The night after her encounter with Lucien D'Aragon hung heavy in the air, an oppressive quiet falling over Raven Hollow. The rain had subsided, but the scent of wet earth and damp stone still lingered, as if the city itself was waiting for something to change. Aria couldn't shake the feeling that something was different, that the world had shifted on its axis just slightly.
Her mind replayed the brief moment when Lucien's silver eyes had locked onto hers—cold, unreadable, yet strangely... magnetic. She wasn't sure what unsettled her more: the fact that he had spared her life or the strange, inexplicable sense of relief she'd felt in his presence.
It wasn't fear that gnawed at her. No. She had faced far worse. But there was a stirring deep in her chest, a quiet confusion she couldn't ignore. The instincts she had honed over the years—trusted, sharpened, conditioned—told her that vampires were the enemy. Yet Lucien... he didn't fit into that narrow box. Not entirely. And it scared her.
Aria sat on the edge of her bed, fingers tracing the edge of the blade she'd discarded earlier. The cool steel was a comfort, a reminder of who she was. A wolf. A warrior. Her pack's protector. She needed to remember that.
The door creaked open, and Aria lifted her gaze. Elias stood in the doorway, the frame casting his silhouette in shadow. He was large, solid, a man whose presence could silence a room with a glance. But there was something different in his expression now—concern, maybe even a little frustration.
"Alpha wants to see you," he said, voice rough with exhaustion.
Aria didn't move, her amber eyes unwavering. "Tell him I'm not in the mood."
Elias didn't flinch, but the frustration was evident in his eyes. "This isn't about your mood, Aria. It's about your mission."
Her jaw clenched at the mention of her mission. "What do you want me to do, Elias? Go out and hunt every vampire in this city? Start a war?"
"You know that's not what this is about." He stepped closer, his voice softening, though there was still a weight to it. "Something's off. I know it's bothering you. Last night... with him. Lucien."
The air in the room felt thicker, as if the space itself was closing in. "I don't have time for distractions."
Elias shook his head slowly. "It's not a distraction, Aria. I've known you long enough to see when something's wrong. And right now, something's very wrong."
Aria stood abruptly, her fists clenching at her sides. "I don't have the luxury of doubts, Elias."
His gaze softened, but there was no pity in it. "You've been a wolf your whole life. But sometimes it's the human side of you that needs to lead."
The words stung more than they should have. Aria's chest tightened, but she didn't let him see it. She turned toward the window, her back to him. "I'm not here to question the pack's loyalty. I just... I just don't know what's happening. The vampires. The way they're acting—it doesn't make sense."
Elias stood still, watching her, letting her words hang in the air. Then he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I know, but that's not our job, Aria. Our job is to protect the pack, to hunt down the threats. You don't need to understand it. You just need to do it."
Aria let out a low breath, shaking her head. "I can't. Not like this."
Elias didn't respond, and for a moment, neither of them spoke. She felt the weight of the decision pressing on her, and she knew that there was no easy way out of it.
"I need to go," she said finally, her voice firm as she grabbed her jacket from the back of the chair.
Elias didn't stop her, though she could tell he was watching her carefully, searching her expression for something he couldn't name.
Aria left her quarters, her footsteps echoing through the hall. The air grew colder as she descended deeper into the pack's meeting hall, the stone walls closing in around her. The smell of damp earth and history lingered in the air. It was here, in the belly of the pack's fortress, that blood had been spilled for the sake of survival.
When she reached the central chamber, Alpha Roderick Stormfang was already there, waiting for her. He stood with his back to her, his imposing form outlined against the low light. The leader of their pack. A man whose presence alone could make even the most hardened warriors second-guess their convictions.
"Aria," his voice cut through the silence, deep and gravelly. "I've been waiting."
She stepped forward, trying to steady herself. "Sorry to keep you."
Roderick turned, his sharp eyes locking onto hers. "Elias said you were late coming back. What happened?"
Aria hesitated, but only for a moment. "I ran into someone," she said, her voice steady. "A vampire."
"Did you kill him?" he asked, his tone devoid of emotion.
"No," Aria replied, her jaw tightening. "I didn't."
Roderick's eyes narrowed, his jaw clenching in frustration. "Why?"
"I didn't have to." Aria's voice softened, but there was steel beneath the words. "This vampire... Lucien D'Aragon. He spared me."
Roderick's eyes widened, a flicker of disbelief crossing his face before quickly being replaced by a hard mask of control. "Lucien D'Aragon?" His voice dropped dangerously low. "The vampire prince?"
Aria nodded slowly, the weight of her words sinking in. "Yes."
Roderick's lips twisted into a thin, bitter smile. "Do you understand what you're saying, Aria? That's no ordinary vampire. He's been the puppet master behind this entire war. He's the one pulling the strings. And you—"
"I know," she interrupted, her voice steady, but her heart pounding. "But he's not what I expected. There's something more going on here. Something I don't understand."
Roderick's expression darkened, his shoulders tensing. "Don't make this more complicated than it already is. The war is clear. We hunt the monsters. We don't stop to wonder why they do what they do. The moment you start asking questions, you risk losing everything."
Aria didn't answer. Instead, she turned to leave, feeling the weight of Roderick's words pressing on her like an anchor.
As she walked out of the room, Elias fell into step beside her. He said nothing, but his presence beside her felt like a silent promise that she wasn't alone in this.
The night outside was heavy, pressing down on her. The weight of everything—the pack, the war, the vampire—seemed almost too much to bear. She couldn't stop wondering: What was Lucien really after? And more importantly, what was she going to do when the answers came?
The fractured moon above seemed to mock her uncertainty, its pale light casting long, twisting shadows that seemed to reach for her.
Aria clenched her fists, determined not to let her confusion show. The path ahead was clear, she told herself. She had a duty to the pack. No more questions.
But deep down, she knew the truth: Everything was shifting. And no matter how hard she tried to deny it, Aria couldn't help but feel....