Claiming my rogue princess

Chapter 15

The whispers

The forest became so quiet all of a sudden, and this made Aria freeze in her spot. She had entered into the woods to check her rabbit trap for rabbits. A familiar scent drifted through the trees, so nice and warm, it filled her lungs until her heart started to race.

It was him…Damian.

As soon as she realised who it was, she turned towards another route, trying to melt into the shadows like always but her wolf became nervous. No matter how she tried to calm it down, her wolf kept on pushing her body until her feet burst forward and she ran straight past him.

Damian’s eyes bulged. “Wait!” His voice cracked through the woods like thunder.

Aria did not answer, instead she kept running as fast even when the branches whipped against her arms, she pushed herself faster, but no matter how fast she was, his scent only grew stronger behind her.

“Stop running!” He voiced out.

Her wolf shook at the sound, but Aria shoved the feeling down.

Damian lunged after her, his heavy steps closing the distance. She heard his breath, ragged and determined. For a moment she thought he would catch her arm. She darted sideways, slipped between two pines, and bolted downhill.

“Wait! at least let me know your name!” His growl cracked through the trees.

Her legs screamed for a pause but the thought of his eyes, the fire inside them, drove her faster. She could not stand the fear of facing their lineage's enemy… One of them, who murdered her mother in cold blood.

Damian leapt over a fallen log, his fingers brushing the edge of her cloak. But the woods opened into a thicker patch, and Aria slipped through with the grace of her wolf, while Damian stumbled, just enough for her to vanish deeper.

“Wait… please!” His shout echoed but she was gone.

He stopped, trying to catch his breath but his wolf raged inside him, angry at the loss. He could still smell her, faint and fading, but the forest had protected her completely.

He slammed his palm against a tree, sound bursting under his strength. “Why do you keep running?” His voice cracked, half broken by rage.

The woods gave no answer. Only the sound of crickets filled the air.

A familiar footsteps approached from behind. “Damian,” Liam’s voice cut through the silence.

Damian turned, his face twisted with frustration. “I almost had her.”

Liam eyed the broken bark, then his eyes set on the sweat streaming down Damian’s brow. “You chased a ghost again?”

“Not a ghost Liam, she was here. I felt her…I saw her.”

Liam sighed heavily. “You keep searching, but every time you end up empty. You are driving yourself mad.”

“I am not mad,” Damian snapped. “She is real, Liam. My imagination is alive, in human form.”

Liam paused and stepped closer. “Even if she is, that's not why I tracked you here. You have a bigger problem to face right now. The council just left your father’s chamber and the date has been set.”

Surprised and curious, Damian questioned. “What date?”

“The mating ceremony of course.” Liam’s eyes softened, but his tone was steady. “Two weeks from now, you will be mated with Jasmine.”

Drums rolled in Damian's ears, and he felt like the forest was tilting beneath his feet.

“No.” he finally said the word after a long silence. “I cannot.”

“You can,” Liam answered firmly. “And you will. If you do not, your father will strip you of your right and the council will force him to choose another heir.”

Damian shook his head violently. “I will not be bound to someone I do not love.”

Immediately, Liam lost his patience and crashed out on him. “Do you think I like this either? You have to know that this… is bigger than you or your little fantasy. The Mistfall Pack needs the alliance and without it, we are weak against the Bloodbone pack and the rogues. This marriage holds the war at bay.”

Damian’s chest rose and fell in sharp bursts. “Then let the war come. I will not lie beside Jasmine, not when my soul…” He broke off, eyes flashing toward the woods where Aria had disappeared. “…not when my soul belongs elsewhere.”

Liam grasped his jaw. “Your soul is chained to duty, Damian. And duty is not something you can outrun. Not even for her.”

Damian frowned at him, breathing hard. “Do not speak of her as if she is a mistake. She is the only thing that feels true.”

“And yet,” Liam continued, “you cannot even hold her in your hands. You chase her shadow, and it slips through your fingers every time. Are you certain she is not a trick of your longing? A phantom your wolf invented to soothe your loneliness?”

Damian growled. “She is not a phantom because my wolf knows her and he calls for her. Every bit of us burns for her.”

Liam studied him for a long moment. Then his shoulder dropped . “You are my brother in every way except blood. And I will stand with you. But listen to me now… the ceremony is coming whether you want it or not. If you defy your father before the pack, he will not forgive you. He will crush you, Damian. Do not make me watch you break.”

Damian's hand trembled in confusion. The air still carried the faint scent of Aria, just enough to torment him. His heart felt torn in two, one half chained to duty, the other chasing a girl who vanished with the wind.

“I cannot give her up,” he whispered.

“And I cannot protect you forever,” Liam whispered back.

A hawk screeched above them, breaking the silence. Damian lifted his head, it's the messenger bird from the Bloodbone pack.

He turned to Liam, his eyes blooming with rage and fear “something is coming… and it is new. If they bind me to Jasmine, I swear to you, I will break it.”

Liam’s face darkened. “Then you are walking into fire with open arms.”

“Better a fire than a cage.” he tapped Liam’s shoulder and they both raced back home.

The forest felt cold with the weight of their discussion, and somewhere beyond their reach, Aria held her chest, her breath shaking, her wolf howling inside her.

She had heard everything.