I turned to leave, gripping Isabella’s trembling body against mine, but before I could take another step, a bone-chilling howl echoed through the forest. The sound reverberated through the trees, making the air around us feel thicker, heavier. I froze, my instincts flaring to life as I recognized that sound. Darius’s pack.*He came prepared.*The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, and I felt Isabella flinch against me. She clutched my arm tightly, her body shaking, but I kept my focus sharp. My eyes scanned the dark woods, searching for movement. I could hear the distant padding of paws on the ground, the low growls of wolves closing in from every direction.I couldn’t fight them all. Not with Isabella by my side.I took a deep breath and tilted my head back, letting out a loud, piercing howl. The sound cut through the night air, an urgent call to my pack. They were nearby, searching for Isabella, scouring the forest just like I had been. It wouldn’t take them long to find us
I could see the mansion in the distance, its dark silhouette a beacon of safety against the chaos we had left behind. I kept my pace steady, holding Isabella tightly in my arms, her face pressed into my chest. She was trembling, her breaths shallow and uneven. I could feel her pain, her fear, and it fueled the burning rage inside me. We were so close to safety, so close to leaving this nightmare behind. But just as I thought we had escaped the danger, a figure emerged from the shadows, running toward us.I tensed immediately, my instincts flaring as I shifted Isabella in my arms, ready to defend her against whatever new threat approached. “Isabella, are you okay?” the figure called out, his voice filled with concern, ignoring me entirely as if I didn’t exist. I felt her flinch at the sound of his voice, her body stiffening in my arms. I looked down at her, confused by her reaction, but before I could say anything, the man stepped into the dim light of the moon. His eyes were locked
The wind whipped against my face as Aiden carried me back toward the mansion, his arms tight around me, but not in the comforting way they used to be. His grip was possessive, suffocating. The coldness in his eyes had become a permanent fixture, and it weighed on me more than I could bear.I had begged him to spare Lucas. Begged. The humiliation of it still gnawed at me. I didn’t know why I’d done it—why I’d risked so much for someone who had betrayed me, manipulated me, and yet, I couldn’t let him die. Maybe because, at the end of the day, he was still human, still someone I thought I could trust.But now… now I had to face the consequences of that decision.I was still trembling, my body aching from the events of the day, but the emotional toll was far worse. Aiden’s cold gaze, his rough hold on me, the way he had thrown Lucas to the ground like he was nothing—all of it left me feeling like a hollow shell of the person I once was.I’d wanted to escape, to be free. But now, more than
The silence between us was unbearable. Aiden hadn’t said a word, and I didn’t know how to break it. The weight of everything that had happened hung in the air like a thick fog, suffocating me. I could feel the tension in his every movement, the coldness radiating from him like an icy wind.He moved quietly, setting me down on the bed before turning his back to me. I watched as he rummaged through a drawer, pulling out bandages, ointments—anything he needed to treat my wounds. The sight of him gathering those things sent a strange pang through my chest. It was such a simple gesture, one I had seen countless times before, but now it felt different. Detached. As if he were going through the motions, his mind far from where we were.When he finally came back to me, he didn’t speak. He just crouched down, his large frame hunched over as he gently grabbed my foot. I flinched, not from the pain, but from the unexpected tenderness in his touch. His fingers were rough, and his hands were also
I watched Aiden’s back as he walked away from me, his figure growing smaller with each step he took. My heart ached in ways I hadn’t expected, the pain almost unbearable. I had wanted to leave him—*I* had wanted to escape this world of wolves and danger. But now, seeing the distance between us, the coldness in his eyes… it hurt more than I could have ever imagined.*He hates me.*The thought echoed in my mind, over and over again. The disappointment I had seen in his eyes, the way he looked at me like I was nothing more than a burden—it was suffocating. I could feel it in every part of me, dragging me down, pulling me into a dark abyss. His gaze had been filled with the same coldness, the same disapproval that I had seen in the eyes of my foster parents.A flash of memory hit me, sharp and vivid.---“Mom, Dad… I didn’t push him! He was saying horrible things about you, Mom,” I had cried, my voice trembling with fear and desperation. My foster parents stood before me, their faces hard
I don’t know how long I sat there, curled up next to the bed, hugging my knees to my chest as the tears continued to fall. My mind was a mess, my heart shattered beyond repair. The weight of everything that had happened pressed down on me, suffocating me in a way that made it hard to even breathe. Aiden was gone. He hated me. I had ruined everything. I pressed my forehead against my knees, closing my eyes as more tears slipped down my cheeks. The memories of the past, of Aiden’s cold gaze, of Lucas’s betrayal—it all swirled together in a storm that I couldn’t escape. I wanted it to stop. I wanted everything to stop. But it didn’t. The silence only grew heavier, the darkness around me more oppressive. I felt lost, adrift in a sea of regret, and there was no one left to pull me back. A soft click broke through the silence, and I tensed, the sound of the door opening pulling me from my thoughts. I didn’t look up. I couldn’t. I was too tired, too drained. It was probably one of the mai
