Aria's POV
I watched her sleep.
The moonlight washed across her bare shoulder, gilding the edge of her skin in silver. Her breathing had slowed, deepened, but the tension hadn't fully left her body.
Even now, she curled her fingers like she was still holding that dagger.
I should have told her everything sooner.
About Thorne. About the creatures he was twisting into weapons. About the bond between us, and what it really meant.
But I'd been afraid. Not of her — of losing her.
And last night, I almost had.
If I had been one second later, that thing would've ripped her apart.
The memory made my wolf snarl low inside me. It hadn't stopped pacing since the moment we got her inside and safe.
But she'd fought.
Fought.
The vision of her standing there — silver blade in hand, eyes burning with something primal — had carved itself into my memory. No hesitation. No panic.
She'd moved like someone born to protect.
And that light… that pulse of energy that came from her…
It wasn't just adrenaline.
It was power.
Something ancient. And ours.
⸻
I rose quietly from the bed and stepped onto the balcony, breathing in the dawn.
The estate was still. The pack was sleeping in shifts, guards posted along every entry point. Reinforcements from allied packs were on the way, but not fast enough.
We were running out of time.
Thorne had crossed the line. Sending that creature — that abomination — to the heart of our territory wasn't just an attack.
It was a message.
And now, the only question left was: Why Aria?
⸻
An hour later, I met Caleb in the war room.
He had a stack of reports on the table, maps with fresh markers drawn in blood-red ink.
"She slept?" he asked.
I nodded. "Finally."
Caleb glanced up. "You good?"
I hesitated. "I will be."
He waited, silent, until I met his eyes.
"Lucien, she didn't just fight last night. She channeled something. I've never seen anything like it. None of us have."
"I know."
"She's changing."
"I know, Caleb."
He ran a hand through his hair. "If the rest of the council finds out—"
"They'll see what I see," I said sharply. "She's not a threat. She's the reason I'm still breathing."
"But how is it even possible?" he muttered. "She's human."
"She was."
⸻
Later that morning, the elders gathered in the ceremonial circle outside the estate.
It was rare — dangerous, even — to call them without consensus, but I didn't care.
They needed to see her.
Not because she owed them anything.
But because they needed to understand what we were facing — and what she was becoming.
She came down the stairs slowly, wearing a black coat that billowed behind her like smoke. Her eyes were clear, focused. And glowing faintly.
The moment she stepped into the circle, silence fell like a blade.
Elder Myra stepped forward. "Aria, you were human when you came to us. You are not fully wolf. And yet you wielded power that hasn't been seen in centuries. We must understand what you are."
Aria didn't flinch.
She lifted her chin and said, "I don't know what I am. But I know who I am. I'm Lucien's mate. And I will fight to protect this pack."
Myra studied her. "And if that power inside you turns on us?"
Aria glanced at me. "Then I trust Lucien to stop me."
My throat tightened.
Because I would. I'd do anything to protect the pack.
But I'd burn the world before I let her fall.
⸻
After the circle, we walked the forest trail behind the estate, just the two of us.
Aria broke the silence first.
"They don't trust me."
"They will."
"I'm not sure I trust myself," she said softly.
I stopped, turning to her. "You didn't hesitate last night. You stood your ground. That wasn't instinct. That was choice."
She looked up at me, something flickering in her eyes.
"I felt you," she whispered. "When the creature was in front of me. You weren't touching me. But I felt you. Like you were inside me."
I exhaled slowly. "That's the bond."
"It's more than that."
I nodded. "Yes."
She stepped closer. "Then tell me the rest of it. No more secrets."
I hesitated — then opened the door.
About what it meant to be a true mate. About the ancient magic that tied our souls together. About what would happen when she finally shifted. The pain. The surrender. The rebirth.
And about what I feared most — that Thorne wanted her because of it.
Because her bond to me was the one thing he could never have.
⸻
That night, when the moon rose high and full in the sky, I found her standing in the clearing again.
She turned as I approached, the light painting her hair silver.
"I want you to teach me how to shift," she said.
My heart seized.
"Aria, you're not ready—"
"I don't care," she said. "I need to be ready."
Her voice was fierce. Unshaken.
"I felt something unlock last night, Lucien. Like part of me was sleeping and now it's clawing to get out. I don't want to be afraid of it."
I swallowed hard. "Then I'll help you."
She looked into my eyes. "Even if it kills me?"
"No," I said. "Especially because it won't."
⸻
That was the night I stopped seeing her as someone who needed protection.
She didn't just belong to this world anymore.
She was becoming part of its legacy.
And mine.
Whatever came next — war, blood, chaos — I'd face it.
Because now I wasn't just fighting as Alpha.
I was fighting as a mate.
As a man.
As someone who had something worth dying for.
And someone worth living for.