The Alpha’s Forbidden Claim

Chapter 3

Aria’s POV

Sleep refused me again. I could not close my eyes without seeing the mist curling over the mountains, without hearing the low, guttural howls that seemed to surround Blackthorn Hall. My wrist throbbed where the crescent mark glowed faintly under the moonlight. I touched it carefully, as though the skin itself might reveal secrets if I pressed hard enough.

I hadn’t seen Lucien since breakfast. He had vanished into his papers, his aura of control nearly tangible from the dining hall. But the moment I felt that mark, I knew—he was near, closer than I realized, even if he wasn’t in the same room. Something about that mark made the air around me heavy and electric.

The sound of footsteps startled me, soft on the carpet outside my door. I jumped, clutching my robe tighter around my shoulders.

“Aria?” Cassian’s voice was calm, a grounding thread in the night.

I exhaled slowly. “Cassian.”

He stepped inside without waiting for an invitation, eyes scanning the room as though measuring for danger. “You shouldn’t be alone right now,” he said, almost whispering.

“Why?” I asked, though I knew the answer.

“Because the territory is restless,” he said. “Lucien’s not the only one who hunts at night. Wolves don’t always follow orders, and there are other things… more dangerous things.”

I shivered, not entirely from the cold. “And you? You’re here because…”

“Because I am supposed to watch over you,” he said simply. His pale blue eyes softened, but there was a flicker of something else, something unreadable. Protection? Or something more?

Before I could answer, the door slammed open, and a gust of cold air swept through the room. Darius strode in, hair messy, amber eyes bright with amusement and something sharper beneath it.

“Watching over the human already, Cass?” His grin was devilish, teasing. “I see she isn’t trembling in fear yet.”

“Darius,” Cassian warned, voice low.

I swallowed, heart hammering. “I’m fine.”

Darius circled me, his presence oppressive and magnetic at the same time. “Fine?” he repeated, voice a husky purr. “You’re trembling. That mark…” He gestured at my wrist. “It burns, doesn’t it?”

I looked down. The crescent glowed brighter now, faintly luminous even under candlelight. My breath caught. “I...I don’t know what it is,” I said.

He stepped closer, dangerously close, until I could feel the heat radiating from him. “You do. You feel it. That’s the bond. The connection.”

“Connection?” I whispered, backing toward the edge of the bed.

“Yes. A bond you don’t understand yet. And one that should never exist,” Darius said, his voice soft now, almost intimate, like he was sharing a secret meant for no one else.

Cassian moved between us, placing a hand lightly on Darius’s chest. “You’ve said enough.”

Darius laughed softly. “I just wanted her to know the truth… a little at a time.”

The tension in the room was thick, almost suffocating. I couldn’t breathe. My pulse raced from fear, from something more primal stirring inside me, something that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

“Enough,” Cassian said again, more firmly this time. “Aria, come with me. We’ll walk a little. Get some air.”

I didn’t argue, though I wanted to protest, to ask why they were all so intense. Instead, I followed him down the corridors, the faint glow of the moon through high windows lighting our path. The house felt alive, every shadow moving, whispering secrets I wasn’t ready to hear.

Outside, the courtyard stretched beneath us, silvered in moonlight. The mist swirled around the stone walls, curling like fingers. I could hear the wolves howling again in the distance, their cries haunting, beautiful, and terrifying all at once.

Cassian stopped, turning to face me. “This bond,” he said quietly, “is dangerous. Lucien has rules for a reason. Humans aren’t supposed to bear marks. They’re fragile. You’re fragile.”

“I’m not fragile,” I said, the words sharper than I expected. My chest tightened with defiance. “I’ve survived worse than… than whatever this is.”

He studied me, pale eyes unreadable. “You don’t understand, Aria. There are laws older than this pack. Laws that even Lucien obeys, no matter how much he resents them.”

A sudden rustle behind us made me jump. Darius emerged from the mist, grinning. “Talking about me again?” he said.

Cassian’s jaw tightened, but Darius ignored him. He stepped closer to me, brushing a strand of wet hair from my face. “You’re scared,” he said softly. “But you’re curious too. That’s what will get you into trouble here.”

I wanted to pull back, but something inside me didn’t. The way he looked at me, the heat in his gaze. It was intoxicating and frightening.

Suddenly, the wind shifted. My wrist burned, brighter now, the crescent flaring like it was alive. I gasped, clutching it.

Darius’s eyes widened. “She feels it. The bond is awake.”

Cassian’s hand went to my shoulder, firm, protective. “Stay calm. Do not touch anything. Do not think about the bond.”

I shook my head, panic rising. “I can’t control it. I don’t know how.”

“You’ll learn,” Darius said, his voice low and husky, almost a growl. “But not without… complications.”

My stomach twisted. Complications? I didn’t even understand what the bond meant. Yet, as I looked at the two brothers, I realized it wasn’t just the wolves I needed to fear. It was them. Their attraction, their dominance, the power they exuded—it was more dangerous than anything I’d imagined.

And yet, something stirred inside me—a strange, magnetic pull. I couldn’t explain it, couldn’t fight it, and I didn’t want to.

A howl split the night, closer than before, sharp and urgent. Both men stiffened. I followed their gaze to the treeline. Shadows moved in the mist, too fast to be ordinary wolves.

“Rogue pack,” Cassian muttered, voice grim.

Darius’s fingers brushed mine again, just for a moment. My breath caught. The warmth of his hand, the surge of energy from the bond—I didn’t know which frightened me more.

Cassian’s voice pulled me back. “We need to get inside. Now.”

We ran through the mist, the shadows of trees stretching like claws. The wolves howled, their cries echoing through the valley. My heart pounded, not just from fear, but from the adrenaline surging through me.

Inside, Lucien stood waiting, rain dripping from his hair, eyes storm-gray and unreadable. “You’ve felt it,” he said softly, more statement than question.

I nodded, words failing me.

He stepped closer. The room seemed to shrink around him, his presence overwhelming. “This bond,” he said, voice low, dangerous, and commanding, “is forbidden. You must never acknowledge it. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” I whispered, though my heart screamed something else entirely.

He reached out, brushing a hand along my jaw, careful but possessive. “Do not provoke it. If anyone discovers this… if the council discovers it, you will die.”

The words froze me, yet at the same time, my pulse thrummed at the nearness of him. The danger, the desire, the forbidden connection—it was all too much.

Darius leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, amber eyes glinting. “Oh, this is going to be fun,” he said, almost lazily.

Cassian simply watched, silent, his pale gaze full of warning, yet also something unspoken, something tender.

I looked from one to the other, my wrist burning, my body alive with tension, my mind spinning. This wasn’t just a house. It wasn’t just a job. It was a war between rules, desire, and fate—and I was standing right in the middle of it.

And I realized, with a sick thrill, that I didn’t want to leave.

Not yet.