Fated to rise

Aria Moon was not having a good night. First, she’d been dragged out of bed by a frantic Beta who somehow thought she, the lowest-ranking Omega in the pack, was qualified to save a warrior with a fever hotter than the sun. Then, she’d spilled her tea on her last clean shirt. And now? Now she was elbow-deep in wolfsbane cream, muttering to herself while trying to keep a half-conscious, growling soldier from biting her hand off. “This is fine,” she told herself sarcastically, swiping sweat from her forehead with the back of her glove. “Perfectly fine. Midnight emergencies. Love it. Living the dream.” The soldier groaned, his body burning with fever, his skin slick with poison. Aria glanced around the tiny, dimly lit medical tent and sighed. Of course no one else was there. No proper doctors. No one more qualified. Just her. Just the rejected Omega who’d somehow become the pack’s reluctant night-shift healer. Her patient shifted suddenly, sharp claws scraping against the stretcher. Aria narrowly avoided losing a few fingers. “Okay, buddy,” she said, tightening the silver restraints around his wrists. “We’ve talked about this. No biting the medic. That’s a solid rule.” The soldier groaned again, but at least he stopped struggling. Aria grabbed a fresh cloth, dipped it into cool water, and gently pressed it against his burning forehead. “There. See? I’m not so bad. Maybe next time don’t go charging into a wolfsbane trap like a half-brained squirrel, huh?” The tent flap burst open with a loud snap. Aria jumped, spinning toward the entrance, fully expecting another grunt with a poison wound or, worse, a bored patrol officer bringing paperwork. Instead, two high-ranking guards stormed in, dragging a third figure between them—a man barely conscious, his dark hair matted with sweat, his massive frame sagging between them like he weighed the entire world. Aria’s breath caught. She recognized him immediately. Alpha King Lucian Black. Her hands went clammy, her pulse spiking in panic. What was he doing here? Why was he in her tent? “His Majesty was ambushed near the eastern ridge,” one guard barked, his voice sharp with urgency. “He’s been poisoned. We need him stabilized now.” Aria stared at them, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. “I—what? No, no, no, you need a real healer. I’m not—this is above my pay grade. I’m just the—” “Now!” the guard snapped, practically shoving Lucian onto the medical cot. Aria bit back a string of curses and rushed to his side. She peeled away the bloodied fabric clinging to his chest, her fingers trembling. Wolfbane burns. Deep ones. Aria muttered under her breath, grabbing her supplies. “Right. Okay. Midnight’s as good a time as any to not die.” She worked quickly, applying salves, flushing wounds, doing her best to keep her hands steady while her brain screamed in panic. This was the Alpha King. The man who could order her execution with a word. The man who had probably never noticed her existence. And now she was the one keeping him alive. Fantastic. Lucian groaned, his breathing ragged, his body tense under her touch. “It’s okay,” she murmured, her voice softening despite herself. “You’re going to be fine. I think.” His golden eyes fluttered open, dazed and unfocused. “Mine,” he whispered. Aria froze. “Excuse me?” Lucian’s hand shot out, wrapping tightly around her wrist. His grip was iron despite his weakness, his burning gaze locked onto her face as if he were seeing something—or someone—he’d been searching for his whole life. “You’re mine,” he rasped, pulling her closer. Aria’s brain short-circuited. “No, no, no, no, no, I think you’ve got the wrong girl,” she stammered, tugging at her trapped wrist. “I’m pretty sure I belong to myself, thank you very much.” His scent suddenly flooded the tent—a powerful, intoxicating mix of cedar and rain. It clung to her skin, wrapped around her senses, and settled deep in her lungs like a permanent brand. Her stomach dropped. Oh no. The mating bond. It was forming. Right. Now. “You have got to be kidding me,” she whispered, staring at the faint glowing mark beginning to pulse on the inside of her wrist. Lucian’s grip slackened as unconsciousness dragged him back under, but the damage was done. Aria jerked her hand free, staring in disbelief at the mark—a silver crescent moon shimmering faintly against her skin. “Great,” she muttered, pressing her palm to her face. “I came here to apply bandages, not to get life-bonded to the most complicated man on the planet.” The guards were already barking orders outside the tent. Aria grabbed her bag and scrambled toward the back entrance, panic lacing