Chapter 10: Sierra’s Move
595 Words
Stormfang was finally starting to breathe again.
After Kael’s quiet announcement, wolves stopped whispering behind Aria’s back and started nodding in respect.
She wasn’t officially Luna.
But she was his.
The bond between Kael and Aria hadn’t been sealed with a mark, but it pulsed in every glance, every protective gesture, every time Kael stood a little too close, or growled when another male looked at her too long.
And still… Sierra watched.
Waited.
Plotted.
One morning, as Aria walked into the training ring, Jace met her with a worried look.
“You’ve got visitors.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Who?”
He hesitated. “Bloodroot.”
Her heart dropped.
She turned, fast eyes scanning the treeline.
And there they were.
Her former pack Beta. A she-wolf she didn’t recognize. And her mother.
Her own mother.
Aria’s body locked up.
Kael was there in seconds, already sensing her shift in scent.
He stepped between her and the visitors. “They’re not welcome here.”
“They say they come in peace,” Jace said tightly. “To speak with Aria.”
Aria’s hands shook at her sides.
Kael looked over his shoulder. “You don’t have to talk to them.”
She stared at her mother older, colder, still wearing the same disappointment she always had.
“No,” Aria whispered. “I want to.”
In the pack's private courtyard, Aria sat across from the woman who birthed her… but never protected her.
“You’re stronger,” her mother said, eyeing her up and down. “Alpha Kael must be training you well.”
“He doesn’t train me. He believes in me,” Aria replied sharply.
Her mother pursed her lips. “We didn’t come to fight.”
“Then why are you here?”
The Beta leaned forward. “Bloodroot is ready to welcome you back.”
Aria laughed sharp, bitter. “Welcome me back? You blamed me for a death I didn’t cause. Let your wolves abuse me. And when I was on the ground, in pain, rejected by my mate, you all watched.”
Her mother didn’t deny it.
“We were wrong,” she said quietly. “But your mate bond was fated. Liam has suffered since.”
“Good,” Kael growled from the shadows.
The Beta’s eyes flashed. “You’re mated again, without sealing your bond? That’s dangerous.”
Kael stepped forward, voice low and deadly. “Say another word, and I’ll end this ‘visit’ with blood.”
They left.
And Aria?
She shook.
Not with fear.
But with fury.
Later that night, Kael found her in the rooftop garden.
“You were incredible today,” he said softly.
She didn’t respond. Just kept looking at the stars.
“Talk to me.”
“They came to take me back,” she whispered. “After everything.”
He stepped closer.
“They don’t get to claim you,” he growled. “Because you’re mine.”
She looked up.
“Then mark me.”
Kael’s breath hitched.
“Tonight,” she whispered. “I don’t want to be claimed by the past anymore.”
Kael cupped her jaw, fingers trembling slightly. His lips hovered over her mark spot.
But just before he bit down
A scream rang out across the courtyard.
They ran.
What they found stopped Aria cold.
Sierra.
On the ground.
Bleeding.
And clutched in her hand an envelope soaked in red.
Kael ripped it from her.
Inside?
Photos of Aria.
Bloodied. Bruised. Rejected.
And stamped in black:
“TRAITOR. UNFIT FOR LUNA.”
- Writer
