Chapter 3 His Scent on Her Skin

Maya didn't sleep.

Not even for a second.

She tried. She showered. She changed into dry clothes. She curled under her blanket and told herself it was just a strange night, that she'd met a man who was hurt and confused and-

And turned from a wolf into a man.

Her brain refused to make sense of it.

Her heart refused to calm.

Her skin still tingled where he touched her.

Every time she closed her eyes, she saw him standing in the rain.

Bleeding.

Powerful.

Desperate.

And those eyes-silver, piercing-

as if she was the first warm thing he'd touched in years.

She rolled over and groaned into her pillow.

"This is insane..."

But then she felt it again-

a faint warmth pulsing low in her stomach.

A tug.

Gentle but persistent.

Like something was calling her.

Pulling her.

Bond.

The whisper wasn't hers.

It wasn't even a voice.

It was a feeling inside her chest, soft and ancient.

"No," Maya whispered into the darkness. "No, no, no, I can't feel that. I'm human. I'm normal. I don't-"

A sudden knock shattered the silence.

Three sharp raps.

She shot upright, heart leaping painfully.

No one should be at her door at 3AM.

Her breath caught.

Aiden?

The air shifted.

Her pulse thudded.

Her instincts whispered yes, even before she moved.

Barefoot and trembling, she approached the door.

Her hand hesitated over the lock.

"Maya."

His voice-deep, smooth, dark-slid through the door like a warm shadow.

Her knees almost gave out.

She opened the door.

And there he was.

Aiden stood on her porch, shirtless, skin still marked with healing wounds, rain dripping from his hair. The porch light cast shadows across his chest, highlighting every sharp line of muscle.

He looked dangerous.

He looked exhausted.

He looked like he'd run straight through the night to get to her.

"Aiden..." she breathed.

He didn't step inside.

Didn't touch her.

He just stared at her with an expression she didn't have a name for.

"You felt it, didn't you?" he asked softly.

She swallowed. "Felt... what?"

"The pull."

His voice roughened.

"Your heart reaching for mine."

Her breath hitched.

"I don't understand this," she whispered. "I don't understand you."

"I know." Aiden's jaw flexed. "And I'm trying to give you space. But staying away from you is-"

He exhaled sharply and looked away, as if fighting something inside himself.

"It's hurting my wolf."

A cold shiver danced down her back.

"You're still injured," she said, noticing the angry cuts along his ribs. "You need a hospital."

"No."

His tone was sharp, instinctive.

"Maya... hospitals aren't built to handle what I am."

He stepped inside her small living room, careful-always careful-to give her room to back away.

She didn't.

The air between them thickened.

"I don't know how to handle this," Maya whispered. "I'm... just me."

Aiden's eyes softened in a way she'd never seen from a man like him.

"Just you," he murmured, stepping closer, "is more than enough."

Heat flooded her cheeks.

She hated the way her heart responded.

He looked around the room, eyes alert, scanning the corners, the windows, the shadows.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Checking if anyone followed me."

Her stomach twisted. "Followed you?"

Aiden's expression darkened.

"The rogues who attacked me weren't acting alone. And if they discover I have a mate-"

He stopped.

"Maya, your life changes now. Whether you want it to or not."

Fear stung her chest.

Not because of him-

but because of the truth in his voice.

"What do you mean?" she whispered.

He met her eyes slowly.

"You're no longer just a nurse. You're tied to the Alpha of the strongest pack within a hundred miles."

His tone dropped lower. Darker.

"And that makes you a target."

"What kind of target?" she breathed.

"The kind that doesn't get warnings."

Her pulse hammered. "Aiden, I don't want this."

He stepped closer, stopping an inch from her, as if an invisible line held him back.

"I know," he whispered.

"And the Moon Goddess doesn't care."

Her breath caught.

"Maya..."

His voice nearly broke.

"I'm trying to give you time. But I can feel your fear. And I can feel your heart beating like you're fighting something."

"I am fighting something," she said, chest tight.

"What?"

"You," she whispered.

Silence fell between them-heavy, electric.

Aiden closed his eyes briefly, pained. When he opened them, they glowed faintly gold.

"I'll never hurt you," he said. "But I can't lie to you. My wolf already sees you as his."

"And if I don't want that?" she asked, even though her voice wavered.

Aiden swallowed hard.

"Then I'll stay away," he said, voice barely steady. "Even if it kills me."

Her heart twisted.

"Why come here?" she whispered. "Why now?"

He hesitated.

Then, with a voice that sounded like confession and surrender all at once:

"Because I felt danger approaching."

She froze.

"What danger?"

Aiden stepped closer, finally closing the distance, his warmth brushing her skin.

"There's someone outside."

Her blood ran cold.

"What? Where-"

"Don't move," he breathed, slipping between her and the door, every muscle in his body tightening, eyes shifting gold.

His voice dropped into something lethal.

"They found us."