her every step. “Not today,” she hissed to herself. “Not ever. I don’t have time for fate.” And she ran. She had no idea where she was going. She just knew she had to get there fast. Because somehow, in the middle of the worst night of her life, she’d accidentally become the mate of the Alpha King. And Aria Moon wanted absolutely nothing to do with it. Aria didn’t stop running until her lungs burned and her legs threatened to collapse beneath her. She ducked behind an old storage shed, clutching her chest as her heartbeat slammed against her ribs like a war drum. Somewhere in the distance, wolves howled, but she doubted they were calling for her. Probably just another midnight patrol announcing their rounds. Nothing to worry about. Except the part where the Alpha King had just accidentally marked her as his mate. That part? Yeah, a slight problem. Aria slapped her cheeks twice, trying to snap herself back to reality. “Okay, Aria. Deep breaths. No big deal. It’s just the most powerful werewolf in the region claiming you without permission while you were elbow-deep in wolfsbane cream. Totally manageable.” She groaned, dropping her head against the shed wall. “Fate really is a terrible writer.” A twig snapped behind her. She spun on instinct, reaching for the tiny silver dagger she always kept hidden in her boot. Her hand trembled as her gaze landed on the figure emerging from the shadows. Beta Rhys. One of Lucian’s most loyal guards. His expression was unreadable, his sharp gray eyes flicking briefly to the faint mating mark still glowing on her wrist. “You ran.” “Sharp as ever,” Aria muttered, shoving the dagger back into her boot. “You can’t avoid this.” “Oh, watch me.” “You’re his mate now.” “False. I am an unfortunate bystander who happened to be within grabbing distance. That’s not the same thing.” Rhys took a slow step forward, his voice dropping into something dangerously calm. “The bond is real.” “No offense, but your boss was high on wolfsbane and barely conscious. He could’ve marked a tree stump if it had a pulse.” Rhys arched a brow. “You think the Alpha King’s instincts are that easily fooled?” “I think his instincts didn’t have to survive three years of being the pack’s Omega doormat. Mine did.” She crossed her arms, defiance flickering in her chest despite the panic still buzzing in her veins. “You can’t just walk away from this.” Aria smirked. “You clearly underestimate my cardio.” Rhys didn’t laugh. He didn’t even c***k a smile. Typical Beta. All duty, no humor. His voice softened, but there was steel beneath it. “If you leave, you put the pack in danger. You put him in danger. An unstable bond weakens the Alpha.” “Funny,” she snapped, stepping toward him, “because last I checked, nobody cared about an Omega’s instability. So why should I care about his?” Rhys’s jaw tightened. For a brief moment, Aria thought he might lunge at her. But instead, he did something far worse. He bowed his head. “Forgive me, Luna.” The title hit her like a punch to the gut. “No,” she whispered, shaking her head furiously. “Don’t you dare. Don’t call me that.” “It’s not my choice,” Rhys said, straightening. “It’s his.” “It’s a mistake.” “Maybe. But mistakes don’t change the bond.” Aria cursed under her breath, pacing in a tight circle. This wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be happening. There had to be a way out. Mating bonds were sacred, sure, but they weren’t supposed to just happen without consent. She wasn’t some prize to be claimed because an Alpha’s biology went haywire. Her heart pounded harder. What would the pack say? That the filthy Omega had somehow tricked the Alpha King? That she’d schemed her way into his bed? That she wasn’t worthy? The whispering would start tomorrow. The accusations. The glares. She couldn’t stay. Not here. Not as the object of every rumor and every jealous eye. She wouldn’t survive it. Her hand clenched into a fist over the glowing mark. “I refuse,” she said, her voice sharp as silver. “I refuse the bond.” Rhys’s eyes narrowed. “That’s not how it works.” “Then I’ll find a way to break it.” “No one breaks a bond with the Alpha King.” “Good,” she said, stepping backward, her smirk returning. “I’ve always liked impossible things.” She spun on her heel and disappeared into the trees before Rhys could stop her. Branches whipped at her face as she ran, but she didn’t slow down. If fate thought it could chain her to some arrogant, storm-eyed Alpha without asking, fate had another thing coming. She didn’t want a mate. She didn’t want destiny. All she wanted was to finally be free. And no king, no bond, no prophecy would ever take that from her.