BOUND TO THE ALPHA'S DARK HEART

The first thing Aria noticed was the silence. It was wrong. The forest was never this quiet. Usually, even in the middle of the night, there were sounds everywhere—the rustling of leaves, insects humming beneath the trees, the occasional cry of an animal somewhere beyond the boundary. Tonight, there was nothing. Not even the wind. Aria stopped walking. The basket hanging from her arm suddenly felt heavier. She looked over her shoulder. Nothing. Only the narrow path behind her, disappearing between the trees. “Stop being stupid,” she whispered to herself. Her voice sounded too loud. She tightened her grip on the basket and continued walking. She shouldn't have been outside this late. But Mrs. Hale had forgotten her medicine again, and Aria had been the only person willing to go back for it. The old woman had been coughing badly all evening, and nobody else seemed to care enough to risk the walk. Aria didn't have the luxury of being careless. She knew what happened to people like her when they made mistakes. They were punished. Ignored. Blamed. She had spent most of her life learning how to stay unnoticed. At twenty-two, Aria was still considered one of the lowest members of the Silvermoon Pack. She had no family name worth mentioning, no position, and no wolf strong enough to make anyone respect her. She was an Omega. And in her pack, that meant she was useful when someone needed something done and invisible when someone didn't. Aria had gotten used to it. Or at least, she told herself she had. A branch snapped behind her. She froze. This time, she didn't turn around immediately. Her heart began pounding. “Who's there?” No answer. Aria swallowed. She slowly turned. The path was empty. Then she smelled it. Smoke. Her stomach dropped. Smoke wasn't supposed to be here. Not this close to the pack. She dropped the basket. Glass shattered inside it. Aria didn't even look down. She ran. Branches scratched her arms as she pushed through the trees. Her breathing became uneven, but she didn't stop. The closer she got to the pack's territory, the stronger the smell became. Smoke. And something else. Blood. “No…” She broke through the final line of trees. Her entire body went cold. The Silvermoon Pack was burning. Flames climbed the wooden houses. People were running through the streets, screaming, some in human form and others already shifted. Wolves fought beneath the orange glow of the fire. Aria stood frozen. For one horrible second, she couldn't understand what she was seeing. Then someone grabbed her arm. She screamed. “Aria!” It was Mrs. Hale's son, Thomas. His face was covered in blood. “Where have you been?” he shouted. “I—I went to get your mother's medicine.” “Forget the medicine! They're inside the territory!” “Who?” Thomas looked toward the forest. His expression changed. Fear. Real fear. “The Blackwood wolves.” Aria's blood ran cold. Everyone knew that name. The Blackwood Pack wasn't simply another pack. It was the largest and most powerful pack in the region, ruled by the man people called the Alpha King. Darius Blackwood. Aria had never seen him. She had heard enough stories. Cold. Merciless. Unforgiving. They said he had taken control of his pack when he was barely twenty and crushed anyone who challenged him. They said even other Alphas lowered their heads when he entered a room. And now his wolves were here. “Why would they attack us?” Aria asked. “I don't know.” Another explosion sounded. Thomas pulled her toward the houses. “We have to get to the eastern border.” They barely made it three steps. A howl ripped through the night. Every wolf in the clearing stopped. Aria felt it before she understood it. A strange pressure settled over her chest. Her wolf stirred for the first time in years. Not fear. Recognition. Mate. The word echoed inside her head. Aria stumbled. No. She pressed a hand against her chest. Mate. “Aria?” Thomas looked at her. She couldn't answer. The air had suddenly changed. Someone was coming. Slow footsteps sounded from the smoke. One. Two. Three. Then he appeared. