The clearing slowly emptied, but the tension refused to leave.
Aria had shifted back into her human form nearly an hour ago. Someone had draped a cloak around her shoulders, though she couldn't remember who. Everything after the shift felt distant, like she was watching her own life from far away.
She sat on a flat rock near the edge of the trees, trying to steady her breathing.
Her body still felt unfamiliar — stronger, sharper, more aware. Every sound carried meaning now. Every scent told a story.
And one scent refused to fade.
Kael.
Even with distance between them, she could still feel him. Not physically… but somewhere deeper. Like a quiet pulse beneath her ribs.
It was unsettling.
It was also impossible to ignore.
"You shouldn't be out here alone."
His voice came from behind her.
Aria stiffened but didn't turn immediately. Part of her had known he would come. Part of her had been waiting.
When she finally faced him, the moonlight revealed how tired he looked. Not weak — never that — but worn in a way she hadn't expected from the heir of the Blackwells.
"This is Kingston territory," she said, forcing her voice to stay steady.
"You're the one who shouldn't be here."
A faint, humourless smile touched his lips.
"Tonight stopped being simple territory politics the moment we found each other."
The words settled heavily between them.
Aria hated how true they felt.
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke. The forest filled the silence with distant night sounds — leaves shifting, wolves calling to one another across unseen distances.
"So what happens now?" she asked quietly.
Kael studied her face as if searching for something.
"That depends," he said.
"Are you going to pretend you didn't feel it?"
Heat rose to her cheeks. She looked away.
Of course she had felt it.
The pull.
The strange sense of belonging.
The way her wolf had calmed the moment he touched her.
But admitting that meant accepting a future she had never been allowed to imagine.
"My father will never agree to this bond," she said.
"Your pack won't either."
"Packs don't choose mates," Kael replied.
"The Moon does."
His certainty unsettled her.
"You talk like destiny fixes everything," she said.
"It doesn't. People die because of the hatred between our families."
"I know."
The simple answer surprised her enough to make her look back at him.
There was no arrogance in his expression now. Only something quieter. More complicated.
"My mother was killed in a Kingston raid," he added after a moment.
"I grew up on the same stories you did."
The admission shifted something inside Aria.
For the first time, she saw him not just as the enemy heir… but as someone shaped by the same endless war.
That realization felt dangerous.
Because understanding led to empathy.
And empathy led to mistakes.
"We should reject the bond," she said finally, the words tasting bitter.
"It's the only way to stop this from getting worse."
Kael took a slow step closer.
Her heartbeat immediately lost its rhythm.
"You really believe that?" he asked.
She opened her mouth to answer.
Nothing came out.
Because the truth was… she didn't know what she believed anymore.
All she knew was that standing this close to him made the world feel strangely right — and completely wrong at the same time.
Somewhere in the distance, a wolf howled.
Aria felt the sound echo inside her chest.
And for the first time since her shift, fear wasn't the strongest emotion she felt.
It was longing.