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
“Aiden,” I said softly, my voice trembling slightly. “We need to talk.” He didn’t respond right away. His eyes narrowed slightly as he leaned back in his chair, studying me with an unreadable expression. “What do you want, Isabella?” His voice was low, but there was no warmth in it. Just that same cold detachment that had been there for weeks. I swallowed hard, my heart pounding in my chest. “I just… I just want to explain.” He raised an eyebrow, a bitter smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “Explain? What is there to explain?” I felt my throat tighten, but I forced myself to keep going. “You think I chose them over you, but I didn’t, Aiden. I just wanted to see my mother. Lucas lied to me, manipulated me. I never wanted to betray you.” Aiden’s expression didn’t change. His eyes remained cold, his posture rigid as he leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the desk. “Lucas lied to you, manipulated you?” he repeated, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “So you just convenie
I had no idea how we had gotten here, how everything had escalated so quickly. One moment, I was demanding that Aiden trust me, and the next, I was pinned against the wall, his body pressed against mine, his face buried in my neck. I could feel the heat of his breath against my skin, the steady rise and fall of his chest as he held himself so close, too close. And the strangest part? I didn’t hate it. Not like I used to. Not like before, when his touch sent waves of fear through me. Now, it was something else entirely—something I didn’t want to admit to, something I wasn’t ready to acknowledge. Maybe I had grown used to him, to the way he took up space in my world, to the way he invaded every corner of my mind. His lips moved over my skin, slow and deliberate, as if he was testing his own restraint. Every brush of his mouth sent shivers down my spine, each one more intense than the last. He lingered just below my ear, his warm breath tickling the sensitive skin there as he whispere
Aiden’s gaze swept over me, his eyes a tempest of dark fire, each flicker holding back a storm of rage not meant for me, but threatening to spill out all the same. He was a fortress in turmoil, his facade barely containing the seething fury beneath. His jaw was set, his stance rigid, each muscle tensed as if ready to spring into a battle he was forced to withhold. “You shouldn’t be here, Isabella,” he said, his voice a low growl that vibrated with a barely restrained intensity. His eyes then darted to the two men who had shifted uncomfortably, their own eyes darting away from my gaze, clearly intimidated by Aiden’s overt protectiveness. I felt a perverse thrill at his possessiveness, a primal approval of his concern for my safety, yet I knew this was neither the time nor the place. Aiden cleared his throat, a sound meant to redirect my attention, and it snapped me back to the gravity of the situation. “No, I—” I started, stumbling over my words. The truth was treacherous territory
“That’s a relief,” he chuckled, his hand finding mine over the center console, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I’m glad she sees that my intentions are good.” I squeezed his hand back, the simple touch sending a current of gratitude through me. “She does. And it means the world to me that you were there, that you’re here now.” Aiden’s smile didn’t wane as he turned the car onto the highway, the sparse traffic allowing him a moment to glance my way. “I wouldn’t be anywhere else, Isabella. You know that.” I nodded, watching the scenery blur past us. The night was clear, the stars scattered across the sky like dusted silver, and I felt a pull to share more with him—to dive into the depths of my thoughts and emotions. “It’s just…” I hesitated, searching for the right words. “Today made me realize how much I’ve changed. How much we’ve changed, together. I used to feel like an outsider everywhere I went. But with you, I’m home.” Aiden’s grip on my hand tightened.We drove in comfort
The first sense that stirred as consciousness crept back was the emptiness on Aiden’s side of the bed. I didn’t remember what time we had fallen asleep, but the vague recollection of his arms wrapped securely around me lingered in my mind like the remnants of a comforting dream. However, the cool, vacant sheets next to me sharply snapped me back to reality. Opening my eyes to the morning light filtering through the curtains, I immediately searched the expanse of the bed for Aiden, but he wasn’t there. His absence was like a void. The lingering scent on his pillow was the only evidence of his presence from the night before. I rolled over, burying my face into it, inhaling deeply. His familiar scent—a mix of sandalwood and something uniquely Aiden—filled my senses, offering a temporary comfort. I lay there, the silence of the room enveloping me, letting the minutes tick by. With each second, the warmth of his scent waned, and the reality of his absence grew. Finally, I couldn’t bear t
