The mansion had never felt smaller. Or hotter.Aria paced the private wing, the soft crackle of the hearth echoing her thoughts. The fire cast long, jagged shadows across the walls, dancing like wolves in the dark. Every instinct she had screamed that the Ashen Circle would strike again—but tonight, for the first time in years, she didn’t feel powerless.Her wolf prowled under her skin, bristling and alert. Not for danger, exactly. For him.Damien leaned against the stone archway, arms crossed, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. His black-and-gold aura pulsed quietly, power restrained, deliberate. Watching her. Testing her. Protecting her, but not caging her.“You’re restless,” he said softly.“I’m thinking,” Aria replied, stopping abruptly. “About them. About what they want. About—everything.”“You think too much,” Damien said, stepping closer, the air between them vibrating with barely controlled energy. “Your wolf feels it. I feel it. I can feel it, Aria.”Her breath hitched. “Feel
Last Updated : 2026-01-08 Read more