Chapter13
818 Words
The pack house felt different the next morning.
Not quieter.
Not colder.
Just… wrong.
Aria stepped into the hallway, and for the first time in her life, wolves stepped away from her. Not subtly. Not politely. They moved like she carried a sickness they didn’t want to catch.
ECLYRA pressed close. “They fear us.”
Aria swallowed hard. “I know.”
She walked toward the kitchen, hoping for something normal — a cup of tea, a familiar scent, a moment of peace. But when she entered, two omegas froze mid‑conversation. One dropped a spoon. The other lowered her gaze so fast it looked painful.
“Luna,” one whispered. “We… didn’t hear you.”
Aria forced a small smile. “You don’t have to be afraid of me.”
They didn’t answer.
They didn’t have to.
Their trembling hands said everything.
Aria turned away, her chest tightening. She walked toward the back door, needing air, needing space, needing anything that didn’t feel like suffocation.
But Kael stepped into her path.
“Luna,” he said quietly. “You can’t go outside.”
Aria blinked. “I’m not a prisoner.”
Kael’s jaw tightened. “The elders said—”
“I don’t care what they said.”
“I do,” Kael murmured. “Because if you step outside, they’ll use it against you.”
Aria stared at him. “Everything I do is used against me.”
Kael didn’t deny it.
He just stepped closer, lowering his voice. “Let me protect you.”
Aria’s throat tightened. “I don’t need protection.”
“You do,” Kael said softly. “Just not from the things you think.”
Aria looked away.
She didn’t want to cry.
Not here.
Not now.
Not where the walls could hear.
A soft voice drifted from the hallway.
“Rowan?”
Aria stiffened.
Lyria stepped into view, the pup in her arms, her expression soft and trembling. She looked like a painting of innocence — pale hair, wide eyes, lips parted in worry.
“Oh,” she whispered. “I didn’t realize you were here.”
Aria’s jaw clenched. “Clearly.”
Lyria flinched delicately. “I’m not trying to upset you.”
Kael muttered, “You breathe and it upsets her.”
Lyria’s eyes shimmered. “I just… I wanted to check on Rowan. He didn’t sleep.”
Aria’s heart twisted. “He didn’t come to me.”
Lyria hesitated. “He… needed space.”
Kael growled. “From his own mate?”
Lyria looked down, stroking the pup’s hair. “He’s scared, Aria.”
Aria’s breath caught. “Of me.”
Lyria didn’t answer.
She didn’t have to.
Rowan appeared behind her, his expression tight, his posture rigid.
“Aria,” he said. “We need to talk.”
Kael stepped forward instantly. “No.”
Rowan’s eyes flashed. “This is between me and my mate.”
Kael didn’t move. “Then act like she’s your mate.”
Aria placed a hand on Kael’s arm. “It’s fine.” “It’s not,” Kael growled.
“I know,” she whispered. “But let me handle it.”
Kael stepped aside reluctantly.
Rowan exhaled. “Aria… the elders want to increase your confinement.”
Aria stared at him. “Increase?”
“You’re not to leave the house at all,” Rowan said. “Not even the porch.”
Aria felt the words like a punch. “You’re locking me inside.”
“It’s temporary.” “You keep saying that.”
Rowan didn’t answer.
Aria stepped closer, her voice trembling. “Look at me.”
Rowan hesitated.
“Look at me,” she repeated.
He finally lifted his gaze.
“What do you see?” Aria whispered.
Rowan swallowed hard. “A wolf I don’t recognize.”
Aria felt something inside her break.
Not crack.
Not splinter. Break.
Kael moved instantly, stepping between them. “Enough.”
Rowan’s voice sharpened. “Kael—”
“No,” Kael snapped. “You don’t get to talk to her like that.”
Lyria gasped softly, clutching the pup tighter. “Rowan… please don’t fight.”
Rowan turned toward her, his expression softening instantly. “It’s okay.”
Aria felt the shift — sharp, immediate, devastating.
She stepped back. “I understand.”
“Aria—” Rowan started.
“No,” she said quietly. “You’ve made your choice.”
She turned and walked down the hallway, her steps steady even as her vision blurred.
Kael followed her, silent and loyal.
But when Aria reached her room and closed the door behind her, the silence hit her like a blow.
ECLYRA whispered, “We are alone.”
Aria sank to the floor, her breath shaking, her hands trembling.
“No,” Kael murmured from the other side of the door. “You’re not.”
- Writer
