Chapter 1
Aria had grown up knowing she was unwanted. From the sharp words of her family to the biting laughter of her packmates, every year of her life had been a lesson in isolation. Birthdays were particularly cruel—a reminder that she had no one cheering for her, no one to celebrate her existence. Every cake, every gift, every half-hearted "happy birthday" from her family was a dagger in disguise.
For years, she had told herself that she would endure it. She would survive. And when she turned eighteen, she would finally leave this pack, leave behind the whispers, the taunts, and the cold stares. That was the plan. That was all she wanted.
She woke up on her eighteenth birthday with the weight of that promise heavy on her chest. The dawn sunlight streamed through the small window of her room, casting a soft glow on the plain walls. She stretched, heart beating faster than usual—not from excitement, but from apprehension. Today should have been ordinary. Today should have been the first day of the rest of her life.
But the universe had other plans.
As she prepared for the morning, adjusting her hair and slipping into clothes that made her feel invisible yet protected, she sensed something shifting in the air. The pack was quieter than usual. Even her mother, who normally ignored her with perfect precision, seemed tense. And then she heard it—the low growl that made her blood run cold.
Her wolf had arrived.
Aria froze, every instinct screaming at her to flee, to hide, to run from the bond she had always feared. She had read the stories, known the legends, known the signs. When a wolf appeared for its mate, it was undeniable, binding, permanent. It was a connection she had avoided her entire life.
But it wasn't just any wolf.
Her mate, the one she was now inexplicably bound to, was Kael—the next Alpha, her sister's fiancé, the boy who had made her life miserable for as long as she could remember. Kael, with his smirk that had haunted her dreams, with eyes that seemed to pierce through every lie she had ever told, with a presence that could command entire rooms with a single glance.
She hated him.
And yet, as the connection flared, wild and insistent, she could feel it tugging at the very core of her being. Her wolf roared, demanding, claiming, binding her in ways she had always resisted.
"You've grown," Kael said when he appeared in the doorway, his voice smooth, dangerous, confident. "Eighteen at last. And now… mine."
Aria's chest tightened. She stepped back, eyes narrowing. "Mine? You're insane. I want nothing to do with you."
Kael smiled, the kind of smile that made her stomach twist in confusion. "You don't get a choice, Aria. You never did."
Her hands clenched at her sides. "I'm leaving. The moment I turn eighteen, I walk out of this pack. You can't stop me."
He stepped closer, the tension between them crackling like lightning. "I wouldn't dream of stopping you. But leaving doesn't undo the bond. Doesn't undo the way my wolf reacts to yours… doesn't undo the fact that I can't live without you."
Aria's eyes widened, fear and frustration colliding in a storm. "You… what?"
Kael's expression hardened, his voice low and commanding. "I said it. I can't live without you. And neither can my wolf. You are mine, Aria. Whether you like it or not."
Her heart raced. She wanted to scream, to run, to deny every word, every sensation. But the truth was there, undeniable. She had felt it—before she even understood the signs. The pull, the longing, the instinctive connection that had been lying dormant, waiting for this moment.
"Get out," she whispered, voice trembling. "I hate you."
"And I hate that I want you," he shot back, his eyes burning with intensity. "I've hated it since the day I realized you were mine. And now… we have no choice but to face it."
Aria's world spun. Every memory of childhood humiliation, every cruel joke, every shove, every whispered insult, came rushing back. And now, the person responsible for her suffering was also the one who had just claimed her as mate.
She turned sharply, running to her room, locking the door behind her. Her chest heaved. Her wolf howled inside her, a mixture of fear, anger, and desire she couldn't name. She slid to the floor, trying to ground herself, trying to fight the pull that Kael's presence had ignited.
But it was futile.
Even behind the locked door, she could feel him—the scent of him, the heat, the power. The connection was impossible to ignore. Her wolf cried out, demanding, needing, claiming him even as her mind screamed to resist.
Hours passed in a tense silence, each tick of the clock a reminder that her life had changed in an instant. Finally, the knock on the door came, soft yet unyielding.
"Aria," Kael's voice rumbled. "You can't run from this. Not from me. Not from us. I'm not asking. I'm telling. We're bound. And you'll see, in time… you'll feel it too."
Her hands shook as she opened the door, eyes locked on him. There was no malice in his expression now—only certainty. And for the first time, a flicker of doubt entered her mind. Could she really fight this? Could she survive the bond her entire life had been preparing her for?
Kael stepped forward, offering a hand—not just as a gesture, but as a promise. "I've hated you… loved you… and now… I'll protect you. Even if it kills me."
Aria stared at him, her heart hammering in her chest. The wolf inside her whined, and she realized something terrifying: she wasn't running anymore. The bond had chosen her. And no matter how much she wanted to deny it, she would have to face Kael—mate, enemy, tormentor, and maybe, just maybe… her salvation.
For the first time in her life, Aria understood that eighteen was not the age of freedom—it was the age of reckoning.
And reckoning, she realized with a cold certainty, was only the beginninng
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