# **📘 CHAPTER 6 — “THE PULL I CAN’T ESCAPE”**
638 Words
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The ride to ShadowFang territory felt longer than it should.
Aria kept her eyes on the dark forest outside the window, pretending not to notice Kael stealing glances at her every few seconds. The bond between them had grown stronger after he claimed her as *his human*.
But Aria wasn’t ready to accept it.
Not yet.
Not when her entire life had changed overnight.
Kael parked the jeep at the border checkpoint. Two ShadowFang warriors came forward, bowing their heads.
“Alpha,” they greeted.
Then their eyes shifted to Aria…
A human.
Beside their Alpha.
Carrying his scent.
Their expressions hardened.
“Who is she?” one of them asked boldly.
Before Aria could answer, Kael’s voice came out low, dangerous, almost a growl.
“Mine.”
The warriors straightened instantly.
Aria’s heart skipped.
He said it so easily.
So confidently.
As if she belonged to him—heart, soul, destiny.
They were escorted inside the territory. The pack house loomed ahead—massive, ancient, carved with symbols she didn’t understand.
Inside, Beta Rylan rushed forward.
“Kael! Rogues were spotted near the east ridge. They were searching for—”
His eyes fell on Aria.
He froze.
His jaw tightened.
“This is her, isn’t it?” Rylan whispered.
“The girl they want.”
Aria’s breath caught.
“What do you mean *they want*?”
But before Rylan could answer, someone else entered the room—a young warrior, lean, confident, with a friendly smile.
“Welcome to ShadowFang, Aria,” he said. “I’m Lior.”
He extended his hand.
Aria hesitated, then slowly reached out…
But she never touched him.
Kael grabbed her wrist, pulling her back against his chest.
His voice was ice.
“Don’t touch her.”
The room froze.
Lior blinked.
Rylan muttered under his breath, “Here we go…”
“Kael,” Aria whispered, embarrassed. “You’re overreacting.”
His eyes darkened, wolf surfacing.
“I don’t like another male near you. And I won’t apologize for it.”
Her cheeks flushed.
His possessiveness scared her…
But it also sent a strange warmth through her chest.
Lior raised both hands.
“Relax, Alpha. I was only being polite.”
Kael didn’t move.
Didn’t blink.
Didn’t release Aria.
“Politeness ends where my mate begins.”
*Mate.*
The word echoed in Aria’s mind.
Kael had never said it out loud before.
She swallowed hard.
“I’m not your mate,” she whispered weakly.
Kael leaned in, lips brushing her ear.
“Your scent says otherwise. And so does your heartbeat.”
Her legs nearly gave out.
Rylan cleared his throat loudly.
“Kael, we need to focus. The rogues weren’t searching the border. They were tracking her. Someone wants the girl.”
Aria felt cold.
“Why? I’m just human.”
Silence.
Everyone exchanged a look.
Kael’s eyes met hers—gentler now, protective, almost pained.
“Aria… you’re not ‘just human’. You never were.”
Before she could ask what that meant—
A deafening roar shook the entire building.
Warriors rushed outside.
The alarms blared.
Kael cursed under his breath and pushed Aria behind him.
Rogues.
Dozens of them.
Breaking through the trees, eyes glowing unnaturally red.
“Stay behind me,” Kael growled.
But the moment Aria stepped outside, something strange happened.
The rogues stopped.
Stared at her.
And whispered—
**“Found her.”**
Kael shifted in front of her, eyes blazing gold, voice filled with fury.
“Over my dead body.”
And the battle exploded.
Aria felt her heart race—not just with fear…but with a truth that suddenly became impossible to deny:
She *was* connected to Kael.
Bound to him.
Protected by him.
And whether she liked it or not—
Her destiny had already begun.
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- Writer
