pine I smelled that night. 

I stumbled to my feet, my legs wobbling. I had to find a door, a window, or…anything.

The bedroom door opened before I could reach it.

The man who stepped inside wasn't the scarred one. This one was different. He had silver hair, long enough to brush his shoulders, and eyes the color of warm amber. He was just as big, all hard muscle and power, but where the first man was cold ice, this one was like a contained storm. I could feel the violence humming under his skin.

He looked at me, standing there shaking in the oversized shirt, and his eyes flashed. A low growl rumbled in his chest.

I stumbled back, hitting the edge of the bed. This was it. He was going to kill me.

Oh Goddess, please.

"Don't," I whispered, the word tearing from my painful throat. "Please."

He stopped. The growl cut off. He dragged a hand through his silver hair, his jaw tight, like he was fighting with himself.

"You're not a prisoner," he said, his voice rough. It wasn't gentle, but the words themselves were a shock. "You're safe here."

I almost laughed. Safe? With rogues? With the Blackthorn brothers? Everyone knew their story. They were exiled and were murderers. "You're lying."

His amber eyes narrowed. "If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead. You think we needed to bring you to a bedroom for that?"

He had a point. A brutal one, but a point.

"Where am I?" I asked, my voice small.

"Our territory. Our home." He took a slow, deliberate step forward, like I was a spooked animal. "I'm Damon. The one who found you is Kael. My brother."

I remembered the black wolf. Kael. The one who had claimed me first. 

"Why?" The question was a plea. "Why did you bring me here?"