(Lucian's POV)
The air shifted—sharp, wet, laced with the metallic bite of another wolf's scent.
Rogue.
I could smell its hunger before I saw it.
The trees trembled as the shape lunged from the dark. I met it halfway, claws cutting through the rain, bones breaking mid-leap as my body shifted. The world blurred into motion: fur, mud, teeth, the sound of thunder overhead.
It was over in seconds. The rogue hit the ground hard, breath ragged. I pinned it down, golden eyes meeting its wild red ones.
"Why are you here?" I growled.
It only laughed, low and broken. "The moon chooses her again."
My grip tightened. "Who sent you?"
"The same one who cursed you," it rasped, before its body went still—life snuffed out by the rain.
I stood there, chest heaving, heart pounding in sync with the storm. My claws retracted slowly, skin burning where fur retreated. The rain washed the blood away, but not the words. The moon chooses her again.
Aria.
I turned toward the diner. Through the window, I saw her pressed against the glass, eyes wide. She shouldn't have seen that, but it was too late.
By the time I reached her, she'd already run out, rain soaking her hair.
"Lucian—what was that thing?" she gasped.
"Get inside."
"No! You're bleeding, you—"
Her hand brushed my arm, and the world tilted. The mark on her wrist flared, heat surging between us like lightning. My breath caught.
"You feel that too," she whispered.
"Aria, stop."
"I can't," she said, voice trembling. "Every time you're close, it's like—"
I caught her by the shoulders, forcing her to look at me. "This isn't safe. You don't know what you're doing."
Her pulse raced beneath my hands. "Then tell me."
Rain dripped from my hair onto her face, and for a moment, everything else disappeared—the forest, the blood, the danger. Just her.
"You shouldn't want me," I said, voice rough. "Every instinct I have is telling me to keep you away."
"Then why don't you?"
I couldn't answer. I didn't have one.
Our faces were inches apart, her breath mingling with mine, her lips trembling with the question neither of us dared to ask.
The air crackled with tension, electric and palpable, as I felt the warmth radiating from her skin. My heart raced, pounding in my chest like a drum, each beat echoing the unspoken desire that hung between us. I could see the flicker of uncertainty in her eyes, but it was overshadowed by something deeper—a yearning that mirrored my own.
I leaned in closer, drawn by an invisible force, my mind racing with the consequences of crossing that line. Her eyes fluttered shut, and in that moment, I knew we were teetering on the edge of something monumental. The world around us faded, leaving only the two of us suspended in time.
I hesitated, my breath hitching as I brushed my lips against hers, a feather-light touch that ignited a fire within me. She responded instantly, her lips parting slightly, inviting me in. I deepened the kiss, feeling her warmth envelop me, her hands finding their way to my hair, pulling me closer as if we were two pieces of a puzzle finally fitting together.
Every worry, every fear melted away as I lost myself in her. The kiss was a dance of passion and longing, a promise of what could be. I felt her heart racing against my chest, matching the rhythm of my own. It was intoxicating, overwhelming, and I craved more.
But just as I was about to surrender completely, the sound of a distant howl shattered the moment.
The sound of a distant howl shattered the moment.
Lucian pulled back first, jaw tight. "They'll come again. Stronger next time."
Aria's eyes searched mine. "Then I guess you'll have to teach me how to fight back."
She said it like a dare.
And for the first time in years, I almost smiled