Aria, get out of my path. Along with a shove that brought me tripping into the ground, the harsh bark pierced through the cool morning air. My hands scraped on the floor; the sting hardly felt under the familiar wave of embarrassment.
I had no need to search to find Luca. His voice had the authority I too often knew to be dripping with contempt. Today was different; the son of the Alpha had perfected the craft of making me feel like nothing.
I mumbled, pushing myself to stand, "I wasn't in your way." Though inside, rage swirled like a hurricane; my voice remained steady.
"You are here. That's in my way," he said, his sharp gray eyes locking into mine as though he were challenging me to object.
Heat raced across my cheeks, but I would not look down. It was more like the obstinate side of myself that would not let him realize exactly how much his remarks hurt. Not bravery.
Luca laughed. "Mindful, Sterling. Nobody you would want to think you're challenging me.
I started to retort, but behind him a voice cut off.
"Luca, let her go by yourself.
One of Luca's pals, Kieran, seemed to have restrictions on bullying me, but I suspected even so. Luca glanced to his pal and his smile disappeared to be replaced by a scowl. "Stay out of it, Kieran," Luca said, then turned away, the tension in the air lingering after him like a shadow.
Ahead loomed the pack house, its expansive form always reminding me of my place in the hierarchy. Inside, the hallways hummed with activity—bickering, laughter among friends, daily planning. Like a ghost, unseen and irrelevant, I passed through the throng.
Coming from the Beta's daughter came expectations, none of which I seemed qualified to meet. Every time his calm disappointment looked at me, my father, Beta Silas, made sure I knew it.
I had not inherited his dominating presence or his great height. Rather, I had grown up on the edges, too small to be a fighter, too quiet to demand attention, and too proud to ask for help.
My gut was tight when I arrived at the training ground.
Obviously, Luca was conducting the morning drills. His athletic form moved with a fluidity that suggested years of discipline, and his orders carried power across the field. He was everything I wasn't—confident, charming, and, shockingly, right next in line to head the pack.
"Sterling! His voice pierced through my ideas like a barking dog. "You are late. One more.
I bit back a sigh and started running to line of trainees. The other wolves cast quick glances—some sympathetic, most bored.
Luca moved forward, his smile coming back. "Are you able to understand the idea of timeliness, or do you need me to help you? —
Though I choked it down, I felt rage blossom in my chest. "I will perform better."
"You are correct." You will. He turned away, his contempt more than anything else could sting.
The day wore on, every instant melting into the next until the sun sank low, casting amber and red tones over the sky. My limbs hurt from drills by the time I fled into the wilderness, and Luca's continuous barbs had damaged my pride.
My haven, the one place I could let my air flow naturally. As I meandered farther into the forest, the smells of pine and moist ground enveloped me like a consoling hug.
But tonight felt different.
A faint brightness ahead softly and flickering like moonlight filtered through water shattered the calm of the forest. Drawn by something I couldn't describe, my heart sped as I neared.
I stopped at the source.
There, softly in the twilight, a crescent-shaped mark carved on the bark of an old oak. Its pulse connected with something deep inside me. I raised my hand automatically, and to my astonishment, the mark on the tree reflected a birthmark on my wrist that had always been there, invisible and unimportant—until now.
The tree hummed faintly with power, and the hairs on my arms stood on alert. Though I ought should have turned back, I couldn't. Something regarding the mark felt... living, as though it were waiting for me to discover it.
A twig snapped behind me shocked me back to reality. Whirling around, I saw a man coming out of the shadows.
His facial expression was not the typical mask of conceit. He examined... dubious. His eyes flicked from the brilliant imprint on the tree to me, and for the first time I saw something I couldn't identify in them.
"What the devil is this, then? His voice was low and slanted with something that made my skin prickle.
"I'm not sure," I responded, my palm automatically covering the mark on my wrist.
He moved forward, his eyes focused hard and searching. "Aria, stay away from it. You have no idea what you are tampering with.
His comments set off a revolt I had not known I possessed. "Why do you give a damn? "
He didn't respond for a moment. His fists closed at his sides and his jaw stiffened. His voice was little above a whisper when he did talk at last.
Because that mark is dangerous—for both of us.
Aria is left spinning by Luca's cryptic warning; the shining mark begs more questions than it answers. Luca was terrified for what reason? And why did it feel as though her entire universe had turned around at that one instant?