Chapter 4
1298 Words
The rain came heavy that morning, pattering against the roof of the omega quarters until the wooden beams groaned. Aria sat curled on her cot, knees hugged tightly to her chest, watching the droplets trickle down the small window. She had always liked the rain. It hid tears, muffled sound, washed the world clean for a moment.
But this morning, there was no peace in it. Not after what happened in the dining hall.
Her power—whatever it was—had spilled out of her, raw and uncontrolled. She could still feel the way it had pulsed through her blood, how the air had vibrated, how Marissa’s confident smirk had faltered in fear. And then it had been gone, leaving her trembling, confused, and terrified of what she was becoming.
Her wolf whispered to her constantly now. You are changing. The Goddess planted this in us. You can’t keep hiding.
Aria buried her face against her knees. “But what if they find out? What if they call me a freak? What if Kael—”
She cut herself off. She didn’t want to think of him. But his face haunted her in every quiet moment: the steel in his eyes as he rejected her, the bond that still pulled at her heart even though he had severed it. She hated him for it. She hated herself more for still feeling him.
The door creaked open. Lila, a fellow omega with soft brown eyes and gentle hands, stepped inside, carrying a basket of linens. She paused when she saw Aria.
“You didn’t come to breakfast,” Lila said softly.
“I wasn’t hungry.”
Lila set the basket down and moved to sit beside her. For a moment, silence filled the room, broken only by the drum of the rain. Then, carefully, Lila spoke. “They’re still talking about what happened yesterday.”
Aria’s stomach twisted. “Of course they are.”
“Some say you cursed Marissa. Others think you… tapped into something else.” Lila hesitated, lowering her voice. “Something powerful.”
Aria hugged herself tighter. “I don’t know what it was.”
Lila touched her arm. “Maybe it’s not a bad thing, Aria. Maybe it means you’re not as powerless as they want you to believe.”
Aria wanted to believe that. But fear gnawed at her. If the Alpha learned of this…
Her chest tightened. Kael. Always Kael.
---
Kael’s Restlessness
In the Alpha’s house, Kael stood in the training yard, sweat dripping down his back as he sparred with his Beta. His movements were sharp, aggressive, each strike carrying more force than necessary.
“You’re distracted,” the Beta grunted, blocking a blow.
Kael growled and pushed harder. “I’m fine.”
But he wasn’t. He hadn’t been fine since that night.
Everywhere he went, he heard whispers about Aria—how she had stood up to Marissa, how the air had trembled around her. He wanted to dismiss it as exaggeration, but deep down, his wolf stirred uneasily.
She is more than you believe, the wolf growled. The bond is not broken. You feel her still.
Kael gritted his teeth, driving his opponent back. He hated the truth in those words. He had rejected her. He had made his choice. And yet, every night, he felt her emotions bleeding through the torn bond: sorrow, fear, sparks of defiance.
And every night, it became harder to ignore the ache inside him.
---
The Outskirts
That evening, Aria couldn’t stand the walls of the pack house any longer. She slipped outside, drawn once again to the forest. The rain had softened into mist, the air damp and heavy with the scent of earth.
Her feet carried her toward the river where she had seen the rogue. She half-hoped, half-feared that he would appear again.
And he did.
He emerged from the shadows as if he had been waiting, his amber eyes glinting beneath the trees.
“You came back,” he said, his voice low, steady.
Aria’s heart jumped. “I… I didn’t mean to. I just—”
“You’re searching,” he interrupted. “For answers.”
She hesitated. “Who are you?”
“Call me Darius,” he said. “And you?”
“Aria.”
A small smile curved his lips. “Aria. The one with the howl that shakes the woods.”
Her breath caught. “What do you mean?”
Darius stepped closer, but not threateningly. “The power you felt—it’s not an accident. It’s old. Older than this pack, older than the titles they worship. It’s in your blood. The Eternal Howl.”
The words struck her like lightning. “The Eternal… what?”
He tilted his head. “A gift. Or a curse. Depends on who you ask. Few carry it, fewer survive it. But if you learn to control it, no Alpha alive could deny your strength.”
Aria’s pulse thundered. Control it? The idea seemed impossible. And yet, something in his tone made her believe.
Before she could ask more, the distant sound of approaching wolves snapped his head up.
“Your patrols are near,” he said. “I can’t stay.” He looked at her, his gaze sharp. “But listen to me: don’t hide from it. The more you deny it, the more it will consume you.”
And then he vanished into the trees, leaving her trembling by the riverbank.
---
The Confrontation
By the time she returned to the pack house, the patrol had already reported seeing her at the border. She was summoned to the Alpha’s office before she could even catch her breath.
Kael stood behind his desk, arms crossed, his expression unreadable.
“You’ve been wandering too close to the borders,” he said, his voice low, dangerous.
Aria stiffened. “I needed space.”
His eyes narrowed. “Space? Or are you meeting someone?”
Her breath caught. “What—no—”
“Don’t lie to me,” he snapped, his voice sharp enough to make her flinch. For a moment, anger burned in his eyes, but beneath it, something else flickered—pain, conflict.
Aria’s own anger rose, surprising even her. “Why do you care? You rejected me, remember? I’m nothing to you.”
The room went silent.
Kael’s jaw tightened. For a moment, he looked as if she had struck him. His wolf howled inside him, restless, angry at her words. But he said nothing, only turned away, dismissing her with a wave of his hand.
“Stay away from the borders. That is an order.”
Aria left, her chest heaving, her emotions tangled in knots. Anger, pain, longing—they warred inside her until she couldn’t tell one from the other.
---
The Howl
That night, the dream came again. Fire. Shadows. A silver wolf howling to the sky. But this time, Aria didn’t just hear it—she joined it. The sound tore from her throat, fierce and wild, shaking the very earth beneath her.
She woke gasping, her body thrumming with energy. She rose and stumbled outside into the night air, her bare feet cold against the grass.
The moon hung high, brilliant and full.
And before she could stop herself, her head tilted back, and she howled.
The sound split the night, powerful and raw, echoing through the forest, shaking the hearts of every wolf in the pack.
Kael bolted upright in his bed, his chest pounding, his wolf howling in response. The pack stirred, restless, murmurs spreading.
And deep in the shadows beyond Crescent Moon’s borders, darker forces lifted their heads, their eyes gleaming.
The Eternal Howl had awakened.
And nothing would ever be the same.
- Writer
