31. Aria

31

ARIA

A fter a long day in the library, I needed to clear my head. While I knew it was necessary for me and Atticus to work together to restore the balance, it sounded like a terrible idea. Yes, being near him lessened the painful buzzing of the magic under my skin, but it did nothing for the attraction I felt towards him, which I definitely didn’t want to dwell on. Atticus and I were connected in a way I had never asked for. It gnawed at me, this bond. Why us? What sick joke was this? I needed to run, to let my wolf out, so I didn’t have to think for a while.

I padded along the forest’s edge, my paws silent on the leaf-strewn ground. The world was just a jumble of shapes to me, the scenery secondary to the unrest in my head. I caught sight of the rough stones that marked my parents’ final resting place. The last rays of sunlight were breaking through the trees, setting the sky on fire with colors that felt too warm, too alive for what I was feeling inside. Shifting into my human skin, I moved closer to their graves.

“Father,” I said as I settled down between their graves. “Mama visited me.” I fell silent, hoping his spirit would appear. The wind whispered through the trees, the leaves rustling gently. “Am I doing the right thing by leading the pack in this new direction? I know change is difficult, but if we don’t adapt, we’ll be in trouble. The old guard’s objections and disapproval are eating away at my confidence and conviction.” My emotions burst forth like a dam breaking. I wrapped my arms around my knees as sobs racked my body. Tears streamed down my cheeks in thick rivulets. “I hate feeling powerless and unsure. I know you wouldn’t approve, that you’d think me weak. How did you separate your emotions from leading the pack?”

The fiery sunset faded, transforming the sky into a dark canvas adorned with countless sparkling stars. I sat in quiet contemplation, attempting to tuck away my misery as I followed the moon’s ascent. Tracing my father’s name etched into his headstone, I spoke again.

“Ilaric has been amazing. I value his guidance, but I miss you. I wish you were here to guide me through this uncertainty. Everyone is so damn vague about everything. They speak of balance without offering details or ways to achieve it. Now, there’s this fucking connection or whatever it is, that I have with Atticus. It’s like a vine, wrapping around my heart, pulling me toward him.” I sighed, my shoulder slumping. “I know I should be using everything at my disposal to fix this imbalance, but is it cowardly that I want it gone? It hurts my heart too much to have this connection.”

The stones stood silent, offering no answers. Regret and sorrow knotted in my chest. “I feel like I’ve already made so many mistakes.”

Sudden panic gripped me, a vise around my chest making it hard to breathe. I scanned my surroundings frantically, searching for the source. There was nothing obvious in the cemetery, but when another cold rush of fear washed over me, I realized it wasn’t mine. Atticus . Something was wrong. His terror lashed at my senses, sharp and urgent. My instincts took over, and I shifted into my wolf form. I adjusted my stance, muscles tensing, and leapt into the forest. I had to get to him. Whatever was happening with Atticus was bad. He needed me.

I’d followed my father’s rules and way of life for so long. Now, as every step took me closer to Atticus, I felt those old ideals slipping away. Hadn’t I told my father’s council members that the old ways weren’t chains to hold us back? If I expected the pack to embrace this new way, I had to do the same. This was about survival, about connection, about establishing our place in this changing world. Father had always told me to trust my instincts and that’s what I intended to do.

With adrenaline coursing through my veins, I raced through the forest at lightning speed, my paws flying over the ground beneath me. Oblivious to its sights and sounds, the forest passed by in a whirl as I remained focused on my singular mission.

I had never experienced such powerful, bone-chilling fear that now pulsed through the link. Atticus’s terror was like a guide wire strung tight to my chest, leading me forward. Could it be? Was this bond not a curse but guidance instead?

The green curtain of ivy that concealed his den came into view. Anyone watching would have thought I’d lost my mind, as I kept on a straight path, running straight to the wall. I didn’t slow down, didn’t shift back to human form. I crashed through the entrance.

Joren, Lyza, Hale, and Mia jumped up from where they had been lounging, their eyes now alert and ready for combat. Recognizing me as friend, not foe, they relaxed their stance and pointed down the hallway to Atticus’s room. There was no other reason for me to be here.

Before I knew about our bond, all these feelings had been jumbled together. Not anymore. I could easily sense the source, parse his emotions from my own. There was a sharp and distinct line drawn between my fears and his.

Reverting to my human form, I slipped into his room, squinting as my eyes adapted to the dimly lit space. On the bed, Atticus thrashed under the covers, groaning and grunting in distress.

“Atticus?” I whispered.

No response, just the same uneasy noise.

Now that I was closer to him, the dread coming from him was almost palpable.

“Shit,” I muttered. What the fuck was going on? He was sound asleep. Terror, thick and choking, washed over me. He was drowning in its suffocating grip.

He let out a long, pained moan. Was he dreaming? Could a nightmare be causing this? My feet moved of their own accord, carrying me to his side. I hesitated, unsure of what action to take. The bond seemed to compel me to move even closer, so I did the only thing I could think of. I climbed into bed beside him.

It didn’t mean anything. This was just us coming together to understand these powers.

I laid my hand on him, drawing him toward me. At my touch, the overwhelming horror that had gripped our bond gradually receded, and something closer to calm took its place. Relief flooded through me, and I blinked back tears.

