Chapter 4 ARIA

Aria's POV

“Okay, okay… time to head back,” I said with a breathless laugh. My paws dug into the cool earth, claws flexing for balance as I shook out my damp fur. I was still in my wolf form, which meant Nyra, the other half of me mostly had control.

After our morning runs, she always made a beeline for this waterfall. It was her ritual–our ritual–slipping into the spray like a child, goofing off in the water until reality forced us to start the day.

“Five more minutes,” she said between laughter, her voice bubbling with mischief in my head.

She was having the time of her life, splashing and rolling, flicking droplets into the air until they sparkled like crystals in the early light.

“You said that twenty minutes ago, Nyra. C’mon.”

Instead of answering, she launched herself into the water again, her dark coat vanishing under the foaming surface. A great splash echoed through the clearing, sending a fine mist drifting across my face. I couldn’t help it, I laughed out loud, a sound that came out as more of a bark in this form.

If Nyra wasn’t a wolf, she’d be a fish.

“Heyyy,” she replied, picking up on my thought, her mental voice playful. “That’s rude.”

“Really, girl. We’ve got to go. The market’s going to open any time now,” I said, glancing at the horizon, already lightening with dawn.

“Okay, fineeee,” she groaned, dragging out the word as she finally climbed out of the water.

When she reached the shore, she shook herself violently, sending a spray of water glittering through the air like rain. Then she started toward the narrow path we’d worn into the underbrush over the years. It wound its way back home, cutting through the trees like a secret.

“We need to grab breakfast first before heading to the market. I’m starving,” I muttered, tail flicking behind me.

“I did tell you to whip up something to eat before we left,” she teased, her tone sing-song.

“Girl, don’t start,” I said, but a chuckle escaped me anyway.

We were halfway home, paws whispering across the leaf-littered path, when it happened.

A soft cracking of leaves.

My ears flicked forward instantly, muscles locking tight. Someone was here.

Why was someone here?

This part of the forest was always quiet at this hour, still asleep like the rest of the world. No hunters, no wanderers, no one.

Who could it be?

“Well, let’s find out, shall we?” Nyra’s tone was sharper now. She pivoted, body lowering slightly as she began to stalk back toward the sound.

Every instinct screamed at me to leave it alone. But Nyra was already moving, drawn by curiosity or challenge, I wasn’t sure which.

Slowly, silently, we crept closer. The person had stopped near the waterfall, his scent brushing faintly against the breeze but still indistinct. Nyra found a large oak and melted behind it, our body pressed low to the earth, tail still.

I peeked around.

It was a man.

Even from this distance, I could see how tall he was, easily over six feet. Built like the Goddess herself had sculpted him from stone. Muscles strained under the compression shirt he wore, the fabric clinging to him as though reluctant to let go.

Dear Goddess.

Heat rushed up my neck before I even realized I was staring. Shameless, really, but something about him held me. Nyra edged us closer, silent as a shadow.

As soon as we reached the tree line, my world stopped.

Cedar. Spice. Dark, warm earth after rain.

Unmistakable.

It hit me like a blow to the chest. My skin prickled, lit from the inside. My lungs forgot how to work. My heart lurched once, then started hammering like it wanted out.

Oh Goddess.

My mate.

The word thundered through my skull.

Before I could even process it, he turned. Fast. Like he’d known exactly where we were the whole time.

He sensed me.

Our eyes met, and everything stopped spinning.

His eyes glowed a deep, molten red.

An Alpha.

You’ve got to be kidding me.

An Alpha. Why? Why, why, why.

Panic clawed at my chest.

“Nyra. Get me out of here.”

But she didn’t move. She stared back at him, her hackles barely raised, her tail stiff, our body trembling with something that wasn’t quite fear.

His jawline was sharp, a blade of shadow under the pale dawn light. Black hair fell loosely across his face, messy and unkempt. Dark circles carved hollows under his eyes. He had a stubble, rough and uneven, like he’d been too distracted to care.

He looked wrecked.

Like someone carrying a storm inside.

And still, he was the most breathtaking man I had ever seen.

Oh my.

“Nyra, please. We’ve got to go.”

She didn’t move.

I didn’t have a pleasant history with Alphas. In fact, most of my scars both visible and invisible, had their roots in one Alpha or another. I didn’t know why the Goddess thought it was a good idea to bond me to one now.

But that wasn’t a mystery I wanted to solve today. I just needed to get out.

Wolves are primal creatures. We thrive on our bonds, on instinct and tethered souls. I understood how hard it was for Nyra to turn away even when she was in control. The pull was like gravity, like drowning.

Maybe it was the panic in my voice, maybe sheer willpower, but when I called to her again, something shifted. She blinked, as though waking, and took a hesitant step back.

He saw it. His brows furrowed, eyes flickering with confusion.

He took a step toward us.

On cue–Goddess be good–Nyra bolted.

We sprinted through the forest, paws drumming against the earth, branches whipping past as we leapt over roots and under low-hanging limbs. The scent of cedar and spice clung to us even as we ran, like a ghost chasing us.

The house came into view, a splash of grey stone against the green. Safety. Home.

I didn’t even realize he was following until it was too late.

A massive grey wolf, easily twice my size, crashed into us from the side, pinning us to the ground with a weight that knocked the air from my lungs.

It was him.

I hadn’t even heard him approach.

We tumbled across the lawn, grass tearing under our claws, until he had us pinned flat on our belly, his claws pressing lightly into my shoulders. His eyes bored into mine, deep red and blazing with something wild.

He growled, low and deep, the sound vibrating through the ground into my bones.

Instinct overrode everything. Nyra bared our neck, a small whimper escaping her throat. Submission.

I hated it.

I hated every second of it.

But this was our reality. As an Omega, I would always be submissive to Alphas. That truth gnawed at me, hollowing me out.

Slowly, after what felt like an eternity, he eased off, stepping back. His eyes stayed locked on ours as his massive form began to change.

I heard it first, the sickening crunch of shifting bones, the tearing and reforming of muscle and sinew. His grey fur rippled, vanishing as skin emerged, pale and scarred.

Seconds later, he stood before me, tall and unrelenting, the dawn catching on every hard line of his body. His chest rose and fell like a drumbeat, sculpted with abs, scars mapping the planes of his torso like stories I didn’t know yet.

His voice came low and dangerous, cutting through the air like a blade.

“Shift.”

My heart slammed against my ribs.

Well. Shit.