The laughter was loud enough to cut through the noise of the entire pizza shop.
It wasn't the kind of laughter that came from joy — it was sharp, mocking, ugly.
Two men stood over Aria.
She was trying to pick up a fallen pizza box, her hands trembling just slightly.
They blocked her path, one leaning close with a grin that made my wolf snarl inside me.
"Come on, sweetheart," the taller one said, his breath thick with beer. "Don't be shy. You look like you could use some company."
Aria's voice was steady, though her hands shook. "Move. I said move."
The men laughed.
One reached out, touching her arm like she was a toy.
That was enough.
My blood burned.
My wolf pushed against my control. Let me out. Let me tear them apart.
Not yet.
I took a step forward. Then another.
The crowd didn't even notice me at first. I moved quietly, but every step felt heavy, loud, dangerous.
"Is there a problem here?" I asked, my voice cold and low.
The two men turned around, confused.
The tall one looked me up and down, his eyes narrowing.
He saw the suit, the watch, the calm expression — and made the wrong choice.
"Yeah," he said, sneering. "You're the problem, rich boy. Go eat somewhere else."
The smaller one laughed. "Maybe he's her boyfriend. You like rough girls, huh?"
They both laughed again.
Aria turned her head.
Her eyes met mine — wide, scared, and full of something that hurt more than any wound.
"Jason?" she whispered.
That one word almost broke me.
Hearing her say my name again after all these years… gods, it felt like being struck by lightning.
But I couldn't let it show.
Not now.
I stepped closer until I was standing between them and her.
"I said," I repeated softly, "is there a problem here?"
The tall one smirked. "You deaf, suit boy? Mind your business."
I tilted my head, just slightly. "She said to move."
He pushed my shoulder. Hard.
"Or what?" he said.
I smiled — small, sharp, dangerous.
"Or this."
I caught his wrist and twisted.
There was a loud crack. His scream echoed through the shop.
He dropped to his knees, clutching his arm.
The other man roared and swung at me.
He was fast — but I was faster.
I caught his punch midair, twisted, and sent him crashing into the counter so hard the whole thing rattled.
A tray of pizza boxes fell to the floor.
The entire shop went silent.
People froze. Someone gasped. Someone else whispered, "What the hell…"
I stood there, calm, breathing evenly.
The two men groaned on the floor, clutching their arms.
I leaned down slightly. "If either of you ever touch her again," I said quietly, "I'll make sure you never touch anything again."
They both scrambled up and ran for the door, stumbling into each other on the way out.
Then it was just me and her.
Aria stood still, her hands shaking, her eyes wide — not with gratitude, but anger.
She slowly straightened, clutching the pizza box to her chest like a shield.
"You shouldn't have done that," she said.
I frowned. "They were harassing you."
"I didn't need you to save me."
Her words cut deep.
"I wasn't going to stand there and watch them hurt you," I said.
She glared at me. "You already did once."
Silence.
The words hit harder than any punch.
I took a slow breath, trying to stay calm. "Aria, that night—"
"Don't," she said sharply, her voice trembling. "Don't talk about that night. You don't get to."
Her eyes glistened, and I could see the tears she was fighting to hold back.
She looked down, shaking her head. "You have no idea what those years were like."
"I want to understand," I said quietly.
She laughed — bitter and soft. "Now you do? After all this time?"
I took a step closer, but she moved back fast.
Her shoulders were shaking, her lips pressed tight.
"Just go," she whispered. "You've done enough."
I wanted to tell her I never meant for any of it to happen.
That I didn't know what my father had done, what he planned.
That I'd been just a boy who obeyed the Alpha's command.
But I saw her face — the hurt, the walls she'd built — and the words died on my tongue.
She turned away from me, walking toward the back door.
The faint scent of her — wildflowers and rain — filled the air as she passed.
It made my chest ache.
"Aria," I said softly.
She paused but didn't turn.
"I never stopped thinking about you."
She stood there for a second — still, silent — then she whispered,
"Maybe you should have,"
and disappeared into the back room.
I stayed there for a long moment, staring at the empty space she'd left.
Everyone in the shop was watching me, but I didn't care.
I finally walked out into the night air.
The city lights blurred around me.
The sound of traffic and voices mixed with the pounding of my heart.
My wolf was restless. Angry. She's ours. Why is she walking away?
"Because she hates me," I muttered under my breath.
I leaned against the car, closing my eyes.
I could still see her face, the anger, the tears.
Eight years ago, my father had banished her.
He said she was a traitor.
I believed him — I didn't question it.
That mistake cost her everything.
Now she was standing in front of me again — broken, alone, surviving in a human town — and I was the last person she wanted to see.
But I wasn't going to lose her again.
I pulled out my phone. "Liam," I said when my assistant answered,
"keep an eye on the pizza shop. Discreetly."
> "Yes, Alpha. Anything else?"
"Yes," I said quietly. "Find out where she lives. Don't let her see you. I want every detail about her life."
There was a pause. "Understood."
I ended the call and looked up at the dark sky.
Rain clouds were rolling in, the air heavy with the scent of a coming storm.
It reminded me of the night she was taken away.
The night she screamed my name and I did nothing.
I clenched my fists, my wolf pacing inside me.
You swore to protect her, he whispered. And you failed.
"Not this time," I said softly.
A drop of rain hit my cheek, cold and sharp.
Then another.
The storm was coming — just like before.
But this time, I wasn't going to let it take her away.
Not again.
Not ever.