The first sense that stirred as consciousness crept back was the emptiness on Aiden’s side of the bed. I didn’t remember what time we had fallen asleep, but the vague recollection of his arms wrapped securely around me lingered in my mind like the remnants of a comforting dream. However, the cool, vacant sheets next to me sharply snapped me back to reality.Opening my eyes to the morning light filtering through the curtains, I immediately searched the expanse of the bed for Aiden, but he wasn’t there. His absence was like a void. The lingering scent on his pillow was the only evidence of his presence from the night before. I rolled over, burying my face into it, inhaling deeply. His familiar scent—a mix of sandalwood and something uniquely Aiden—filled my senses, offering a temporary comfort.I lay there, the silence of the room enveloping me, letting the minutes tick by. With each second, the warmth of his scent waned, and the reality of his absence grew. Finally, I couldn’t bear the
“That’s a relief,” he chuckled, his hand finding mine over the center console, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I’m glad she sees that my intentions are good.” I squeezed his hand back, the simple touch sending a current of gratitude through me. “She does. And it means the world to me that you were there, that you’re here now.” Aiden’s smile didn’t wane as he turned the car onto the highway, the sparse traffic allowing him a moment to glance my way. “I wouldn’t be anywhere else, Isabella. You know that.” I nodded, watching the scenery blur past us. The night was clear, the stars scattered across the sky like dusted silver, and I felt a pull to share more with him—to dive into the depths of my thoughts and emotions. “It’s just…” I hesitated, searching for the right words. “Today made me realize how much I’ve changed. How much we’ve changed, together. I used to feel like an outsider everywhere I went. But with you, I’m home.” Aiden’s grip on my hand tightened.We drove in comfortable s
The car’s headlights cut through the darkness as we left the orphanage, the comforting presence of old friends and the familiar backdrop fading into the night. The drive back to the mansion that I’d slowly begun to call home was quieter than usual, yet filled with a resonant peace that settled around Aiden and me like a soft shawl.“I can’t believe how well today went,” I started, my voice tinged with wonder and relief. I glanced over at Aiden, who was focused on the road, the soft glow of the dashboard lights casting gentle shadows across his face. “It felt so good to talk with my mother about everything—well, almost everything.”Aiden’s slight smile grew as he listened, his eyes reflecting a warmth that drew me further into my recount. “And she seems to really like you,” I added, my tone lifting with pride.“That’s a relief,” he chuckled, his hand finding mine over the center console, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I’m glad she sees that my intentions are good.”I squeezed his hand ba
As we settled around the table, the buzz of conversation filling the room, I began to share my journey or should I say the lies I had build in my mind just in case for the moments like these. I spoke of the cities and the sights, my words painting a picture of freedom and discovery. But I carefully chose my words, the reasons why I had really left, and the secrets that Aiden and I shared. Aiden, meanwhile, ate quietly, his presence a steady calm next to my animated storytelling. Every now and then, he would chime in with a comment or a clarification, his voice smooth and engaging. The group was visibly taken with him, their questions turning from my travels to how we had met. “It’s actually quite a story,” Aiden began, the corners of his eyes crinkling in amusement. “You see, Isabella literally bumped into me in a coffee shop.” Laughter rippled around the table, and I felt a bubble of laugh making its way to my throat at the thought of Aiden making up a story of how we met. “I w
As we settled around the table, the buzz of conversation filling the room, I began to share my journey or should I say the lies I had build in my mind just in case for the moments like these. I spoke of the cities and the sights, my words painting a picture of freedom and discovery. But I carefully chose my words, the reasons why I had really left, and the secrets that Aiden and I shared. Aiden, meanwhile, ate quietly, his presence a steady calm next to my animated storytelling. Every now and then, he would chime in with a comment or a clarification, his voice smooth and engaging. The group was visibly taken with him, their questions turning from my travels to how we had met. “It’s actually quite a story,” Aiden began, the corners of his eyes crinkling in amusement. “You see, Isabella literally bumped into me in a coffee shop.” Laughter rippled around the table, and I felt a bubble of laugh making its way to my throat at the thought of Aiden making up a story of how we met. “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