Aria's POV
Pain was the first thing I felt.
Every muscle in my body screamed. My bones felt like someone had taken them apart and put them back together wrong.
I forced my eyes open.
This wasn't the forest. I was in a bed a real bed with soft blankets and pillows. A fire crackled in a stone fireplace. Warm light filled a room with wooden walls and...
Where was I?
You're awake.
The deep voice made me jump. I tried to sit up but my body refused to cooperate.
A man sat in a chair by the window. The man from the forest. He was even more intimidating in the fire light tall and powerfully built, with black hair and those intense amber eyes that seemed to see right through me.
My heart hammered. Who are you?
He stood and moved toward the bed. Every movement was controlled, predatory. Like a wolf in human skin.
Kade Nightshade, he said. Alpha of the Shadow Fang Pack.
Alpha. That explained the power radiating from him.
And you, he continued, stopping at the foot of my bed, are a Lycan.
The word hit me like cold water. That's impossible. Lycans are extinct. Everyone knows that.
I know what I saw. Kade's eyes never left mine. I found you two days ago in my territory. You were unconscious in your Lycan form massive, covered in silver fur, your eyes glowing. You were more powerful than any wolf I've ever encountered.
Two days?
I've been asleep for two days?
Your body needed time to heal. Kade sat in a chair near the bed. Shifting for the first time is hard on anyone. Shifting into a Lycan? Most people wouldn't survive it.
My mind spun. Lycan. Not a wolf. A Lycan.
But I'm wolfless, I whispered. I couldn't shift at my ceremony. Everyone saw me fail.
Kade leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. You're not wolfless. You're something much more powerful. Tell me about your parents.
The question sent a spike of pain through my chest. They died when I was five. There was a fire. Alpha Marcus saved me and took me in.
Kade's expression darkened. What was your father's name?
I... I don't remember. Shame burned through me. I was so young. I barely remember their faces.
Kade stood and began pacing. The last known Lycan Alphas died twenty-three years ago. Their names were Kieran and Seraphina Stone. They ruled the Crimson Moon Pack and had a young daughter who disappeared the night they died.
My breath caught.
You're twenty-three years old, Kade continued, his voice intense. Your last name is Stone. You just awakened as a Lycan. He stopped pacing and looked directly at me. You're not just any Lycan, Aria. You're Lycan royalty.
The room tilted. No. That's... Alpha Marcus said my parents were nobody. That he took me in out of kindness
Marcus lied. Kade's voice was hard. The question is why.
My mother's letter. I'd dropped it in the forest when I transformed.
The fire was no accident. Marcus
He killed them, I whispered. The truth hit me like a physical blow. Marcus killed my parents, didn't he?
I don't know, Kade said. But I intend to find out.
I tried to stand, needing to move, to do something. My legs shook and gave out.
Kade was there instantly, his hands catching my arms before I could fall. Easy. You're still weak.
The moment his skin touched mine, something exploded in my chest.
It felt like lightning and coming home and finding something I'd been searching for my entire life without knowing it. The feeling was so intense, so overwhelming, I gasped.
Kade went completely still. His eyes flashed gold his wolf rising to the surface.
No, he breathed. This can't be...
What? My voice came out shaky. What's happening?
His hands were still on my arms, gentle but firm. I could feel his heart racing as fast as mine.
The mate bond, he said, his voice rough. You're my mate.
I jerked back, breaking the contact. The warm feeling vanished, leaving me cold.
Mate bond. Fated mates. The thing every wolf dreamed of.
But I'd just had my heart shattered by someone I thought cared about me. I couldn't trust this. Couldn't trust anything that felt this good.
I need air, I said, moving toward the door.
Kade stepped in front of me. Not aggressive he didn't grab me or force me. He just appeared in my path.
You're still weak, he said. And you don't know how to control your Lycan yet. If you accidentally shift, you could hurt someone.
I lifted my chin, even though my legs were shaking. I won't shift. I barely know how I did it the first time.
Kade studied me for a long moment. Something in his eyes softened. You've been hurt. Recently. Badly.
It wasn't a question.
I didn't answer.
He sighed. Fine. But I'm coming with you. If you start to shift, I can help you control it.
He opened the door and gestured for me to go first. Welcome to Shadow Fang territory.
I stepped outside and stopped.
I'd expected another pack house, more buildings, more people staring at me. Instead, the packhouse was surrounded by forest and mountains. It was beautiful and wild and nothing like the cold, formal Crimson Moon compound.
This way, Kade said, leading me down a path.
We'd barely taken ten steps when a young man came running up. He was maybe twenty-five, with sandy hair and a friendly face that was currently twisted with worry.
Alpha Kade! He skidded to a stop, breathing hard. We have a problem.
Kade's entire demean or changed. What is it, Felix?
Felix glanced at me, then back to Kade. There's been a border breach. Someone from Crimson Moon Pack crossed into our territory.
My blood turned to ice.
Who? Kade's voice was deadly calm.
Beta Drake Morrison. Felix's eyes found mine. He says he needs to speak with Aria. Immediately. It's urgent.
Drake was here?
He also brought a message from Alpha Marcus, Felix continued. Marcus is demanding the return of his 'stolen property.' He's threatening war if we don't hand her over by sunrise.
The world spun. Marcus knew I was here. Marcus was coming for me.
Kade's hands clenched into fists. Where is Drake now?
Detained at the western border. He came alone, unarmed. He says... Felix hesitated. He says Aria is in danger. That we're all in danger. That Marcus isn't who we think he is.
I couldn't breathe. Drake. The man who'd humiliated me, destroyed me, was here warning us about danger?
Kade turned to me, his amber eyes blazing. Do you want to see him?
Did I? Part of me wanted to run in the opposite direction. But another part the part that remembered my mother's letter, that knew Marcus had lied about everything needed answers.
Yes, I whispered.
Kade's jaw tightened. Then we go together. But Aria? He stepped closer. Whatever he says, whatever he wants you're under my protection now. No one takes you anywhere you don't want to go. Understand?
I nodded.
Good. Kade looked at Felix. Bring Morrison to the meeting hall. And double the border patrol. If Marcus tries anything, I want to know about it immediately.
Felix nodded and ran off.
Kade offered me his arm. Can you walk?
I took it, trying to ignore the spark that ran through me at the contact.
As we headed toward the meeting hall, one thought kept circling through my mind.
Drake had betrayed me in the cruellest way possible. So why would he come here to warn me now?
What did he know about Marcus that was worth risking his life to tell me?