Aria’s POV
The night was unnaturally quiet. The air was dense with smoke and filled with the smell of steel and unease. From my window, I saw torchlight across the training grounds, warriors honing their blades, readying themselves for a war that never should have been my responsibility to start.
But it was.
Every clang of metal seemed to echo like a heartbeat, and every distant howl served as a reminder that Damon had drawn blood over me, over an omega who had already brought too much pain and destruction.
He’d sworn a blood oath for me.
I placed my hand on the cold glass, watching my trembling reflection under the faint moonlight. I couldn’t grasp why he would jeopardise everything, his pack and his peace, for someone damaged, marked by another Alpha.
The door opened with a creak b
