The Red Wolf

Half Lycan

*Arias POV*

How can my hair be so red.....she thought as she walked out of the bathroom. She barely noticed Kaden watching her from the kitchen as she bent down to pull her tote of clothes out from under the bed....there wasn't much In there but she grabbed her favorite worn shorts and ratty blue tshirt before returning to the steamy bathroom. Still in her thoughts, she hung the towel up on its designated hook and slipped on the shorts and oversized tshirt.

Turning back to the mirror, she wasn't surprised to see her hair was still the same flaming red. It wasn't all in her head.

Throwing some product in her curls and running a pick through it, she once again exited the bathroom..

Kaden was sitting on the bed this time, watching her. Those eyes made her heart skip and tried to look anywhere else.

He cleared his throat. "I think its time we had that talk." he said slowly.

Aria groaned inward but she wanted answers just as much as he did. So she joined him on the bed. Careful not to touch him. She wasn't sure what that spark sensation was but she needed to focus.

"Ask away." she leaned back against the wall and brought a pillow up to her chest...she really should have put a bra on. It was a tad chilly in her little cottage.

Kaden turned his body towards her. "Let's start by you telling me what you are. You smell like a human but we both know you're not."

She could feel his eyes piercing her as she studied his face. Debating on the truth. She has been so careful about who she is. Why should she trust a stranger.

Because he saved you.... a little voice in her head answered. So now I'm answering myself. Aria thought in annoyance. But her little voice was right.

"I am a witch....I was raised in a witchery down south. Dropped off when I was 8. I have no memory of my past. But don't get excited....I have no powers. So basically I am a human. I just have witches blood running through my veins. As an outcast, i ran away and moved up here." She expected him to look at her in disgust. To call her an abomination or regret saving her. But he seemed to relax a little...was it her imagination or did he look relieved?

He simply nodded before continuing.

"Tell me little witch. You say you have no powers, yet you set half a forest on fire on last....do you have any recollection of that?" Aria could feel her eyes widen at this question. She assumed it was him...could werewolves even do things like that?

She realized he was waiting on an answer.

"I didn't know....I blacked out. I remember this tugging in my mind and I felt a hot wave overtake my body and i passed out.....I didn't know the fire was because of me." she answered softly.

"However" she continued. " I have noticed a weird change....to my hair...and my eyes..."

A small smile graced his handsome features. He stood up and began a slow pace around the room.

"I believe there is more to your story, than even you know little witch." He turned around to face her before continuing.

"The small tug you felt is called a mind link. Only my kind is capable of such a skill and only within our pack....or our mate." He paused for a second to let it sink in before continuing. Aria just stared at him dumbly. Mate? Werewolves were the only ones capable of such a thing. It was a fate brought by the Goddess herself. Predistined mates. The perfect fit. She had never believed it was true...but after all, how many werewolves did she even know.

"You have told me your identity, so I will share with you mine. My name is Kaden Vaughn. I told you I was a werewolf.....but I seemed to have lied a little. I am a Lycan....the King of Lycans in fact. And you...little witch...are my mate."

Aria felt 2 feet tall. She felt herself freeze. Eyes widened in disbelief, she shook her head....."That's not possible. Species dont intertwine unless its a human. It's unheard of. And you all live forever. That would never work.....did you say King??" she knew the last part was a last ditch effort to convince herself that this fate was not true. The king of Lycans? In her small little cottage. Surely the Goddess wouldve chosen someone more fitting than an outcast of a witch. The minute he said his last name, she knew exactly who he was. He was one of the most feared and adored originals in their world. The power he held was unparralled. Even the rulers of the other species avoided conflict with him at all costs. While an alpha may rule a pack, he ruled them, ontop of their packs, along with his own. Which was one of the largest in the entire world....

Then she remembered something he said. Snapping herself out of her thoughts. She stood up and nervously approached him. He watched her but didn't retreat. Aria looked at her hands and then slowly reached out to touch his arm. The tingles and sparks were instant. Not painful but energizing. A wave of calm overtook her and she quickly glanced up at him.

"The tug...in my mind. It was you?"

"It was me." He responded softly.

"Does this always happen?" she asked as she kept bringing her hand back to herself before touching his arm. A grunt of of amusement escaped his lips as he grabbed her hand In his.

"A mate bond is a powerful thing. You will always feel a special connection. Everything you do with your mate will be heightened..." He let his last sentence hang in the air between them before letting go.

Aria returned to the bed before continuing. "I don't understand how this is possible.." she muttered more to herself than to him.

But he responded anyways. "What do you know of the mark on your back?" My mark? she thought confused.

"You mean my scar?" instinctively her hand raised to her shoulder. She could feel the scar under her shirt. He only nodded in response.

"I've had it for as long as I can remember. I'm not sure how I got it and nobody would talk to me about it. I was always told it's from my past, and we don't visit the past." Now that she thought about it, she recalled how the witches would refuse to even acknowledge it or discuss the idea that it meant more than what it was. What were they hiding?

"Do you know what it is?" she asked quickly.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. She felt her heart quicken at the site. She wanted to run her fingers through his hair....a smile creeping on his face made her stop mid thought. Could he hear her? Did he know what she was thinking? His smile broadened and her cheeks instantly flamed red.

"You can hear my thoughts?" she accused. "You didn't tell me that!" He laughed and shook his head. "Its not your thoughts I can hear. But I can smell...."

She felt her cheeks get even redder if that was possible. She clenched her legs together and crossed her arms. He could smell her arousal....how embarrassing.

"Its normal." He said matter of factly. "Our bodies react to one another like an addiction. To answer the previous question. Your mark is a gift from the Goddess herself. You have been marked as one of her celestial warriors.....This is rare. So rare in fact, that it is thought to be a myth. Only Lycans have ever carried this mark. So you little witch, are half Lycan."