Chapter 7
1079 Words
Arianna
Easton.
Jenna just said his name, and my heart stopped. Her Easton. No, no, no. He can’t be my anchor. He just can’t.
Then Jenna’s voice cut through again. “Would you like to sit with me and Ari?”
Panic tightened in my chest. No. This is a terrible idea. If he touches me—if there’s even the smallest contact—it’ll confirm what I already fear. And I don’t know if I’m ready for that truth.
He looked at me, his gaze steady, and spoke my name. “Ari.”
Oh Goddess. He rolled the r. Just the sound of his voice was enough to make me waver.
“I—I’m Arianna,” I forced out, my voice strange and unfamiliar even to me.
“Arianna,” he repeated softly, a smile curling his lips.
That smile. Those impossibly blue eyes. I could drown in them if I let myself.
“You two okay? You’re both acting weird,” Jenna interrupted.
Jenna. I’d forgotten she was right there. I couldn’t do this in front of her. I couldn’t do this at all.
“I have to leave,” I blurted, sliding out of the booth. My lungs ached for air. I couldn’t breathe in there. Not with him so close. Not with everything inside me screaming mate.
I pushed through the diner doors, moving fast, almost running. Panic clawed its way up my throat until I was gasping, stumbling, nearly hyperventilating.
Bending over, I tried to steady myself. Why now? Why would the Moon Goddess put him in my life now, when I was so close to freedom?
Then I smelled it—clean salt air, sharp and soothing. Ocean breeze. His scent.
He’d followed me.
“No!” I cried, too loud, too raw.
And then it happened. A hand on my shoulder. Sparks exploded through me, racing under my skin. A jolt that left no room for doubt.
He was my anchor. My mate.
“This can’t be,” I sobbed, my whole body trembling. The electricity of his touch was undeniable. It was him. Of all people, him.
“It’s going to be okay,” Easton said gently.
But it wasn’t. This was as far from okay as it could get. He didn’t know what I was. What I really was. When he found out… he would hate me. Wolves despised shapeshifters, and I couldn’t even blame them.
I staggered back, every second with him burning and pulling at me at the same time. I couldn’t stay.
“You don’t want to be my mate,” he said suddenly, his voice raw, almost broken.
Oh, but I did. That was the problem. I wanted him with every piece of me. But the moment he learned the truth—that I wasn’t a wolf—he wouldn’t want me. And if my family ever found out I had a wolf mate… they would kill him. Simply because he was mine.
I couldn’t let him think I was rejecting him. But I couldn’t let him close either.
“That’s not it,” I whispered, my throat tight. “I do… but I can’t be mates with you.”
And before he could answer, I turned and walked away, every step tearing at my soul.
I didn’t know where I was going until I reached the community park. The same place the pack had gathered last night to shift and run. The woods stretched beyond, dark and familiar. My sanctuary.
I needed to shift. To shed the weight of this moment. When I became an animal, the chaos quieted, and for a little while, I felt whole.
Normally, I loved shifting into an eagle—soaring above it all, free and unchained. But tonight wasn’t the night for flying. Too many eyes, too many risks.
Which left me with one choice.
The wolf.
I slipped behind a tree, checking the area. No one else around. Closing my eyes, I gave in to the shift. Fur rippled down my body, white as snow, until I stood on four legs.
Not to run—running wouldn’t help. Tonight, I just needed to walk. To lose myself in the quiet rhythm of the forest, to drown in the sounds of rustling leaves and nocturnal creatures. To forget about Easton.
But of course, I couldn’t. His face haunted me, the sound of his voice, the way saying my name had unraveled me. And then there was Jenna—sweet, stubborn Jenna, who’d forced her way into my life when I’d tried to push her away. She’d been nothing but kind to me. And now… she would be devastated.
I wasn’t just about to lose my chance at freedom. I was about to lose the only friend I had here.
I padded through the woods until I came across a small pond. The surface shimmered under the moonlight. I leaned over, staring at the reflection of a white wolf staring back.
This was who I was now. Trapped. A wolf in a pack I didn’t belong to, living a lie just to escape the life of crime I’d been born into.
Maybe Loki—the trickster god himself—was laughing at me. Maybe giving me a wolf as an anchor was his cruel joke. My punishment for betraying the path I was born to follow.
A sharp snap of a twig broke my thoughts. My head whipped around, hackles raised.
A wolf stood at the edge of the clearing. Gray fur. The same one from last night. The arrogant, insufferable wolf who’d bumped into me.
I rolled my eyes. Of course. If he wanted a fight, fine. I wasn’t in the mood, but I wouldn’t back down either.
But he didn’t lunge. He didn’t snarl. Instead, he padded closer and… sat down. Right beside me.
What the hell?
I watched him warily, waiting for the trick. But nothing came.
He just sat there, watching me. Then, slowly, he lowered himself to the ground, head resting on his paws like some restless pup.
I tilted my head, uneasy. Something about him felt… off.
He nudged me with his nose, a soft gesture I didn’t expect. And then I saw it. In his eyes. Sadness.
The same sadness I’d seen in Easton’s eyes outside the diner when he thought I didn’t want him.
Realization slammed into me.
This wasn’t just some gray wolf.
It was his wolf.
Easton’s wolf. Gavin.
- Writer
