Chapter 4: The Kiss That Shattered Me
688 Words
The moon hung low over Silvercrest Academy, bathing the grounds in silver light. I couldn’t sleep. Not after what had happened with the rogue pack. Not after the glowing mark on my shoulder. Not after seeing Aiden in his wolf form.
Some part of me wanted to run. Some part of me wanted to hide.
But another part… a part I didn’t understand, needed him.
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I found him waiting at the edge of the forest. His golden eyes shone in the moonlight, reflecting every emotion he refused to voice. His expression was softer than usual, yet I could see the raw power simmering beneath the surface.
“You shouldn’t be here,” I said, though my legs had carried me closer without permission.
“I couldn’t sleep either,” he replied. His voice was low, calm, yet commanding. “It’s dangerous for you to wander alone, but…” He stepped closer. “I needed to see you.”
My breath caught. Needed to see me. His words were simple, but his gaze said something far more dangerous. Something possessive. Something… consuming.
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He reached for my hand. My pulse spiked. Instinctively, I stepped closer, closing the distance. Every nerve in my body screamed, warning me to pull back, yet I didn’t.
His hand brushed against mine, and the warmth that spread through me wasn’t just from touch. It was the bond. The connection. The mark. Something ancient and uncontrollable stirring between us.
“Aria,” he whispered, voice barely audible over the rustle of leaves, “you feel it too, don’t you?”
I swallowed hard. “Feel what?”
The tension in his jaw softened, and then, in one deliberate motion, he tilted my chin upward. His thumb brushed my cheek. The contact was electric.
“The bond,” he murmured. “It’s calling us. And you… you’re mine.”
My heart hammered. My lips trembled.
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And then he kissed me.
It started soft. Gentle. Testing. But the moment our lips met, everything changed. The world around us disappeared. The forest, the moon, the danger—they didn’t exist anymore. There was only him, and the fire burning between us.
My hands pressed against his chest instinctively, feeling the strength and heat beneath his skin. He pulled me closer, impossibly close, and my breath hitched. Every nerve in my body was alive.
He groaned softly, and it wasn’t human. It was deep, primal, something that made my knees weak.
“I’ve wanted this,” he whispered against my lips, “since the moment I saw you.”
I trembled. “I… I don’t know if I should—”
“Shh,” he interrupted, his forehead resting against mine. “You don’t have to think. Just feel. Just be with me.”
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The bond flared. The mark on my shoulder burned with a golden heat that spread through my body. Every touch, every brush of lips, every heartbeat drew us together in ways I couldn’t control.
His hands roamed, cautiously at first, then with more intent, tracing the curve of my back, holding me so close I could feel the rise and fall of his chest. My own hands tangled in his hair, pulling him deeper into the kiss, a mix of fear, desire, and the uncontrollable pull of the bond.
When he finally broke away for air, both of us were breathless. Our foreheads still pressed together, I could feel the rapid beat of his heart against mine.
“You’re mine,” he said softly, voice rough. “And I’m not letting anyone—anyone—take you from me.”
I tried to respond. My voice failed. All I could do was nod, feeling heat flush my body and knowing that nothing would ever be the same again.
---
We stayed like that in the forest, bound together by more than desire. By more than passion. By something primal and eternal.
I knew then, with every fiber of my being:
Aiden Cross wasn’t just a boy. He was my protector. My danger. My obsession. My mate.
And I was lost to him.
- Writer
