CHAPTER FOUR: THE CONFESSION
785 Words
I woke to sunlight and the smell of coffee.
Kade sat at the edge of the bed, holding a mug. “Morning.”
“You stayed.”
“We always stay.” He handed me the coffee. “How do you feel?”
“Confused. Terrified. Safe.” I took a sip. “All at once.”
“That’s the bond.”
The others were gone. “Where—”
“Training. Come on. Today you learn to fight.”
Two hours later, I was drenched in sweat and covered in bruises.
Riven was a brutal teacher. Silent but demanding. He’d shown me holds, breaks, counters.
And when I’d gotten it wrong, he’d simply demonstrated again. Patient. Relentless.
“You’re stronger than you think,” Kade said, watching from the side. “Your wolf is dominant. She just needs permission to surface.”
“Princesses don’t fight.”
“You’re not just a princess anymore.” Asher tossed me a towel. “You’re pack. And pack protects itself.”
After training, Jax brought me to a hot spring behind the den.
“Soak,” he ordered. “You’ll be sore otherwise.”
The water was perfect. I sank in with a groan.
“Can I ask you something?” Jax asked, sitting on the rocks nearby.
“Yes.”
“Why did you really agree to help us? Revenge isn’t enough. You could’ve demanded we let you go.”
I was quiet for a long time.
“Two months ago,” I finally said, “my best friend was executed. Her name was Mira. She questioned Alpha King Theron’s new law—something about rogue wolves being killed on sight without trial.”
Jax’s expression darkened.
“He called her a traitor. Had her beheaded in the courtyard.” My voice cracked. “She was seventeen. And I stood there in my pretty dress and watched because my father ordered me to.”
“Aria—”
“But that’s not the worst part.” I looked at him. “The night before my wedding, Theron came to my chambers. He told me exactly what he expected from me. How I would behave. What I would say. How many heirs I would give him.”
Jax’s hands clenched.
“And when I didn’t respond fast enough, he grabbed me.” I touched my wrist where the bruises had finally faded. “He said if I ever embarrassed him, he’d make sure I ended up like Mira.”
“I’m going to kill him,” Jax said quietly.
“Not without me, you’re not.”
He smiled at that. Fierce and proud. “Deal.”
That evening, all five of us sat around the fire.
“We need to talk strategy,” Kade said. “Theron will be looking for you. We need to figure out what he’s planning.”
“He won’t stop until he finds me,” I said. “His pride can’t take the insult.”
“Good.” Asher’s smile was vicious. “Let him come.”
“You don’t understand. He has an army. Trained warriors. You’re four rogues.”
“Four rogues who’ve survived worse.” Kade leaned forward. “We’re not afraid of him, Aria.”
“You should be.”
“Why?” Riven spoke. His voice was deep. Unexpected. “Why should we fear a coward who hides behind soldiers?”
I stared at him. It was the first time I’d heard him speak.
“Because he’s a monster,” I said.
“So are we.” Kade’s eyes glowed gold. “The difference is—we’re monsters who protect what’s ours.”
“I’m not—”
“You are.” All four of them said it again.
The bond thrummed between us. Warm. Insistent.
“He’ll hurt you to get to me,” I whispered.
“Then we’ll hurt him worse.” Asher’s expression was cold. “We’re not good men, Princess. But we’re yours. And we protect what belongs to us.”
“I don’t belong to anyone.”
“You belong to yourself first,” Kade corrected. “But you’re pack. And pack means family. It means we fight for each other.”
Riven’s hand covered mine. Warm. Steady.
Jax moved to my other side. “We’re not leaving you. Even if you want us to.”
“I don’t,” I admitted.
The confession hung in the air.
“Good.” Kade stood. “Because we’re about to start a war. And we need our princess ready to fight.”
He held out his hand.
I took it.
And somewhere in the darkness, I swore I could feel Theron watching.
Waiting.
Coming.
- Writer
