"You'll accept the bond, or you'll leave the pack. The Alpha's voice echoed cold and uncompromising in the council chamber." His sharp eyes fixed exactly on Luca, who stood stiff, his mouth tense and fists clenched at his sides.
Luca remarked, his voice low and boiling with rage, "You can't be serious."
The Alpha said, "This isn't a request," with a tone that suggested no debate. "The Mate's Mark is a lunar Goddess sign. Against it is against her will; I will not let your intransigence endanger the pack.
My heart racing, I sat quietly at the side of the room. Though I wasn't sure he would like it, my gut prompted me to stand out and protect Luca. This was about his status as the future Alpha, not just about the link anymore.
And should I go as well? Luca remarked, his voice both calm and lethal.
"You know the answer to that," the Alpha said. You will be a rogue. Nothing pack, nothing resources, no name. For what reason do you truly want to toss everything? Pride?''
Clearly frustrated, Luca bolted from the council room without further word. My pulse thumping in my chest, I paused for a while then trailed after him.
Wait, Luca! Jogging to catch up, I phoned.
He stopped suddenly, whirling around to face me. "What do you want, Aria? "He snapped," said.
Though I gasped at his harshness, I maintained my ground. You cannot just turn away from this.
"Why not? "He turned back, his grey eyes ablaze. You picked up what he said. Get the bond or lose everything. My only choices are those ones.
And with regard to the pack? I disagreed. "If you go, what happens to them? Without you, do you think they will survive? {
"They'll survive," he remarked with a sour note. They never have; they do not need me.
"That's not true," I murmured, approaching closely. "They depend on you, Luca." You are their leader whether or not you want to own it. And this link transcends us as well. It's about them.
His countenance softened for a minute, and I felt as if uncertainty fluttered in his eyes. He shook his head, however, and tightened his jaw. "You misunderstand, Aria." You have no idea what it is like to carry the future of the pack hanging on your shoulders.
Perhaps not, I said. I do, however, know what it's like to feel terrified. To believe you're not enough. And I am aware that fleeing would not fix anything.
We stood still, the weight of the discussion hanging thick between us. Luca sighed finally and ran a hand over his hair.
"Aria, what are you hoping me to do? His voice now softer, he asked. Does this connection not scare me? Pretend like this? Like I wake up every day worrying whether it would be the thing that ruins all I have worked for.""
I moved closer, my eye fixed. "I'm not asking you to act. I want your faith in me. You know we two can work this out.
He stared at me for a long time, grey eyes probing mine. You really believe that?''
I have to, I stated simply.
Once again in the forest later that evening, I was looking for comfort from the old tree. The crescent tattoo on my wrist shone weakly, its warmth a continual reminder of the link I was unable to avoid.
Replaying Luca's remarks in my head, they blended with the Alpha's ultimatum. Duty against fear, loyalty against pride—it was a tempest I could see building and I had no idea how to stop it.
The silence was broken by footfall behind me, and I turned to see Luca walking forward. Though his face was ins unreadable, his attitude was kinder.
Stopped a few feet away, he remarked, "I thought you might be here."
"What are your preferences? My voice more defensive than I meant, I asked.
He paused then replied, "I have to tell you something."
As he talked, the air got thicker; his voice was soft but steady. Regarding the link, my father is right. About the pack that needs us. He does not, however, know what it is like to live in my shadow. I will never be sufficient, no matter what I do.
"You are not in his shadow, Luca," I murmured softly. You are on your own road. And not only does the pack see it—I also see it.
He stared at me then, his grey eyes ablaze with something I could not quite identify. "Do you honestly think that?"" Indeed, I said without thinking twice.
The barriers he had erected around himself appeared to fall apart for a minute, and I could see the vulnerability he so deftly covered. But a deep growl across the trees sent shivers down my spine before any of us could speak more.
Luca changed his stance right away, his body stiff and ready. His voice cutting, he continued, "Stay behind me."
The growl again, nearer this time, and in the shadows two shining eyes emerged. My brand blazed with fire, as a weird awareness swept over me. "It's the same wolf," I said.
"Be ready to run," Luca said, staring at the figure rising from the shadows.
The wolf did not, however, attack. Rather, it halted just a few steps away, its brilliant eyes locked on me. The air around us seemed to throb with vitality, and once again the wolf's words rang in my head:
"The moment is almost here." The decision has to be taken.
Luca and I were left in the clearing when the wolf vanished as fast as it had first appeared. The brand on my wrist burned still, and the wolf's cryptic warning stayed in my head.
"What decision? Luca asked in a quiet voice.
My heart thumping, I answered, "I don't know." "But I believe we have little time to sort it out."