Aria knew something was wrong before the knock came.
The warmth in her chest hadn't faded since Rowan left. It pulsed steadily now, like a warning she didn't understand. Every sound felt sharper. Every scent lingered longer than it should have.
Then the knock sounded again.
Firm.
Commanding.
Her stomach dropped.
She didn't need to ask who it was.
The door opened before she reached it.
Alpha Kael filled the doorway.
He looked exactly the same as he had the night before — broad, powerful, unyielding. And yet… different. His expression was tight, jaw clenched as if he were holding something back.
The bond flared.
Aria gasped, fingers curling into her palm as heat rushed through her chest. She took an instinctive step back.
Kael felt it too. His eyes darkened, a sharp inhale betraying him before he masked it.
"So it's true," he said quietly.
Her voice trembled despite her effort to steady it. "What are you doing here?"
Kael's gaze swept over the small hut, the cracked walls, the thin blanket on the bed. Something unreadable flickered across his face.
"You shouldn't feel like this," he said. "Not after a rejection."
Her lips pressed together.
"And yet I do," she replied.
Silence stretched between them, heavy and uncomfortable.
"You're coming with me," Kael said finally.
Aria stiffened. "No."
The single word surprised them both.
Kael frowned. "This isn't a request."
She lifted her chin, heart pounding. "You made your choice."
His jaw tightened. "You're a risk to the pack."
That hurt more than she expected.
"I've always been one," she said softly. "You just didn't care until now."
The bond surged again — sharp, insistent — and Kael took a step back this time.
"What did you do?" he demanded.
"I didn't do anything," Aria snapped, fear bleeding into anger. "You rejected me. You humiliated me. I was supposed to break."
Her voice cracked despite herself.
"But I didn't," she finished.
The air in the hut shifted.
Kael felt it immediately — pressure rolling outward, subtle but unmistakable. His wolf bristled, not in dominance, but in alert.
"This power," he said slowly. "It doesn't belong to an omega."
"I know," Aria whispered.
For the first time since stepping inside, Kael hesitated.
"Come to the council," he said. "We need answers."
She shook her head. "I won't be put on display again."
Kael exhaled sharply. "You don't understand what's happening."
"No," she replied. "You don't understand what you broke."
The bond flared violently between them, heat crashing like a wave. Kael's breath hitched as the pull dragged him forward a step.
He stopped himself — barely.
"If you refuse," he said, voice low, "the elders will force the issue."
Aria met his gaze, something steady settling in her chest.
"Then let them try."
For a long moment, Kael said nothing.
Then, quietly, "You were never supposed to exist like this."
Her lips curved into a faint, bitter smile. "Neither were you… without me."
The words landed harder than any blow.
Kael turned and left without another word, the door closing behind him with a final, echoing thud.
Aria sank into the chair, hands shaking.
Across the pack lands, the council chamber erupted into argument.
And for the first time in Nightfang history, the Alpha King realized control was slipping from his grasp.