Aria stood at the edge of the stream, her reflection rippling in the moonlight. Her face looked the same — same hazel eyes, same cascade of tangled curls — but something had changed. Beneath her skin, something ancient stirred. Something wild.
Kael was behind her, silent but close. His presence was a gravitational force — one she couldn’t seem to pull away from.
She touched the base of her throat. A strange warmth pulsed there — faint but constant, like a heartbeat that didn’t belong to her.
“Why does my skin burn when you’re near me?” she whispered.
“It’s the bond,” Kael said. His voice was like dark velvet. “It recognizes me, even if your mind doesn’t yet.”
She turned to face him. “How can you be so sure?”
Kael stepped closer. “Because when I touched your hand, the moon flared. Because when you screamed, I felt it in my chest like my heart was being torn from me.”
He held up his hand — the center of his palm was marked with a glowing crescent moon.
Aria gasped. Her own wrist began to shimmer faintly with a matching mark.
“What… what is that?”
“Our connection,” he said. “Fated by Selene herself. It binds soulmates. Only one other being in the world will carry the twin to your mark. That’s me.”
“I didn’t ask for this,” she whispered.
“I didn’t either,” he replied. “But now that you’ve awakened… neither of us has a choice.”
Later that night
The fire burned low, and the forest slept. Kael had made camp again, choosing to stay far enough to give Aria space — but close enough to protect her.
Aria sat wrapped in his cloak, watching him from afar. He sat shirtless on a log, his back to her, muscles tense and scarred from battles fought in a life she couldn’t yet imagine.
She stood, unsure why, and walked toward him.
Kael turned his head slightly, as if he'd felt her presence before hearing it. “Can’t sleep?”
“I don’t think I’ll ever sleep again,” she said softly. “Not after what happened.”
He turned to face her fully, eyes glinting silver in the moonlight. “You’re strong. Stronger than you know.”
“You say that, but I feel like I’m about to fall apart.”
Kael rose to his full height, towering over her, but his gaze was gentle.
“You’re a daughter of the moon,” he said. “But also a wolf. And wolves don’t break — they shift, they adapt, they survive.”
His fingers brushed her cheek — soft at first, but the contact sent fire through her. Aria didn’t pull away.
“I feel things around you I’ve never felt before,” she murmured.
“Because I’m your mate,” he whispered. “Our bond is awakening. It will only grow stronger.”
The air between them tightened. His scent — pine, smoke, and something dark and male — wrapped around her senses.
He cupped her jaw, thumb brushing her bottom lip.
“Tell me to stop,” he said, voice rough.
She looked up at him, breath shallow.
“I don’t want you to.”
That was all he needed.
His lips crashed into hers — not gently, not cautiously, but with hunger born of years of waiting. Her arms slid around his neck, her body pressed into his like instinct, not choice.
He lifted her easily, carrying her to the furs near the fire, laying her down like something precious. His mouth trailed down her neck, teeth grazing the skin where her mark pulsed brightest.
When he bit, it wasn’t to hurt — it was to claim.
And her body responded with a cry of need that echoed into the stars.
Hours later
Wrapped in Kael’s arms, Aria trembled. Not from fear — but from something more. Something inside her had unlocked.
Kael pressed a kiss to her temple. “You felt it too?”
She nodded. “It was like… the moment you touched me, something ancient opened inside me.”
Kael smiled against her skin. “You’re awakening, Aria. And when your power fully rises…”
He looked up at the moon.
“Not even the gods will be able to stop you.”
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