**Aiden’s POV** The silence in the room was suffocating, broken only by the sound of Isabella’s soft, uneven breaths as she lay against me. Her small body trembled in my arms, but I could feel the tension slowly ebbing away as exhaustion took over her. She had cried herself dry, her face buried in my chest, and now she was quiet, though I could still feel the weight of her emotions pressing against me like a heavy stone. I stared at the ceiling, my mind a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts and emotions. I hadn’t planned to come back to her room tonight. I had been ready to walk away, to put distance between us and clear my head. But the moment I’d left, something inside me had shifted—*something* had pulled me back. The bond. It was always the bond. It was a force I couldn’t escape, a pull so strong that it clawed at me, making it impossible to leave her. No matter how much I wanted to hate her for what she’d done, no matter how betrayed I felt, the bond tied me to her in ways I cou
Two weeks. It had been two weeks since everything fell apart—since I tried to run away, since Lucas’s betrayal, since Darius reappeared and turned my world upside down. And in those two weeks, Aiden hadn’t come to see me. Not once. The silence had been deafening. Every day, a maid would come to check on my wounds, apply ointment, and make sure I was healing. The physical scars were almost gone now—faded reminders of that night. But my emotional wounds? They felt as raw and open as ever. And yet, those wounds were the least of my worries. What weighed on me more than anything was that Aiden still believed I had chosen the hunters over him. He thought I had sided with the people responsible for his parents’ deaths, for all the pain in his life. And because of that, he had distanced himself from me. He was giving me space—far more than I ever wanted. In those two weeks, no one kept a close watch on me anymore. I could walk through the mansion freely, venture outside, go as far as I w
As the sun dipped below the horizon, bathing the orphanage in hues of orange and pink, my mother stood in the doorway, her expression a mix of hesitancy and determination. “Will you both stay for dinner?” she asked, her voice carrying a hopeful note that tugged at my heart. I glanced at Aiden, expecting resistance. He was a man of particular habits, unaccustomed to impromptu changes or the chaotic warmth of my past life. But to my surprise, he nodded. “We’d love to,” he said, his voice calm and reassuring. My mother’s smile lit up her face, and something inside me unfurled—a tension I hadn’t realized I was holding. “Wonderful,” she said. “I’ll set up the dining hall.” As she turned to make preparations, I felt Aiden’s hand squeeze mine briefly. “Are you happy?” he whispered, his eyes searching mine for any sign of distress. “Yes,” I replied, more to convince myself than him. “It’ll be good to catch up with everyone.” He nodded, his gaze lingering on me a moment longer before he r
As the sun dipped below the horizon, bathing the orphanage in hues of orange and pink, my mother stood in the doorway, her expression a mix of hesitancy and determination. “Will you both stay for dinner?” she asked, her voice carrying a hopeful note that tugged at my heart.I glanced at Aiden, expecting resistance. He was a man of particular habits, unaccustomed to impromptu changes or the chaotic warmth of my past life. But to my surprise, he nodded. “We’d love to,” he said, his voice calm and reassuring.My mother’s smile lit up her face, and something inside me unfurled—a tension I hadn’t realized I was holding. “Wonderful,” she said. “I’ll set up the dining hall.”As she turned to make preparations, I felt Aiden’s hand squeeze mine briefly. “Are you happy?” he whispered, his eyes searching mine for any sign of distress.“Yes,” I replied, more to convince myself than him. “It’ll be good to catch up with everyone.”He nodded, his gaze lingering on me a moment longer before he releas
Aiden’s hand was firm around mine, grounding me when my legs threatened to buckle under the weight of anticipation. The creak of the iron gates of the orphanage echoed through my chest, rattling my nerves. Each step felt like walking through molasses, my body betraying me despite my mind’s desperate commands to move forward.“Relax, Isabella, or you’re going to scare them,” Aiden said softly, his voice like a warm breeze cutting through the storm inside me. His lips curved into a slight smile, though I could see the undercurrent of concern in his gaze.I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded, clutching his arm as if letting go would pull me back into the void of uncertainty. Aiden took the first step inside, and I followed, my breath hitching with every inch closer to the truth.The orphanage hadn’t changed much, at least not from what I remembered in fragments—peeling paint on the walls, the faint scent of lavender detergent that lingered in the air, and the distant sound of chi
