Cirian leans back in his chair, fingers tracing the rim of his wine glass. The soft candlelight flickers across his face, sharpening the angles of his jawline and casting shadows under his eyes.
“You know,” he says, a faint smile tugging at his lips, “the first time I saw you, I thought you were going to kill a man.”
I blink at him, startled by the statement. My fork hovers over the plate as I meet his gaze. “What?”
His smile lingers for a moment, but there’s something wistful in his expression. “It was outside your pack’s border. I’d been tracking a rogue, hoping to bring him into my fold, but I lost him in the woods.”
The fi
*** Ariana’s POVThe door clicks shut behind me, and I turn automatically, scanning for a lock. My fingers skim the edges of the wood, searching the smooth surface in vain. Nothing. Not even a latch to bar the door from the inside.I exhale in irritation, stepping back to take in the room, my gaze darting from the chest against the far wall to the chair near the fire. Both seem flimsy options to block the door, but I’m already calculating how much noise they’d make if someone tried to come in uninvited.At least I’d have a warning.Pivoting quickly, my breath catches—no, halts altogether. There’s someone sitting on the edge of the bed.“Elara?” I blurt, my voice sharp as I take a reflexive step back. “What the hell?”The woman perched before me doesn’t flinch, her head tilting slightly as if I were the intruder.“Miss Ariana,” she says softly, her lips curling into a small, fragile smile. It’s disarming, but only because it doesn’t erase the dark circles under her eyes or the hollows i
*** Ariana’s POVElara’s words cling to the air, heavy and wrong, like the echo of a song sung off-key.“I can’t wait to see him again,” she says, her voice soft and distant. The smile on her lips is as fragile as the flame flickering in the hearth, but her eyes… her eyes are the real betrayal. There’s nothing behind them but static.I shift my weight, the creak of the wooden floor grounding me against the surreal tilt of the moment. “When was the last time you talked to James?” I ask, keeping my tone light, almost casual.Elara’s hands, busy smoothing invisible wrinkles from her dress, falter. She blinks, her expression flickering with something—confusion? Uncertainty? “Right before he left,” she says after a pause, the vagueness in her voice like a half-formed thought.The answer settles into my chest like ice water. There’s no time stamp on that comment, nothing specific to anchor it. I know James has been dead for over a month.“And Cirian,” I say slowly, tilting my head as if the
*** Ariana’s POVStepping out of the packhouse behind Cirian, I’m greeted by a crisp breeze that carries the sharp scent of pine. We must be farther north than Draven’s pack.Cirian glances back, his steps slowing. “Shall we?” he asks, extending a hand.I don’t take it, but I follow him. That’s answer enough.Despite my best intention to stay calm and civil, the cold bite in the air feels like an apt comparison to my mood.Waking up to Cirian sitting at the end of my bed and chit-chatting at me through the bathroom door while I was changing still has me off-kilter.Thank the Goddess I had swapped out the nightclothes Elara had chosen for me before going to bed.The ground crunches softly beneath our boots as we walk, the wide path leading deeper into the settlement. Ahead, buildings come into view—rows of them, neat but unpolished. Their wooden frames look sturdy, their construction deliberate. Wolves move between them, talking in quiet tones, some carrying supplies, others watching
*** Ariana’s POV…extermination of rogues.A feeling of deja vú settles over me.I can hear the same phrase being repeated in my head but it’s in my father’s voice.I have the sensation of being younger, the days when I would sit on his lap while he worked in the office.Bad actors.Was my father a bad actor?Cirian moves us along, showing me more—the beginnings of a school, a workshop bustling with activity, a communal space where wolves share food and laughter.“This isn’t just a home for rogues,” he says, gesturing to the buildings. “It’s a chance for
*** Ariana’s POVThe hospital café feels incomplete, much like everything else around here. Half the walls are unpainted drywall, their seams taped but not yet sanded. A few tables are scattered around the space, mismatched chairs filling in the gaps. Exposed beams stretch across the ceiling, reminding me of how exposed I feel sitting across from Cirian. Cirian sits across from me at one of the few functional tables, his coffee steaming in his hands. The sharp scent of fresh paint and sawdust hangs faintly in the air, almost masking the herbal notes of my tea.A waiter sets down a small plate of biscuits between us, offering a polite nod before retreating to the far side of the café. We’re mostly alone here, the quiet punctuated only by the occasional sound of construction—hammering, a power drill whining, muffled voices echoing down the halls.The setting is intimate, leaving me nowhere to hide. I lift my tea to my lips, the heat brushing my face, and take a slow sip, buying myself
*** Ariana’s POVThe lace of my wedding dress brushed the floor as mother gently pinned the last few strands of my