Aria’s POV “Everyone’s waiting for you.” “Everyone?” I blinked, pulling back slightly from Rowan like he’d just said the entire pack was expecting me. “Yes,” he replied with a calmness that felt wildly inappropriate for what he’d just dropped on me. The cheers and music erupting from the large house ahead only confirmed it. Whatever was happening inside—it was loud, lively, and nothing like the quiet forest I was still adjusting to. Rowan walked ahead without waiting, confident as ever, his steps headed straight toward the largest house in the Main Pack Center. Compared to the surrounding structures, it towered with pride—like the heartbeat of the territory. “Wait, that’s where we’re going?” I called after him, catching up but slowing as the music swelled louder. “Yes.” He nodded over his shoulder. “That’s the gathering hall. Everyone’s there.” My heart dropped into my stomach. “Why?” Rowan turned fully to face me now, reading my face with ease. “You’re the first O
Aria's POV"You took long enough. Is fire licking your heels?"Eira's voice chased me into the room as I bolted through the door like my legs had betrayed me. But it wasn’t fire that burned—it was heat from something far more dangerous.My cheeks were on fire, my thighs pressed together like I could suffocate the sensation building there. All because of him. Alpha Kael.He didn’t even have to touch me to reduce me to a puddle of nerves and breathless want. Just his voice—low and possessive—and those maddening eyes had flipped a switch I didn’t know existed.And worse? He knew it. Knew what he was doing to me.I’d fled the dining hall like a fool, his favorite dress clutched to my chest, ashamed of the way my body betrayed me. And yet… here I was, standing in the middle of his room, dress after dress tossed across the floor like discarded thoughts, still thinking about him.Would he like this color? Was the neckline too low? Too much leg? Would he think I was trying too hard?No. He bo
Kael’s POV"Where are the clothes I picked out for her?"My voice echoed louder than intended, even though I didn’t raise it. Eira flinched. The silence behind her thickened as she stepped aside, revealing what had soured my morning before it could even begin.Aria stood at the entrance of the dining hall, dressed in the same rags I’d ordered to be burned.The ones that still smelled like soil and forest and fear.The ones she arrived in.I didn’t let the scowl fully reach my face, but every muscle in my jaw was tight, drawn. I was ready to receive any excuse—poor fit, discomfort, hell, even allergies—but I wasn’t ready for this. A silent rejection. She couldn’t even meet my eyes.“Eira,” I said, low and clipped. “Did the dresses not fit her?”Eira bowed her head. “They fit perfectly, Alpha. But she insisted on wearing the clothes she came in.”“She insisted?”“I apologize, Alpha. I—”“She did nothing wrong.”Aria’s voice was quiet, but there was steel in it. Her gaze lifted, and for
Aria’s POV "Did you sleep well, Aria?" That voice—soft, human, nothing like his—pulled me back from a nightmare I didn’t want to revisit. Eira stood by the open window, her smile as bright as the sunlight streaming through the parted curtains. For a moment, my heart stopped beating, waiting for the crack of a fist, the harsh bark of my name like a curse. But there was no Lucan. No father. No one here to strike me for breathing too loudly. I blinked hard. “Yeah… I think I did.” Which was a surprise. I’d gone to bed in a strange place, terrified out of my mind, and yet I’d drifted into sleep like it was the safest thing I could do. Maybe it was the warmth of the sheets. Maybe it was that I’d eaten like a queen. Or maybe… maybe it was the presence of someone I should fear—Alpha Kael—and didn’t. “Your bruises are fading fast.” Eira crouched beside me, inspecting my arms with delicate fingers. “I’ll reapply the balm after you shower. But you need to hurry. You’ve got a big day.” I
Aria’s POV"You’re keeping me here?"I knew the answer. I just needed to hear it again. Needed to see if he’d flinch. If there was even a shred of doubt in his certainty.Alpha Kael didn’t hesitate. “Yes. Until the investigation is over. After that, we’ll decide.”We.As if I had a seat at the table.“How long will that take?”He leaned back in his chair like we were discussing the weather. As his arms stretched, I caught a glimpse of taut muscle beneath the sleeve of his shirt, and then the slow motion of his hand trailing along the curve of his beard. My throat tightened, and I hated myself for noticing.“Could be a few weeks,” he said absently. “A month, maybe more.”“A month?” My heart sank.“Six at the most.” He gave me a faint smile like that would soften the blow.Six months.Six months locked inside a warrior pack ruled by a man who could kill with a look—and was strangely patient with me.I pressed a napkin to my lips, though I hadn’t eaten in the last several minutes. My app
Aria’s POV“You’re keeping me here?”I had already heard him the first time. I just couldn’t accept it.Alpha Kael nodded, voice calm and terrifying in equal measure. “Until we’re done investigating. Then I’ll decide what’s next.”“But for how long?” I asked again, gripping the edge of the tablecloth like it might anchor me to sanity.He leaned back in his seat with practiced ease, the movement flexing the fabric of his shirt against his arms. His hand drifted to his beard, stroking the edge of it thoughtfully. He looked so casual—as if discussing how long I might be caged here wasn’t a decision that could alter the entire course of my life.His pause stretched too long. My heart sped up.“A month... maybe two,” he finally said.My breath caught.“Six, at the most.”Six months.My stomach twisted. I’d barely survived six hours in this place.I dropped my napkin on the table and pushed my plate away. The food, no matter how exquisite, suddenly tasted like ash.“You can’t keep me here t