As spring began to thaw the chill of winter, the team found a temporary respite from their relentless battle against the Black Sun. The fortress in the Pyrenees had been dismantled, and the immediate threat of The Ascendancy had been averted. However, the remnants of the dark network remained a persistent threat, and the team’s mission was far from complete. In their base, the atmosphere was a mix of cautious optimism and ongoing vigilance. The team had succeeded in disrupting the Black Sun’s most recent plans, but their influence was still widespread. The remnants continued to operate in the shadows, their intentions shrouded in secrecy. Isabella, Clyde, Elise, Alessandro, and Marta gathered in the war room, reviewing their latest intelligence. The walls were covered with maps, photographs, and documents detailing the Black Sun’s remaining operatives and activities. Elise, looking over a set of decrypted messages, spoke with concern. “We’ve uncovered several new locations tied to
The drive to the orphanage was quiet. The mood we had woken up with had been ruined, leaving a tension thick enough to slice through. I could see Aiden’s jaw tightening every few seconds, a telltale sign of his internal struggle. He was controlling himself—for me, I knew that much. It was his way. Always measured, always holding back. The world outside the window blurred past, a mix of early autumn trees and gray skies, but I couldn’t focus on any of it. My chest felt heavy, guilt coiling tight around my ribs. After fifteen minutes of silence, the tension became unbearable. I glanced over at him and then back at the passing scenery, forcing myself to speak. “I’m sorry,” I said softly, my voice barely breaking the stillness. Aiden’s eyes flicked toward me, his expression unreadable. His gaze returned to the road almost instantly. “For what?” he asked, his tone polite but distant, as though he were forcing himself to remain calm. I swallowed hard, my throat dry. “For putting you in
“Isabella,” he said, his tone low and firm, “you make the rules here. You break them. No one is superior to you—not Marcus, not me, not anyone in this pack.” The weight of his words settled over me, heavy and unfamiliar. “But… the rules exist for a reason,” I argued weakly, my voice wavering. “And sometimes,” he said, glancing at me briefly, “those rules don’t account for the unique situations we face. That’s why you’re the Luna. To lead. To make the hard calls. The pack looks to you for guidance, not to follow every rule blindly.” I shook my head, my chest tight. “I don’t feel like a Luna,” I admitted. “I don’t feel like someone they should look up to.” Aiden’s hand tightened slightly on my thigh, his warmth seeping through the fabric of my jeans. “That’s because you keep doubting yourself,” he said, his voice softer now. “You’re still thinking like an outsider. But you’re not anymore. You’re one of us, Isabella. More than that, you’re the luna, my mate. It’s time you start actin
The drive to the orphanage was quiet. The mood we had woken up with had been ruined, leaving a tension thick enough to slice through. I could see Aiden’s jaw tightening every few seconds, a telltale sign of his internal struggle. He was controlling himself—for me, I knew that much. It was his way. Always measured, always holding back.The world outside the window blurred past, a mix of early autumn trees and gray skies, but I couldn’t focus on any of it. My chest felt heavy, guilt coiling tight around my ribs. After fifteen minutes of silence, the tension became unbearable. I glanced over at him and then back at the passing scenery, forcing myself to speak.“I’m sorry,” I said softly, my voice barely breaking the stillness.Aiden’s eyes flicked toward me, his expression unreadable. His gaze returned to the road almost instantly. “For what?” he asked, his tone polite but distant, as though he were forcing himself to remain calm.I swallowed hard, my throat dry. “For putting you in a ti
Just as we were about to leave the table, Marcus entered the room. The first thing his eyes caught was our intertwined fingers. I instinctively tried to pull my hand back, but Aiden tightened his grip, his fingers pressing firmly against mine as though silently daring me to let go.Marcus raised a brow, his lips curving into a knowing smirk as he cleared his throat. “Someone is clearly in a good mood after whipping everyone’s ass,” he drawled.Aiden rolled his eyes, the action subtle but unmistakable. “Oh, please,” he muttered, his tone dripping with irritation.We both knew what Marcus was referring to. Aiden had spent the better part of past two weeks commanding everyone on how to deal with Darius. The tension between him and Darius was palpable, almost suffocating at times. I had told him countless times to forget about the man, to let it go, but Aiden had been resolute. I could still remember the dangerous glint in his eyes as he’d said, “I would never forgive anyone for touching
“Do you remember what day it is today?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, but I could feel the weight of my words lingering in the quietness.Aiden’s response was slow, deliberate. He raised one brow in that way he did, and just that one look made my heart skip a beat. If it was a sin to look this handsome first thing in the morning, then he was, without a doubt, the greatest sinner of them all. I found myself stuttering, nerves dancing through me as I tried to find the courage to bring up the topic I’d been holding onto.“You said you’d take me to the orphanage,” I said, my voice hesitant, unsure if this was the right time. Would he remember? Would he care as much as I did?For a moment, he didn’t say anything. Silence crept in, and with it, a growing sense of unease. My mind spiraled, convinced I’d messed everything up. Just as the words started to rise in my throat, desperate to cover up the silence, Aiden leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss on my cheek. His arms wrapp