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Dressed entirely in black. His dark hair was slightly disheveled, and there was blood on one side of his face—not enough to make him look wounded, but enough to make him look dangerous. The men around him immediately stepped aside. He didn't have to say a word. They knew who he was. Aria's breath caught. Darius Blackwood. The Alpha King. Their eyes met. Everything inside her went still. For a moment, the burning buildings disappeared. The screaming disappeared. The people running around them disappeared. There was only him. And the strange, terrifying pull between them. Darius's expression changed. Barely. But Aria saw it. His eyes widened for half a second before becoming cold again. His wolf had recognized her too. No. Aria took a step backward. Darius took one forward. The bond between them tightened. Her wolf whimpered inside her. Mate. “No,” Aria whispered. Darius heard her. His jaw tightened. “You.” His voice was deep. Not loud. It didn't need to be. Aria stared at him. “What?” He looked at her as though she were something impossible. Something he had spent years trying to find and had never expected to actually see. Then his eyes darkened. “What's your name?” Aria hesitated. “Aria.” “Aria what?” “Vaughn.” Something flickered across his face. Recognition. Fear. It was gone so quickly that she almost thought she'd imagined it. Darius looked toward the burning pack, then back at her. “You're coming with me.” Aria stared at him. “No.” Several wolves around him looked shocked. Darius didn't. He simply studied her. “You don't understand what is happening.” “I understand enough.” “You are in danger.” “So are all of us.” His expression hardened. “You especially.” Aria's heart hammered. She didn't know why he was looking at her like that. She didn't know why every instinct inside her was screaming to get closer to him while every rational thought told her to run. “I don't belong to you,” she said. Something dangerous moved behind his eyes. “No,” he said quietly. “You don't.” He stepped closer. “But my wolf seems to disagree.” Aria's breath caught. She backed away. Darius stopped. For the first time, something almost human crossed his face. Not anger. Pain. Then a voice shouted from behind him. “Alpha!” Darius turned. One of his men was running toward them. “We found them.” Darius's entire expression changed. “Who?” “The rogues. They're heading toward the northern border.” His gaze moved briefly toward Aria. Then back to his soldier. “Take twenty wolves and cut them off.” “Yes, Alpha.” The man disappeared. Darius looked at Aria again. “You're coming with me.” Aria shook her head. “I said no.” His eyes narrowed. “You can walk beside me, or I can carry you.” “I'd rather die.” The words came out before she could stop them. For a moment, Darius said nothing. Then he stepped close enough that she could feel the heat coming from his body. His voice dropped. “Don't say that again.” Aria stared up at him. “Why?” His jaw tightened. “Because I don't know what I'll do if you die.” Her heart skipped. That wasn't what she expected. Neither was the way he looked at her afterward. As if he was already fighting something inside himself. A howl sounded from the forest. Darius turned sharply. Then another howl answered it. Closer. Much closer. His eyes changed. For one terrifying second, they flashed gold. “Run,” he ordered. Aria didn't move. “Run where?” Darius looked toward the forest. Then toward the burning pack. “We're surrounded.” The realization hit her like a punch. The attack hadn't ended. It was only beginning. Darius reached for her hand. This time, Aria didn't pull away. The moment their fingers touched, a powerful shock ran through her body. She gasped. Darius went completely still. Their wolves both recognized the bond. There was no denying it now. He was her mate. And she was his. The Alpha King looked down at their joined hands. For the first time that night, Aria saw something she couldn't explain in his eyes. Fear. Not fear of the enemy. Fear of her. Or perhaps fear of what loving her would cost him. Darius lifted his gaze to hers. “Stay close to me.” Aria wanted to argue. She wanted to tell him she didn't need him. But before she could speak, a howl shook the forest. Dozens of red eyes appeared between the trees. Darius stepped in front of her. His body shifted. Bones cracked. Muscles stretched. A massive black wolf emerged where the Alpha had been standing. Aria stared. She had seen wolves before. She had never seen one like this. He was enormous. Powerful. Terrifying. The black wolf turned his head toward her. For a brief moment, their eyes met. And Aria knew one thing with absolute certainty. Whatever had just happened to her life… There was no going back. The Alpha King had found his mate. And somehow, Aria knew that was going to be the beginning of her greatest nightmare. Or the beginning of everything.