Chapter 3 — The Pull Between Us
1347 Words
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Aria froze, her hand tightening on the coffee pot until her knuckles turned white.
The stranger across the counter was utterly still, predatory, his golden eyes locked on hers with a focus so intense it drew the air from her lungs.
Found you.
The words echoed through her mind, scaring and confusing her in equal measure.
She didn't even know him.
Did she?
And yet some secret, hidden part of her whispered that she did.
That she'd been waiting for him without even knowing it.
Her lips nervously slipped beneath her tongue as she struggled to make herself talk, to be normal, but her mouth was parched, her mind sluggish.
"Uh… coffee?" she croaked out.
A slight smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Not a friendly one.
A hungry one.
Predatory.
"Sure," he snarled, voice making her shiver down her spine.
Her body moved on autopilot, pouring the coffee into a chipped mug with shaking hands.
When she slid it across the counter to him, his fingers brushed against hers—
And the world exploded.
Heat flared between them, fierce and undeniable.
Her knees went a little weak, and she clutched the counter, gasping.
He sucked in a breath at the same time, his eyes darkening to molten gold.
His nostrils widened, as if he could scent her shock, her fear… her arousal.
Aria took a step back, heart pounding so loudly she could barely hear the clatter of dishes behind her.
She had to get away.
Had to think.
Without a word, she turned and fled into the kitchen, letting the door swing shut behind her.
Bracing herself on the stainless steel counter, she tried to get a hold, slapping a trembling hand over her racing heart.
What the hell was that?
Who was he?
Why did she feel like she knew him, trusted him—
Wanted him—
With every cell in her body?
The kitchen door swung open again, and she whirled back around—
Only to find him there, standing in the doorway, too big, too scary, too overwhelming.
He didn't move closer.
He just stood there, his chest heaving slightly, as if he was fighting with himself.
They gazed at each other for a long while, the silence building and spreading out between them.
Then he spoke, breaking the silence, voice rough.
"My name's Dante."
Aria swallowed hard, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Why are you here?"
A muscle worked in his jaw.
He took a step closer, slow, deliberate.
"I'm here for you."
She tossed her head frantically, backing up until she bumped into the counter.
"You don't even know me."
A flicker of something appeared in his eyes—something raw and wounded and desperate.
"I know enough."
He bridged the distance between them in three strides, stopping only when he was close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from his body.
He lifted a hand slowly, as if afraid she would run, and tenderly cupped her cheek in his calloused palm.
Aria took a shaking breath.
Her body quieted, all of her nerve endings humming.
Where his skin touched hers, the world fell away.
There was only him.
Only the bond.
"You saved me last night," Dante breathed, voice vibrating through her.
"You don't know what you did, but you woke something in me that had been dead for a long time."
Tears stung at her eyes, unexplainable and unexpected.
"I don't understand," she whispered.
"None of this makes sense."
He smiled then—a real smile, gentle and devastating.
"I know. And I'm sorry. I'll explain everything. I'll tell you anything you want to know. Just… don't run."
Her heart ached painfully.
Run.
That was the very thing she should do.
But she didn’t move.
Couldn’t.
Some invisible force rooted her to the spot, binding her to this man she barely knew.
This stranger who felt more familiar than her own reflection.
"I…" she started, then faltered.
"What are you?"
His eyes darkened.
Something old and wild stirred behind them.
"I’m not like other men, Aria," he said quietly.
"I’m a wolf shifter. An Alpha. And you…"
He trailed off, voice rough with emotion.
"You’re my mate."
The word hit her like a freight train.
Mate.
She stared at him, shocked.
"No," she whispered.
"That's not… that's not possible. That's not real."
"It's real," he snarled.
"It's the realest thing you'll ever experience."
She shook her head, her vision swimming with tears.
"This is insane. I don't even know you!"
"But your soul does," he said, low and urgent.
"Your soul recognized mine the moment you touched me. You felt it. I know you did."
She opened her mouth to object—
But the words wouldn't come.
Because deep inside, something primitive within her had known him.
Had claimed him.
Had wanted him.
And it frightened her.
"I need time," she breathed, wrapping her arms around herself.
"I can't just. leap into this."
His jaw tightened, but he nodded.
"Take all the time you need. I'm not going anywhere."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper, scribbling something on it before shoving it into her hand.
"My number. You need anything—if you even think about running—you call me."
Aria glanced down at the paper, then back up at him.
"You think I'm going to run?"
A ghost of a smile crossed his lips.
"I know you will. You're scared. It's okay. I'll find you."
His arrogance should have frightened her.
Instead, it sent a strange thrill to her chest.
Without another word, Dante turned and walked away, the door shutting behind him.
Leaving her alone.
Confused.
Shaking.
And acutely aware of the empty space he had left behind.
---
Dante stood outside the diner, the cold rain raining down on him, trying to extinguish the fire raging in his veins.
He had found her.
Touched her.
Felt the connection click into position like a vice around his heart.
And he had released her.
For the time being.
Because he could read it in her eyes—
The fear.
The confusion.
The yearning.
She wasn't ready.
Not yet.
But she would be.
He would see to it.
He looked up at the grey sky, allowing the rain to plaster his dark hair to his forehead.
The council would come for him sooner or later.
The rogues would continue to hunt him.
His foes would try to use her against him.
He had to be ready.
He had to protect her.
Even if it meant burning Hollow Creek to the ground.
Because Aria wasn't just his mate.
She was his salvation.
His future.
His everything.
And he would fight the whole damn world to keep her.
---
Aria fell onto a stool behind the counter in the diner, heart pounding so hard she was afraid of fainting.
Mate.
Wolf shifter.
Alpha.
It all sounded crazy.
It was crazy.
Yet nothing in her life had ever felt more real than when Dante touched her.
Like some part of her she didn't know was missing had just clicked into place.
She closed her eyes, breathing deeply, trying to calm down.
Her life had been simple before last night.
Lonely, yes.
Boring, definitely.
But simple.
Now?
Now her entire universe was upside down.
And at its center was a dangerously handsome man with golden eyes.
Waiting.
Watching.
Wanting her.
Half of her wanted to run away and never look back.
The other half—the louder, more desperate half—wanted to run straight into his arms.
Her fingers tightened on the slip of paper he had given her, crumpling it slightly.
Dante.
Even his name sent shivers down her spine.
She had no notion what the future held.
Didn't know if she was strong enough to ride out the storm coming her way.
But one thing she did know.
She couldn't stay away from him.
No matter how hard she tried.
Because she was his now.
And somehow, somewhere deep within, she knew he was hers too.
- Writer
