All Chapters of Aria: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

The forest was quiet again.Too quiet.Ryan stood exactly where she had left him.He hadn’t moved.Not when her scent began to fade.Not when the wind settled Not even when the last trace of her presence slipped out of reach.Gone.She was just …goneHis hand tightened slowly at his side.There was still blood on it.Not hers.He looked down at it for a moment.Then clenched his fist.His wolf stirred beneath the surface.Restless.Agitated.Not from anger.From absence.Go after her.The instinct came fast. Violent.Loud.Ryan shut his eyes briefly.“No.”The word came out low.Controlled.But it cost him.Because every part of himAlpha, Wolf and ManWas built to chase what was his.To claim it.To protect it.But this…This wasn’t something he could force.If he went after her nowIt wouldn’t be to bring her back.It would be to take.And that…He refused to do.Ryan exhaled slowly.The air felt heavier than before.Like something had been pulled out of it.Or maybe…Something had

Aria didn’t know how long they had been walking.Time felt off.Everything did.The forest had thinned out hours ago. Now the land was rough and uneven, with scattered rocks and dry ground. No pack territory. No familiar scent. No sense of direction she could trust.Just distance.From him.She stopped walking.“I need a break.”Kael didn’t argue. He stopped a few steps ahead and turned back to look at her.“Then stop pushing.”Aria let out a short breath, somewhere between tired and annoyed.“I’m not pushing.”“You are,” he said simply.She didn’t respond.Because she knew he wasn’t completely wrong.Her body felt off.Not tired in a normal way.Tight.Like something inside her was building pressure.She moved away from him and sat on a low rock. Her hands rested on her knees, but they didn’t stay still.They kept twitching slightly.Kael noticed.“Since when?”She frowned. “Since when what?”“That feeling,” he said. “When did it start?”Aria hesitated.Then answered honestly.“After

By the time Ryan got back to the pack house, everyone already knew something was wrong.No one said it directly.But he could feel it.Conversations stopped when he walked in.Eyes followed him longer than usual.Even the guards at the entrance stood a little straighter, like they weren’t sure what to expect from him.News traveled fast in a pack.Faster when it involved the Alpha.Ryan didn’t react to any of it.He walked straight through the main hall, past the common area, and into the war room.Caleb was already there.Leaning over the table, looking at a map spread out across it.“You’re late,” Caleb said without looking up.Ryan shut the door behind him.“I wasn’t aware I was on a schedule.”Caleb glanced up briefly.“You are now.”Ryan walked over, his attention shifting to the map.Markers had been placed along the borders.More than usual.“What’s this?” he asked.“Movement,” Caleb said. “Not ours.”Ryan’s expression didn’t change, but his focus sharpened.“Where?”Caleb poin

By the afternoon, something in the air had changed again.Aria noticed it before she could explain it. At first, it was just a faint unease, the kind that sat quietly in the back of her mind and refused to go away. The land around them hadn’t changed. The ground was still dry and uneven beneath their feet, and the trees remained scattered, thin enough to let too much light through. There were no scent markers, no clear signs that any pack claimed this territory.It should have felt neutral.It didn’t.They had been walking for hours without speaking when Kael slowed slightly. The shift was subtle, almost unnoticeable, but Aria caught it immediately.“You feel that?” she asked.“Yeah.”That was all he said, and it didn’t sit right with her.Aria frowned. “What is it?”Kael didn’t stop moving, but his attention had clearly shifted. He wasn’t focused on the path anymore. His gaze moved over the land, sharp and alert, like he was trying to catch something just out of sight.“Not random,”

Ryan knew something was off before the messenger even spoke.It was in the way the guards handled him.Too careful. Too respectful. Like they were trying not to make a mistake.That alone was enough to put him on edge.By the time Ryan stepped into the main hall, his attention was already fixed on the man waiting at the center.He stood straight, composed, dressed too cleanly for someone who had traveled far. There was nothing careless about him, nothing uncertain.He didn’t belong to this territory.“Alpha Ryan,” the man said, giving a slight nod.Ryan didn’t return it.“State your business.”There was no hostility in his tone, but no welcome either. Just direct, controlled authority.The man didn’t seem bothered. He reached into his coat and pulled out a sealed letter, holding it out without hesitation.Dark wax. An unfamiliar mark pressed into it.“You’ve been formally summoned,” he said.Ryan’s gaze lingered on the seal for a brief second before he took it.“By who?”“A council.”