His eyes flashed open, ice-blue meeting mine.

“Aria?” His sleep-laden voice carried a heart-wrenching mixture of disbelief and hope.

“Shh, I’m here,” I murmured, my fingers smoothing back his damp hair. With my other hand, I squeezed his, trying to anchor him to the present and away from the trepidation of his mind.

“Talk to me. What’s haunting you?” I needed to know, needed to understand the forces capable of bringing the strong alpha to his knees.

The silence stretched on, and I wondered if he would answer. Then he exhaled heavily.

“Dreams,” he finally confessed. “Old memories.”

“Share them with me,” I urged.

“I can’t,” he protested. “I don’t want to burden?—”

“Listen,” I cut in, firm but gentle. “You’ve never been a burden. You never will be. This bond… I feel what you do. I know that no one person should have to shoulder this alone. Let me help you, Atticus. Let me take some of this weight and make it lighter for you.”

He trembled as he spoke, and each word that spilled from his lips was filled with raw anguish. “It’s...my father. My mother.”

I braced for what was coming.

“He killed her. My father killed my mother, and I... I couldn’t stop him.” He might as well have punched me in the gut. My heart twisted sharply, and I knew it was Atticus’s pain.

I gasped. “Oh, Atticus.” I struggled to find words that didn’t exist. “I can’t even begin to imagine...”

“He was supposed to protect us,” he said, his voice breaking. “He took me hunting. That night, he became a monster. I was just a kid, scared and alone. He tried to kill me, but, my powers saved me. I shrouded myself in shadows, creating a barrier he couldn’t get through. He got so angry.”

My eyes burned with tears I desperately tried to keep at bay.

“My mother, sensing something was wrong, came after us. He was furious that I’d thwarted him, that she’d protect me over him. He lost it. Killed her. It should have been me, Aria, not my mom.”

My tears spilled over at the same moment his did. His pain was mine, and I wished I could take it all.

“That’s what this bond is for. We’re supposed to feel each other,” I said. “It’s there so we don’t have to shoulder such things alone, so we can ease each other’s pain.”

He took a shuddering breath, and the tension slowly left his body. “With you, I’m calm. At peace. Always have been.”

I squeezed his hand tighter. “Then let’s not fight it.”

I stayed with him, running my fingers through his soft hair and stroking his back. His heavy eyelids slowly fluttered closed, weighed down by sleep. Lying here, so close to him, was torture. I waited until he fell asleep again, this time without any dreams plaguing him, before I slipped out of the bed and his room. The communal area was empty; the others were probably asleep. I stepped outside, my breath misting in the night air. The forest was dark, but I knew every twist and turn back to Silver Claw territory. With Atticus’s warmth lingering on my skin, I headed home.

I didn’t hear or sense anything until they emerged from the shadows of the undergrowth. It happened so fast I didn’t have time to react. Four figures, faces obscured with grotesque masks that seemed to writhe and contort in the dim light, moved toward me with predatory speed. The world narrowed to the menacing quartet closing in on me, creating in impenetrable circle. The crunch of leaves underfoot was the only sound as they encircled me, their silence more terrifying than any scream could ever be. The unmistakable scent of shifters filled the air, but some distorted magic kept me from identifying them or their pack.

“Who are you? What do you want?” I asked, glancing around to find an escape point.

“You have outlived your usefulness. You must die,” one spat out.

My pulse quickened, terror clashing with anger. “Who are you?” I demanded again, but my voice betrayed my panic. Could I shift fast enough to get away? They were so close I felt their breath on my skin. I was outnumbered. I couldn’t attack, couldn’t shift with them on top of me like me.

“It doesn’t matter who we are,” one answered.

“Only why we’re here,” said another.

They began to chant in a language I didn’t recognize, their voices growing louder as they crowded me. The air took on an electric charge, and my magic surged forth. Power clawed its way to the surface, wild and unyielding. It scared me as much as these four masked shifters did. Outnumbered, I braced myself as they closed in on me.

Out of nowhere, the sky cracked open. Lightning splintered the dark, and a torrent of rain lashed down. As they grabbed me, their nails digging into my skin, another figure appeared, her white hair a signal light in the overwhelming dark. With a gust of wind, the figures stumbled, the circle temporarily broken.

“Run!” the strange woman shouted.

My feet were rooted to the spot for a split second.

“Are you deaf? I said go!” she yelled again, her voice snapping me out of my trance.

I turned and ran.

The forest closed in around me, branches whipping against my skin as if urging me forward. I could hear the men, grunting, the sounds of their struggle punctuating the night, but with each step, those sounds grew fainter. The rain plastered my hair to my face, mud sucking at my boots, but I didn’t stop.

Shadows played tricks on my eyes, every rustle of leaves sounding like pursuit. It was just me, tearing through the underbrush, desperate to put distance between myself and the murderers I’d left behind.

Behind me, the sound of combat faded, a distant echo swallowed by the roar of my own escape. Safety was ahead, somewhere beyond the next bend, past the next thicket. I had to believe that. With one final burst of energy, I pushed forward, away from the violence, away from the night’s darkness.