The Rogue Alpha's Temptation

The Forbidden Encounter Aria’s POV The wind howled through the dark woods, whispering warnings I should have listened to. The moon hung low, its glittering light just breaking through the matted trees. My heart raced, each beat resounding in the quiet. I wasn’t supposed to be here. Yet, here I was, chasing shadows at the border of the Forbidden Valley. I heard him before I saw him. A harsh, snarling voice that drove shivers down my spine. “I told you to stay away from here.” I spun around, my breath catching in my throat. Rising from the shadows, Varian had golden eyes flashing through the darkness. His presence was raw force radiating from him. Tall, muscular, and every inch the renegade Alpha I was cautioned about, he appeared exactly as frightening as the tales said. Shot back, trying to stifle the shaking in my voice, "I don't take orders from you." You struck my rucksack. I'm waiting for answers. He came up front for me, his eyes never wavering. If I decided to trash your pack by now, it would be ashes. His remarks were icy, calm... horrible. But his attitude towards me, as if he could see through every layer I tried to cover, really shook me. "You're lying," I vowed not to show panic, and raised my chin. I smelled your presence. That was all over the attack site. His eyes were black, and the surrounding air weighed. "I was not the one messing about with your pack. I know, though, who did it. You're also not prepared to meet them yet. Inside, I started to grow enraged. Alpha of Shadowmoon here. I can manage things. His lips started to open into a nasty smile. You are merely a girl passing for strength. Heat began rushing to my face. His recklessness is evident. "I set my place!" I caught it. "I'm not doing any type of fake here. He developed faster than I could have reacted. He was standing a few feet away at one instant. He was squarely in front of me next, his hand tight but not brutally holding my wrist. His touch scorched like a flame. Then show it, he replied, his voice low and raspy. Show me your rather remarkable strength. How hard it was to hammer hurt my heart. I hated the way his remarks turned something inside of me into an exposed, defenseless target. I would not, though, back down. Not to him either. I tried to free my arm, but his grasp tightened just enough to hold me there. Let go of me. From his quite close face, I could feel his breath on my flesh. His voice was sharp and condescending. "You came here looking for answers," he remarked. But you're not ready for the truth. "Try me," I whispered, staring right at him. "I have no fear of you." A horrible glitter sparkled in his eyes. False speaker. He dropped my wrist and turned away; his shadow melted into the night before I could say anything. "Coward," I answered, my anger flooding over. "Running away already?" He stopped, his shoulders going tight. His eyes were piercing, dangerous when he turned back to greet me. "You think I am a coward?" He moved forward to get us right here. "I am the one sustaining your life, Aria." His remarks felt like a punch. "What... what do you mean?" His voice sharp, he said, "You don't know what's coming." Your pack could be at risk. You might be in danger. But you are too obstinate to see it. A child crawled up my back. "Stop trying to decipher puzzles." Tell me anything you know. For a long time, he stared at me, his eyes weighted with something I couldn't comprehend. Recurrence of regret after bereavement? Whispering, he said, "I can't save you." Not from this, he remarked. My chest got tighter. "Why not?" wonders "Because I'm part of the curse," he continued, his voice trembling. "They are after you thanks to me." I staggered back while my head whirled. "No... That cannot be...," "The prophecy drove me into banishment," he continued, eyes painted. The one announcing that I will destroy the Alpha Shadowmoon. One way I tried to protect you was by keeping my distance. Blood went to ice in me. "You're lying". You want to perplex me. "I wish I were." He got closer, his voice raspy with agony. My whole life, I have been fleeing from this curse. Now that you are engaged, though, they will not stop until they have taken everything from you. A cold breeze rustled the undergrowth throughout the forest. My heart hammering in my chest, my instincts screaming to get away. I stopped right there. "Who are they?" On his face, a shadow passed. The ones your father's killers were. The ground appeared to be dragging beneath me. "You know my Father?" His visage changed, suffering flashing in his eyes. "I knew him only, not quite. That evening he died; I was there. I couldn't find it easy to breathe. A thousand questions spun in my head, fogging my eyes. "You killed him?" "No!" He stretched out, but I shook my head and pulled away. "I sought to rescue him." But I arrived late. They framed me, consigned me to be the renegade Alpha. Your father's murder sent me abroad. My throat locked, and the words would not come, but I wanted to yell, slap him, and demand more questions. Every inch of what I knew was collapsing. "Why should I believe you?" I produced a whisper. "Your opponent is here." His jaw seized, and his fists tightened at his sides. "Believe me or not." Not important. But Aria, they are coming for you. And should you not come to trust me, they will kill you exactly as they did him. Varian's gaze flew to the blackness behind me when the tense silence was shattered by rustling. His expression becomes solemn. He said, his body stiffening, "They're here." "Run." A sharp howl broke the evening, echoing over the forest. The temperature plummeted, black energy spinning around in the atmosphere. Shadows sliding among the woods fixed on us with bright red eyes. Varian came in front of me with a protective posture. Revert to your pack. Right now!" face My feet hardly moved at all. "I... I can not leave you here." His eyes softened, and a flutter of something delicate broke through his hard front. "This is what I fight with. Long enough, I have been escaping from them. Nevertheless, "But" "Run, Arria!" His eyes conveyed anguish even though he talked aggressively. If they reach you, all will be lost. Another howl echoed, this time from a closer distance. From the shadows emerged hideous creatures with features twisted with rage and claws on their limbs. Varian's body changed; his golden eyes were ablaze with wrath, and his bones split as he morphed into a massive black wolf. My heart was hurting, so I turned one step back. "Varian...." His wolf form fixed on me, and for a moment, I saw the man under the beast—man fighting to save me even as I questioned him. Then he attacked the beasts, teeth bared, a scream of revolt echoing over the night. Tears blurred my vision as I turned and fired. My heart is hammering. His last words made me terrified and kept resurfacing. If they find you, everything will be gone. What that suggested was not clear to me. I did, nevertheless, know one thing. I fell in love with the man everyone warned me not to love. Behind me, the howling grew louder, and a frigid sensation surged down my spine. Turning back in time, Varian disappeared into a sea of darkness while his golden eyes locked with mine. Silence then was all that existed. I was also on my own.