Chapter 2 A Problem Named Aria

The woods were silent again, but not with peace. With tension. Aria's breath came in sharp gasps as she stared at the man-Kael Dreven-still holding her wrist like a tether. His grip wasn't cruel, but it held the weight of control, of warning.

She tried to pull away.

He didn't let go.

"You're cold," he said, almost absently.

Aria blinked. That was not what she expected.

"You're barefoot. Bleeding. And you smell like fear." His nostrils flared slightly, a low growl vibrating in his chest. "They've been hunting you a long time, haven't they?"

She stiffened, eyes darting to the shadows behind her. The howls had stopped. For now.

"I don't need your pity," she said quietly. "Just let me go."

Kael tilted his head, considering her. His frost-blue eyes didn't soften.

"You think I pity you?" he asked. "That's cute."

Aria's lips parted in confusion.

"You're Moonmarked," he said, gaze narrowing again. "A walking death sentence. And for some reason, you touched me, and I'm still breathing. That makes you a problem I can't ignore."

"I didn't ask for any of this."

"No one asks for a curse." Kael released her wrist and turned his back on her. "Come."

"I'm not going with you."

He didn't stop walking. "You don't have a choice."

Aria stood frozen as he strode deeper into the forest, toward the darker path no sane person took after nightfall. She should run-again. She should take her chances with the rogues behind her instead of the Alpha ahead.

But her feet didn't move.

Because her curse hadn't killed him.

Because she was tired of running.

And because, despite everything, she wanted to know why.

With a shuddering breath, she followed.

---

The Nightfang camp was unlike anything Aria had imagined. Hidden in a valley shrouded by thick mist and surrounded by ancient trees, the place pulsed with strength. Fires flickered in large iron braziers, casting golden light across the rugged stone structures. Wolves moved between buildings-guards, scouts, hunters-all stopping to stare when they saw her.

Their eyes lingered on the mark on her back, barely visible through her torn cloak.

She heard whispers. "Moonmarked... is he insane?" "She'll curse the whole Pack." "Is that really her?"

Aria kept her head down, every nerve on edge. She didn't belong here. She didn't belong anywhere.

Kael didn't slow. Didn't speak. He led her through the camp like a wolf dragging in a wounded doe, ignoring every look, every question, every challenge.

Finally, they stopped at a tall, stone structure near the cliff's edge. A guard stepped forward. "Alpha-"

"She's under my protection," Kael said, voice like steel. "No one touches her."

The guard hesitated. "But if the Elders-"

"I'll deal with the Elders."

He pushed the door open and gestured inside.

Aria stepped in cautiously. The room was sparse but clean-stone walls, furs on the floor, a fire crackling in the hearth. She turned as he shut the door behind them.

"I'm not your prisoner," she said.

"No," he replied. "You're something worse."

Her brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Kael walked to the fire, removing his gloves. "The Moonmark kills Alphas. Everyone knows it. My father was one of the first who chased your kind. He believed the curse was meant to wipe out every dominant bloodline."

"And you don't?"

Kael looked at her, long and hard. "I believe you're a weapon no one understands. And I just volunteered to hold the blade."

Aria swallowed. The weight of his words crashed over her like cold water. "Why risk it?"

He didn't answer for a moment. Then, softly, almost like he was talking to himself: "Because I didn't die. And if I didn't... maybe everything they told us is wrong."

She watched him, heart pounding. Something had shifted in his expression-just a flicker-but enough to unsettle her.

"Sleep," he said finally. "We'll talk more when you've eaten. And cleaned up. You look like a half-dead rogue."

She narrowed her eyes. "Is that your way of being kind?"

"No," he said without a hint of amusement. "That was kind."

---

That night, as Aria lay wrapped in borrowed furs, the fire casting shadows across the stone ceiling, she turned her eyes to the mark on her back.

The Moonmark. The curse that had defined her entire life.

And the Alpha who touched her without dying.

Kael Dreven.

Something had changed tonight. Not just her fate.

Something deeper. Something older.

And she could feel it now... in the ache in her bones, in the heat that pulsed beneath her skin.

The bond had started to stir.

And it terrified her more than death.