Bound By Shadow Forged By Fate

Aria’s POV I was about to leave the clinic after my shift, but something inside of me compelled me to go in a different direction. There was an odd tug, like if I was supposed to walk somewhere else, far into the forest. I dismissed it, but as the sensation intensified, I eventually gave in. The leaves crunched under my sneakers as I exhaled deeply and left the route. With every stride, my heart pounded a bit more quickly. "What am I doing?" Half-laughing at myself, I whispered. However, there seemed to be a reason for everything, and something seemed right. The pull took me to a clearing where I saw Luca Sinclair, the Alpha of the Scarlet Moon pack, standing tall and far away. I had seen him a few times around town. He appeared to be deep in concentration as he gazed off into space. His jaw was tightened, his face taut. He appeared to be in pain, as though he were bearing a weight that he would never discuss with anyone. A part of me wanted to go back, but he hadn't seen me. However, he looked over his shoulder as I silently retreated, his sharp yellow eyes meeting mine. I went cold. Something was in those eyes. Something powerful that appeared to know who I was. There was an electricity in the air between us. This connection, like if I had known him for ages, was beyond my comprehension. However, his countenance changed, hardening as he turned to face me directly as I took a tentative step closer. He stated firmly, "You shouldn't be here," yet there was a glint of something else in his eyes—confusion? Anguish? Whatever it was, he quickly covered it up. I stumbled, uncertain of what to say, "I… I just." "I didn't intend to bother you. I simply had the impression that I was meant to be here. "Is it supposed to?" His brow wrinkled into a frown as his eyes narrowed significantly. "You're a person. You have no place here. The remarks were sharper than I had anticipated, and they hurt. "Human?" Confused, I repeated. "What is there any connection between that and anything?" He stepped forward, his eyes sharp. "You wouldn't comprehend. Return to your hometown, where you belong. His tone made it impossible for me to argue, even though I wanted to. I muttered, feeling stupid, "Okay." I was about to turn around, when his voice interrupted me. He surprised me by saying, "Aria," in a quiet voice. I turned to face him again. "Yes?" However, his face was a mask of unreadable emotions, and he remained silent. Then he spoke in a hard, gruff tone, as though he were steeling himself. "To me, you are nothing." It was a slap of words. I bit down on the pain as I clinched my fists. I had no idea why it had such an impact on me. I had just met him. I raised my head and responded, "Right." "I understand." Then, disregarding the sting in my chest, I pivoted on my heel and left. I sat on the edge of my bed back in my tiny apartment, still stinging from what he had spoken. Why had it been so painful? Why was it important to me what a stranger thought of me? "Nothing to me," I said out loud, allowing his words to fully register. However, the more I considered it, the more I saw that something was off. There was more to that expression in his eyes, something he wasn't telling me. I took out my laptop and began looking up whatever I could about the Scarlet Moon pack, anything that would help me understand the weird tension I had experienced and the attraction that had brought me there in the first place. My searches yielded little over the course of several hours, but they gave me pause and made me question whether there was more to my own tale than I had previously thought. When I was young, my parents passed away. I was raised in foster care and was often curious about my past. What if? I shook my head, thinking I was crazy. I was a person. Typical. I had no place in this world, no connections to it. Nevertheless, the sense that I was a part of something greater and that something was missing persisted. I made the decision to continue digging, even if it meant returning to that clearing. I was determined to find whatever it was that was calling to me. I was unable to follow through on my vow to abstain the following day. Attracted to that area like a moth to a flame, I ended up straying back into the woods. As expected, Luca was there once more, pacing as though he had been waiting. He saw me almost immediately, and as he approached and stopped a foot away, his eyes narrowed. With a warning tone, he said, "I told you to stay away." "I understand," I said, not giving in. "But I need answers." Like he was attempting to relax himself, he inhaled deeply. "What are the answers?" "What's causing my feelings?" To my own surprise, I blurted out. "Somehow, I feel a connection to you. I'm not sure why, but I can't get rid of it. I briefly believed I caught a glimmer of emotion in his eyes as they flashed. Then he closed it, his face freezing once more. Finally, in a voice that was almost audible, he murmured, "You feel that way because of the bond." "A bond I didn't request." "What bond?" Stunned, I muttered. He regarded me with a mix of remorse and rage. "A bond between mates." However, I refuse to accept it. You are a human. Our world and customs are incomprehensible to you. "But" He interrupted me with a last tone, saying, "It's done, Aria." "I was never intended to be with you. Move on after accepting it. I didn't want to show him how much the words hurt, even though they were like a kick to the gut. He had already turned away when I wanted to yell and demand explanations. "All right," I answered, maintaining a steady tone despite my internal turmoil. "If you desire that." I pushed myself to turn, pushing myself with every step as I turned back to the trail and left him behind. I kept my head up and refused to let him know how affected I was, even though my heart was racing and my mind was racing. Then, when I got to the clearing's edge, I saw something partially hidden beneath the foliage. I stooped to remove the dirt, exposing a little, battered diary with a complex wolf emblem engraved on the front. My heart skipped a beat when I picked it up and turned to the first page. The words were written there in fine handwriting: "To my descendants, the last of our kind..." A shiver went down my back. This journal had anything to do with me. To my history. Luca had already left when I turned to look back toward the clearing. Whatever he believed he understood, whatever he was concealing... I would discover the truth for myself.