CHAPTER SEVEN
1249 Words
“You should have told me.”
My mother looked down at her hands. She didn't try to defend herself this time, and somehow that made me even more upset.
“I wanted to,” she said quietly. “I really did, Aria. But every time I thought about telling you, I remembered what your father made me promise.”
I stared at her. “And that was enough to let me spend my whole life thinking I was broken?”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I never thought you were broken.”
“But I did.”
The words came out before I could stop them. I looked away because I didn't want her to see how close I was to crying again.
For years, I'd watched other girls shift for the first time. I remembered how excited they were, how their families celebrated them, how everyone looked at them like they had finally become who they were supposed to be.
I had waited for that day too.
It never came.
Instead, I became the girl people whispered about. The girl with no wolf. The girl who was somehow different.
And all this time, my mother had known there was a reason.
“I thought I was the problem,” I said.
“You were never the problem.”
“Then what was I?”
She didn't answer.
I looked at Ronan. He had been quiet through most of the conversation, but I could tell he was listening.
“And you knew too?”
He nodded.
“Yes.”
I let out a small laugh. There wasn't anything funny about it.
“Of course you did.”
“Aria, I didn't know everything.”
“But you knew enough to reject me.”
His expression changed.
“I didn't reject you because I didn't want you.”
“Then why?”
He looked at my mother, almost like he was asking her permission to speak.
She shook her head.
Ronan looked back at me.
“Because I knew what would happen if I accepted you.”
I frowned. “What would happen?”
“I don't know exactly.”
I threw my hands up.
“Then what do you know?”
He took a breath.
“I know your bloodline has caused problems before. I know people have been looking for someone from your family for years. And when I found out you were my mate, I knew accepting you would put a target on your back.”
I stared at him.
“So you thought rejecting me would make me safe?”
“I hoped it would.”
“Well, it didn't.”
His eyes dropped.
“I know.”
I wanted to stay angry at him. I really did. But there was something in his face that made it difficult.
He looked tired.
Not physically tired. More like he had been carrying something for a long time and didn't know how to put it down.
I turned away from him and looked at the wooden box.
“What exactly is in there?”
Nobody answered.
I walked over and opened it again.
The silver necklace was lying on top of the old piece of paper. I reached for it before anyone could stop me.
The second my fingers touched it, heat spread across my chest.
I gasped and dropped it.
My mother rushed over.
“Aria!”
“I’m fine.”
I wasn't.
My heart was beating so fast that I could hear it in my ears. The mark beneath my collarbone had started glowing again, and this time the light was stronger.
Ronan stepped closer.
“Don't touch it again.”
I looked at him.
“Why?”
“Because something is happening.”
“That much I can tell.”
He didn't smile.
“I mean something is really happening.”
Before I could ask what he meant, I heard a voice.
It wasn't coming from the room.
It was inside my head.
Aria.
I froze.
My mother noticed.
“What is it?”
I looked at her.
“She's back.”
Ronan's expression changed.
“Who?”
“The woman.”
“What woman?”
“The one I heard before.”
My mother looked frightened.
“Aria, what is she saying?”
I closed my eyes.
For a moment, I could hear nothing except my own breathing.
Then the voice came again.
You have been asleep for too long.
I opened my eyes.
“She said I've been asleep.”
Ronan looked at my mother.
My mother covered her mouth.
“You know what that means,” I said.
She shook her head.
“I don't.”
“Mom.”
“I don't, Aria.”
I knew she was lying.
I just didn't have the energy to fight with her about it.
Then something crashed outside.
Everyone turned toward the window.
Clara moved closer to it and looked through the curtain.
“There are wolves outside.”
Ronan immediately became serious.
“How many?”
“I can't tell.”
Another howl came from somewhere near the house.
My mother grabbed my hand.
“Stay close to me.”
I pulled my hand back.
“I'm not hiding anymore.”
“Aria, please.”
“No. I've spent my whole life hiding and it clearly hasn't helped.”
Ronan moved towards the door.
His guard followed him.
“Stay here,” he said.
I almost laughed.
“That's the third time tonight you've told me that.”
“This isn't a joke.”
“I know.”
The front door shook.
Everyone went quiet.
It shook again, harder this time.
Ronan's eyes changed, and within seconds, a large black wolf stood where he had been.
The door broke open.
Three wolves rushed inside.
Everything happened so quickly that I barely had time to react.
Ronan attacked the first one before it could reach us. The two wolves crashed into the wall, knocking over a small table.
My mother pulled me backward.
“Aria, stay behind me.”
One of the wolves broke away from Ronan and turned towards us.
It stared directly at me.
I couldn't move.
It started walking closer.
My mother stood in front of me, but I could see the fear on her face.
The wolf growled.
Then something inside me answered.
A deep growl came from my own chest.
The wolf stopped.
I felt the strange heat spread through my body again.
The wolf took one step back.
Then another.
It lowered its head.
I didn't understand what I was seeing.
Neither did my mother.
The wolf suddenly turned and ran out through the broken door.
The other two followed.
Ronan shifted back and stood there breathing heavily.
Nobody spoke for a moment.
Then Clara walked to the doorway and looked outside.
She bent down and picked something up.
It was a small piece of black cloth.
She handed it to Ronan.
He looked at it for a few seconds.
His face became hard.
“What is it?” I asked.
He didn't answer.
“Ronan.”
He finally looked at me.
“They're watching this house.”
My stomach dropped.
“Who?”
He looked towards the dark forest.
“The people who have been looking for you.”
And for the first time since all of this started, I realized something.
They hadn't found me by accident.
They had been looking for me all along.
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