"You believe this alters anything between us? Luca's words cut sharply and clearly over the training field. His eyes fixed on mine, fierce and relentless, as though he dared me to object.
I tightened my hands at my sides, the shame stinging up my neck. The pack was watching all around, their whispers in the background like static.
"This isn't about us, Luca," I murmured, keeping my voice steady even as my chest contracted. "It's about the pack..."
He laughed, a frigid, austere sound that made me tremble. "Don't make yourself look good, Sterling." The group has no need for you. They require an Alpha capable of leading, not... everything this is.
His comments stung more than I had anticipated, but I kept from letting him see it. "Maybe you would realize the pack isn't as loyal to you as you think if you spent less time proving how much better you believe you are."
The audience gasped, and Luca's face briefly changed to reflect something that might have been surprise—or perhaps rage.
Then the smile returned, cooler than it had ever been. "You're way out of your depth, Aria," he said, stepping forward to lower his voice just I could hear. And if you're not careful, this bond won't only destroy you. It will wreck all you value.
Head hammering with irritation, I rushed off the training field. Luca's words kept coming back to me, curving like thorns across my ideas.
Of that much I knew, he was trying to drive me away. However, why? Was it merely pride, or was something else involved?
As usually, the forest was my haven. My hands shaking, I dropped to the ground under the old tree and followed the crescent mark on my wrist. Though it was faint now, hardly noticeable, its presence served as a continual reminder of the link binding me to Luca, whether or not I wanted it.
" Rough day?""
I looked up to see Kieran reclining against a tree, his black eyes glinting with something between laughter and anxiety, and his voice surprised me.
You could say that, I said, wiping dirt off my hands.
He moved closer, his customary smile softening into something more real. "Luca has been worse than usual; hasn't he? —
I shrugged, trying to present myself as unaffected by it. "What else is new? \\"
Kieran looked at me for a bit then remarked, "You realize he's not doing this because he dislikes you, right?''
I pouted. then, then? {
"Because he's scared," Kieran commented just now.
I looked at him, startled by the words, waiting for an explanation.
"He has the weight of the whole pack on his shoulders," Kieran said. "And right now he doesn't know how to manage the Mate's Mark. Just his coping strategy is pushing you away.
That doesn't make it right, I shouted, my voice quivering with rage.
Kieran agreed, "No." Still, that doesn't imply you should give up either.
I chose to face Luca the following day. He was in the pack house, his regular gathering of fans trailing behind him like shadows.
I said, "Luca," with a harsh enough voice to pierce over the hubbub.
He turned; his face invisible as he waved off his entourage. "What, Sterling, are you looking for? «
Ignoring the other wolves' inquisitive looks, "We need to talk."
"Fine," he answered, guiding me to a more sedate area of the space. "Talk."
I steadied myself by inhaling deeply. "Why do you continue in doing this? Why do you try so hard to make me feel as though I belong nowhere?"
Luca folded his arms and focused narrow-mindedly "Maybe because you lack."
Though I pressed on, my chest clenched. Say it if it is indeed what you believe. Tell me you not think the link has any significance. Tell me you are not feeling it.
His expression wavered for a second, and I felt as though I caught a flutter of something—maybe regret, perhaps dread. Then he shook his head, his grin returning like a mask.
Aria was wasting her time, he remarked. "The link is useless. Not personally.
I had no idea how I managed the rest of the day. His comments left a persistent aching that refused to go away long after our chat.
That evening, I returned to the woodland, the crescent mark on my wrist flickering weakly in the moonlight. The air seemed weighty, packed with an intensity I could not define.
" Why me? "I spoke softly, hardly audible.
The mark pulsed in response, and for a second I felt as though I heard a low, eerie murmur sending shills down my spine.
The link is simply the start.
Turning half-expecting to find someone behind me, the woodland was empty.
Or so I considered.
My heart shot into my throat as a shadow moved at the brink of the clearing. The person moved forward, their brilliant eyes cutting through the night.
"Who is here? My voice faltered as I demanded.
The figure responded not at all. Rather, they lifted a hand and the mark on my wrist blazed with sudden heat, like though it identified them.
Breathless and shaking in the clearing, the enigmatic person disappeared as fast as they had first shown. My wrist still bore the mark, and I couldn't get rid of the impression that whatever had happened was only the start of something considerably more dangerous.