unruly black locs in place. “At last,” she said, her voice sounding triumphant.I stared at my reflection, trying to steady my breathing. The soft hum of the pack’s mind-link buzzed faintly in the background, the excitement of preparations for the ceremony building as my bridesmaids left to help welcome the guests."Your bridesmaids look beautiful," my mother said softly, standing behind me. "And you, my love... even more so."I gave her a small smile, but the tightness in my chest wouldn’t ease. “They’ll be watching me,” I murmured. “Judging. I know what they think of me.”Mom met my eyes in the mirror, her expression softening. "The Moon Goddess does everything for a reason, Ari. If she didn’t bless you with a wolf, then the destiny she has in store for you won’t need one." Her hand squeezed my shoulder gently. "The universe is always conspiring in our favor, even if it
*** Ariana’s POV“Ari, get to the study. Now.” My father’s voice came through the mind-link, sharp and commanding. But beneath it, there was a strain I’d never heard before.“I’m coming, almost there,” I sent back quickly, my voice tight with urgency.My pulse quickened as I darted around a corner and down a rarely used side staircase, thankful I didn’t run into anyone."Calm down, Ari," I whispered under my breath. "Father will know what to do. He always does."“Ari, where are you?” My father’s voice cut through again, more urgent this time. “Get to the study! Don’t stop for anything.”The fear in his voice sent a shiver down my spine, settling deep in my chest like ice.I reached the study and pushed the door open with trembling hands. It was empty. Panic clawed at my throat as I scanned the room, but then my mother’s voice rang through the mind-link, steady and calm.“Ari, hurry. Over here.”I spun toward her voice and saw her standing by the far wall, holding open a hidden panel I
*** Ariana’s POVThe tires of my Audi S3 strained against the sharp turns as I pushed the car faster, desperate to put more distance between me and Stormveil. My knuckles were white against the steering wheel, and the empty highway stretched endlessly in front of me. It was just me, the winding road, and the dark forest pressing in on both sides.I tried to control my breathing, whispering the words over and over to myself. "You’re safe now. Just keep going." But the pounding in my chest told me I wasn’t safe—not yet. “Everything happens for a reason,” I repeated, clinging to my mother’s words. “Everything happens for a reason.”“What am I going to do?” I whispered to the road ahead, my voice cracking. My mind raced with questions: Where could I go? Who could I trust? What pack would take me in now?I didn’t have answers, but I couldn’t stop driving.Then it happened.An ear-splitting crash. Metal smashed against metal, and the car lurched violently to the side.A sharp gasp tore from
*** Ariana’s POVThe hospital café feels incomplete, much like everything else around here. Half the walls are unpainted drywall, their seams taped but not yet sanded. A few tables are scattered around the space, mismatched chairs filling in the gaps. Exposed beams stretch across the ceiling, reminding me of how exposed I feel sitting across from Cirian. Cirian sits across from me at one of the few functional tables, his coffee steaming in his hands. The sharp scent of fresh paint and sawdust hangs faintly in the air, almost masking the herbal notes of my tea.A waiter sets down a small plate of biscuits between us, offering a polite nod before retreating to the far side of the café. We’re mostly alone here, the quiet punctuated only by the occasional sound of construction—hammering, a power drill whining, muffled voices echoing down the halls.The setting is intimate, leaving me nowhere to hide. I lift my tea to my lips, the heat brushing my face, and take a slow sip, buying myself
*** Ariana’s POV…extermination of rogues.A feeling of deja vú settles over me.I can hear the same phrase being repeated in my head but it’s in my father’s voice.I have the sensation of being younger, the days when I would sit on his lap while he worked in the office.Bad actors.Was my father a bad actor?Cirian moves us along, showing me more—the beginnings of a school, a workshop bustling with activity, a communal space where wolves share food and laughter.“This isn’t just a home for rogues,” he says, gesturing to the buildings. “It’s a chance for
*** Ariana’s POVStepping out of the packhouse behind Cirian, I’m greeted by a crisp breeze that carries the sharp scent of pine. We must be farther north than Draven’s pack.Cirian glances back, his steps slowing. “Shall we?” he asks, extending a hand.I don’t take it, but I follow him. That’s answer enough.Despite my best intention to stay calm and civil, the cold bite in the air feels like an apt comparison to my mood.Waking up to Cirian sitting at the end of my bed and chit-chatting at me through the bathroom door while I was changing still has me off-kilter.Thank the Goddess I had swapped out the nightclothes Elara had chosen for me before going to bed.The ground crunches softly beneath our boots as we walk, the wide path leading deeper into the settlement. Ahead, buildings come into view—rows of them, neat but unpolished. Their wooden frames look sturdy, their construction deliberate. Wolves move between them, talking in quiet tones, some carrying supplies, others watching
*** Ariana’s POVElara’s words cling to the air, heavy and wrong, like the echo of a song sung off-key.