They left before the sun fully rose.
Mist clung to the ground as Aria followed Kael beyond the pack gates, the forest stretching wide and unfamiliar ahead. She had walked these lands before, but never this far, never past the invisible line where Nightfang's authority faded into uncertainty.
The moment they crossed it, she felt it.
The bond shifted.
Not weaker—sharper.
Like a thread pulled taut.
Kael slowed, sensing it too. "We're outside the pack's boundary now."
Aria nodded. "It feels… louder."
"That's because there's nothing dampening it anymore," he said. "The pack land suppresses things. Old magic especially."
Her chest warmed at the words old magic.
They walked in silence for a while, boots crunching softly against fallen leaves. The forest smelled damp and alive, shadows stretching long between the trees.
"You're tense," Kael said finally.
She let out a short laugh. "You rejected me in front of everyone and now you're escorting me into exile. Should I be relaxed?"
He winced. "That's not what this is."
"What is it then?"
"A delay," he said. "Until we understand what's hunting you."
The word settled uneasily between them.
"Hunting," she repeated.
Kael stopped walking.
The bond tugged sharply, forcing her to stop too.
"I didn't tell the elders everything," he said. "There are packs that watch for disturbances like you."
Her stomach dropped. "Like me."
"Yes."
"Because of my power?"
"Because of your type," he corrected. "Power like yours doesn't emerge randomly. It's inherited—or claimed."
She swallowed. "From who?"
Kael hesitated.
Before he could answer, the bond flared violently.
Aria gasped, doubling over as heat surged through her veins, fierce and sudden. The forest seemed to tilt, shadows deepening unnaturally.
Kael was at her side instantly, gripping her shoulders. "Aria. Look at me."
"I feel—" She sucked in a breath. "Something's wrong."
Kael's wolf snarled inside him.
"You're being sensed," he said grimly.
A presence slid across the forest like a blade against skin.
Not close.
But deliberate.
Then—slow clapping echoed from the trees.
"Well," a male voice drawled, amused. "This was easier than I expected."
A figure stepped into the clearing.
He was tall, lean, dressed in dark leathers marked with unfamiliar sigils. His eyes glowed faintly gold—not Nightfang gold. Older. Sharper.
Kael moved in front of Aria without thinking.
"State your name and pack," Kael commanded.
The man smiled. "Still so formal."
His gaze slid past Kael, locking onto Aria.
"Oh," he murmured. "There you are."
The bond exploded.
Aria cried out as heat ripped through her chest, wild and furious, reacting to the stranger's attention like a living thing.
Kael growled low. "Do not look at her."
The man laughed softly. "Too late. I felt her days ago."
Aria's heart pounded. "Who are you?"
"An observer," he said lightly. "You can call me Lucen."
Kael's eyes darkened. "Shadowclaw."
Lucen inclined his head mockingly. "So the Alpha King does remember us."
"Your pack was exiled," Kael said coldly. "For blood rituals."
"For survival," Lucen corrected. "Funny how history is written by those in power."
Lucen took a step closer.
The air thickened.
Aria felt something inside her snap—instinctive, protective, furious.
The ground beneath Lucen's feet cracked.
He stopped, eyes widening briefly before his smile returned, sharper now.
"Oh," he said softly. "You're not awakened."
Kael's heart sank.
"You're awakening."
Lucen looked genuinely pleased. "Do you know what you are, little omega?"
Aria's voice shook. "I'm not an omega."
Lucen's gaze flicked to Kael. "You rejected her?"
Kael said nothing.
Lucen laughed, delighted. "Then you handed her to the world unclaimed."
The bond surged violently, pressure building between Aria and Kael until it was almost unbearable. She could feel his heart racing, his restraint fraying.
"Don't," Kael growled to Lucen. "Step away."
Lucen raised his hands in mock surrender. "Relax. I won't take her."
Aria didn't believe him.
"Not yet," Lucen added.
The bond screamed.
Aria cried out as power rushed through her uncontrollably, the forest bending inward, trees groaning under unseen force.
Kael pulled her hard against his chest.
"Aria," he said urgently, voice low in her ear. "Breathe with me."
Her hands fisted in his shirt as the bond surged wildly, desperate, aching, claiming.
"Kael," she gasped. "I can't hold it—"
"I know," he said. "I'm here."
Lucen watched with fascination. "Ah. There it is."
Kael snarled. "Leave."
Lucen stepped back, amused. "Enjoy the journey, Alpha King. The moment she breaks fully…"
His eyes locked on Aria.
"We'll all feel it."
Then he vanished into the trees, presence dissolving like smoke.
The forest fell silent.
Aria collapsed against Kael, shaking, breath ragged.
He held her tightly now, no restraint left, arms locked around her as the bond slowly eased.
For a long moment, neither spoke.
Finally, she whispered, "You felt it too."
"Yes," Kael said hoarsely.
"The bond almost—"
"Broke," he finished. "Or sealed."
Her heart pounded painfully. "Which one?"
Kael pulled back just enough to look at her, eyes dark, conflicted, burning.
"That," he said quietly, "depends on how long we can keep pretending this isn't already happening."
The bond pulsed—dangerously close to snapping its final restraint.
And the road ahead had just become a battlefield.