The Pack (Completed Series)

Chapter 18 - Elias

The air was different that morning—thicker somehow, charged.

I felt it the moment I woke.

It wasn't just the Blood Moon looming on the horizon. It was her.

Aria's wolf was closer to the surface than I'd ever felt, restless, pacing, eager. The shift was coming whether she wanted it or not.

When I found her in the kitchen, she was barefoot, hair tousled, standing at the counter with a mug between her hands. Her eyes had that faint gold glint. She didn't even notice it.

Kael came in behind me, already running through a list of drills. "We'll start with defensive—"

"No."

The word came out sharper than I meant, but I didn't back down when Kael's brow rose.

"She needs to conserve her energy," I said. "You push her hard now, she'll be too drained to control her shift tonight."

Ryker crossed his arms. "Or we keep her sharp so she doesn't lose it when the pain hits."

"She's not a soldier," I snapped. "Not yet. She's a person. Today she needs calm, not battle."

Kael studied me for a moment, then sighed and relented. Ryker muttered something about coddling but didn't push it.

When they left, I turned to her. "Come with me."

We spent the morning away from the training yard. I led her into the woods, down to the stream where sunlight dappled the water. She rolled up her jeans, waded in barefoot, and for the first time in days, she laughed—a sound that pulled at something deep inside me.

We wandered until the sun dipped low, talking about nothing and everything. She let her guard down, and I let myself imagine—for a moment—that this was a life we could keep.

Back at the house, I drew her a bath, the kind she liked—steaming water, lavender oil. She leaned back against me in the tub, my arms around her, and for a while we just breathed together.

When we finally moved to the bed, it wasn't hurried. There was no frantic tearing of clothes, no desperate claiming. Just hands exploring slowly, mouths learning each other with patient hunger. She looked into my eyes when I slid into her, and it felt like the world narrowed to that one perfect connection.

Her nails scraped my back, my name on her lips like a prayer, and I knew I was gone for her—utterly.

Afterward, we stayed tangled in the sheets, skin warm, her head resting on my chest. Outside, the first faint glow of the Blood Moon began to touch the horizon.

Her breathing evened out, and she drifted into sleep. I wrapped my arms around her and held on, knowing the peace wouldn't last.

Tonight, everything would change.