“I can’t wait to see him again,” she says, her voice soft and distant. The smile on her lips is as fragile as the flame flickering in the hearth, but her eyes… her eyes are the real betrayal. There’s nothing behind them but static.I shift my weight, the creak of the wooden floor grounding me against the surreal tilt of the moment. “When was the last time you talked to James?” I ask, keeping my tone light, almost casual.Elara’s hands, busy smoothing invisible wrinkles from her dress, falter. She blinks, her expression flickering with something—confusion? Uncertainty? “Right before he left,” she says after a pause, the vagueness in her voice like a half-formed thought.The answer settles into my chest like ice water. There’s no time stamp on that comment, nothing specific to anchor it. I know James has been dead for over a month.“And Cirian,” I say slowly, tilting my head as if the
*** Ariana’s POVThe door clicks shut behind me, and I turn automatically, scanning for a lock. My fingers skim the edges of the wood, searching the smooth surface in vain. Nothing. Not even a latch to bar the door from the inside.I exhale in irritation, stepping back to take in the room, my gaze darting from the chest against the far wall to the chair near the fire. Both seem flimsy options to block the door, but I’m already calculating how much noise they’d make if someone tried to come in uninvited.At least I’d have a warning.Pivoting quickly, my breath catches—no, halts altogether. There’s someone sitting on the edge of the bed.“Elara?” I blurt, my voice sharp as I take a reflexive step back. “What the hell?”The woman perched before me doesn’t flinch, her head tilting slightly as if I were the intruder.“Miss Ariana,” she says softly, her lips curling into a small, fragile smile. It’s disarming, but only because it doesn’t erase the dark circles under her eyes or the hollows i
*** Ariana’s POVCirian leans back in his chair, fingers tracing the rim of his wine glass. The soft candlelight flickers across his face, sharpening the angles of his jawline and casting shadows under his eyes.“You know,” he says, a faint smile tugging at his lips, “the first time I saw you, I thought you were going to kill a man.”I blink at him, startled by the statement. My fork hovers over the plate as I meet his gaze. “What?”His smile lingers for a moment, but there’s something wistful in his expression. “It was outside your pack’s border. I’d been tracking a rogue, hoping to bring him into my fold, but I lost him in the woods.”The fi
*** Ariana’s POVThe candlelight flickers softly across the table, its warm glow catching on the edges of the dark wood. The food smells incredible—roasted meat, buttery vegetables, and a faint hint of herbs I can’t place—but I can’t bring myself to eat.Cirian seems perfectly at ease, enjoying his stake like it’s Sunday dinner with the family. His glass of wine sits untouched beside him, though he glances at it occasionally as if debating whether to take a sip.“You’ve changed,” he says suddenly, breaking the silence.I glance up sharply, my fork still hovering over my plate. “Have I?”He smiles faintly, setting his knife down. “Yes. You carry yourself differently now—more confident. More… focused.”The compliment feels like a trap, and I carefully lower my fork back to the plate. “Life has a way of doing that to people.”
*** Ariana’s POVThe knock pulls me from a restless, uneasy sleep.For a second, I lie still, blinking at the unfamiliar ceiling. The heavy blankets beneath me feel too soft, the air too warm. Then the sour citrus scent reaches my nose, sharp and faintly bitter, and the reality of where I am slams back into me: the car, the church, the rogues, the locked door.I sit up slowly, rubbing my eyes. My dress from yesterday is wrinkled, and my shoes sit in a messy heap on the floor. I’d ignored the soft sleeping clothes folded neatly on the chair last night, as well as the tray of fruit and bread left waiting on the bedside table. I hadn’t trusted any of it.The knock comes again, soft but persistent.&
*** Ariana’s POVOh, this swaying is going to make me sick. I reach out blindly, searching for something to steady myself against the rhythmic pull rocking me side to side, but my wrists burn and are unresponsive. My head feels heavy, my neck stiff, and there’s a dull thrum vibrating beneath me. I crack my eyes open.My fingers graze smooth leather. Not my car. My pulse quickens, a sharp beat pounding in my ears.I crack my eyes open, squinting at the dim light filtering through darkened windows. The world outside is a blur, shadows and faint lights streaking past. None of it familiar.I sit up—too fast. The seatbelt yanks against my shoulder, locking me in place. My stomach lurches. My chest tightens. Where the hell am I?“Good, you’re awake,” says a voice—deep, calm, and detached.My head snaps toward the sound. The driver. I catch his reflection in the rearview mirror: sharp green eyes, a scar running down his jaw, short-cropped hair. “I think I’m going to be sick” My voice cracks