"What's your problem, Luca?," said
Before I could stop them, sharp and raw, slicing through the calm tension in the room, the words fled my lips.
Turning from the window, Luca narrowed his grey eyes to see me. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me," I murmured, my voice firm despite the tempest developing within my chest. "You're behaving like the ideal pack leader one minute, then you're grabbing every opportunity to bring me down. From me, what are you looking for?
He silences for a minute. He just gazed at me, his arms rigid as though he were keeping something back and his mouth tightly closed.
At last, his voice low and laced with fury, "What I want is for you to stop acting like this bond is some kind of gift."
I fired back, "I never said it was." At least, however, I'm attempting to understand what it means rather than fleeing from it.
Luca's eyes flared, and he stepped forward, the strain between us buzzing like a live wire. You consider me to be running? Sterling, you have no clue what this link signifies. You are clueless about the possible expenses.
Unspoken words abound in the air, but before any of us could speak more the door opened and Kieran walked in.
Glancing between us with a raised eyebrow, he questioned, "Am I interrupting something?"
"No," Luca shot, his voice as keen as a dagger.
Good, Kieran murmured, leaning against the wall and ignoring the animosity. "Because we have a dilemma." Among the younger wolves, some are discussing questioning your authority, Luca. The relationship is weakening you, they warn.
Luca's expression clouded, then he turned back to the glass, his hands closing into fists. "Let them talk," he said softly. They will learn their position soon enough.
Kieran shrugged, then looked at me. "And you, Aria?" About that, what are you going to do?
"Me??" Startled, I answered.
Kieran remarked, "Like it or not, your part of this now." "If the pack views you as a liability, it will only exacerbate your situation."
Luca laughed bitterly as his back remained motionless to us. She is not involved in anything. I have to carry this weight.
Though I pushed myself to stand my stance, his comments wounded more than I could have admitted. "Perhaps you would realize you do not have to carry everything on your own if you stopped trying to do so."
Luca said nothing; after a long period, Kieran shook his head. Pushing off the wall, he replied, "Well, this has been fun." "Good fortune, dear two. You are going to need it.
Later that evening, I was once again lost in the wilderness, the small crescent mark on my wrist serving as a lighthouse. The events of the day spun in my head, a confused mix of resentment, annoyance, and something else I couldn't quite identify.
Not expecting Luca to be there, seated on a fallen log with his head in his hands,
I thought about turning back, giving him the space he so obviously craved for a minute. But something about his sagging shoulders and the way his regular confidence appeared to have collapsed stopped me.
I replied gently, walking into the clearing: "You're not as good at hiding as you think."
Startled, Luca raised her head and saw something between shame and rage. "What are you doing here?," ask
Crossing my arms, I responded, "Same thing you are." "Trying to breath."
He sighed wearily and ran a hand over his hair. "Don't bother if you are here to lecture me. I have enough for one day.
"I'm not here to lecture you," I remarked as I settled on a nearby rock. "I'm here because, ironically, I understand it. This link... is really strong.
Luca laughed, but he said nothing to dispute. We sat silently for some time, the noises of the forest filling the distance between us.
Finally, his voice little above a whisper, he muttered, "I didn't ask for this."
" Neither did I," I said.
He fixed me, his grey eyes softer than I had ever seen them. "Do you ever find it interesting why the Moon Goddess selected us? Why do you think we would be compatible?
" All the time," I said. And I still lack a response.
Luca lacked a sharp comment or a sarcastic retort for the first time. Rather, he just seemed worn out. Defensive.
His voice shattering the silence, he exclaimed abruptly, "I lost my mum because of something like this."
I stopped; his comments sank in like stones in water. "What do you mean"?
"She had the Mate's Mark too," he added, looking far off. Her link was not, however, very strong. It tore her apart, and my father never pardoned her for it. I suppose it explains his extreme difficulty with me. He worries the similar thing may recur.
His revelation seemed to me like a kick to the belly, and for a minute I had no words to say. Lucas... I'm sorry. I had no idea.
He shook his head and let out a grudging chuckle. "Who would you? I am not exactly simple to get to know.
"No, you don't," I answered, a little grin pulling at my lips despite everything. However, you're trying. For anything, that counts.
The strain between us started to relax as the night became dark, replaced by something gentler, something hesitant. I discovered, for the first time, a side of Luca that he had kept secret—one equally afraid and doubtful of me.
But a low growl across the trees sent shivers down my spine, just when I expected we may be making headway.
Luca got on his feet right away, his body tight and eager. "Stay behind me," he sharply commanded.
The roar returned, nearer this time, and I saw shining eyes in the darkness.
"Luca...," With a throbbing heart, I murmured.
"I see it," he whispered, his eyes fixed on the figure rising from the shadows.
A large wolf with unnaturally bright eyes entered the clearing. It came from neither our pack, nor the vitality emanating from it was unlike anything I had ever experienced.
Luca changed her posture, ready and guarded. Gritted teeth, he murmured, "Run, Aria."
Still, I was unable to move. Something about the wolf kept me in place, as if it knew me. Worse yet, like if it were here for me.