Chapter 4 The Pull Beneath Her Skin

Aria hadn't slept since the woods.

She lay on her bed in the healer's hut, staring at the ceiling where shadows danced like whispers. The gash on her palm had mostly closed-too fast, even for a wolf.

Even her grandmother, Mira, had gone pale when she checked it.

"This is not normal," she had murmured, pressing a protective sigil under Aria's pillow. "Not for a Silver Mist wolf."

Aria wasn't sure what she was anymore.

Her dreams had changed. They weren't hers now. They were someone else's memories-flashes of a fortress carved into rock, glowing blue fire, a cold voice whispering commands that sent warriors to their knees.

And always, him.

The Shadow Alpha.

She had never seen his face. But she felt him. In her veins. In her bones. In the aching throb beneath her skin that had started the moment her blood touched Shadow Moon soil.

Something had awakened. And it terrified her.

She couldn't take it anymore.

Wrapped in a wool cloak and silence, she slipped past the healers, past the guards, and into the heart of the forest.

The trees watched her. Or maybe she was finally going mad.

With every step, the woods changed. The air turned sharper. The wind colder. And though she couldn't see anyone

She felt him again.

Somewhere beyond the veil of trees, he was watching.

Waiting.

She reached the boundary stone-the one they told her never to cross again.

Her hand hovered over it. Her breath came fast.

"Do it," something inside her whispered. "You were never meant to be contained."

She stepped over the line.

Nothing happened.

Except-

A pulse, like thunder in her chest. Her wolf stirred, stretching as if waking from a long sleep.

And then... she heard it.

A growl. Not of warning, but of recognition.

She spun-and there he stood.

He didn't speak.

But she knew it was him. Tall, dark, wild in a way no civilized creature could be. His eyes glowed faintly-blue fire in storm clouds.

And yet... something in his gaze ached.

Not hunger.

Not dominance.

But sorrow. Loss. Something unspoken.

Aria tried to speak, but her voice cracked.

"You've been in my dreams."

His jaw tightened.

"You crossed into my land," he said. His voice was low, dangerous, and mesmerizing. "And now, you can't go back the same."

She shook her head, chest rising. "Why me?"

"I don't know."

Lie.

But something flickered behind his eyes-regret, maybe. Or guilt.

Suddenly, pain seared through her ribs. She gasped, falling to her knees.

Her wolf snarled, clawing to the surface. Too fast. Too soon.

Not a normal shift.

This was something else.

Kael knelt in front of her, one hand hovering over her heart, not quite touching. His face twisted-not with cruelty, but with recognition.

"You bear the mark," he whispered.

She looked down.

A silver crescent shimmered on her collarbone-glowing faintly.

Just like his.

They were...

Matched.

Kael grabbed her shoulders suddenly, eyes wide. "You weren't supposed to awaken yet. Not here."

"What are you talking about?" she gasped.

"Someone forced the bond. And if it wasn't me..." He looked around, his expression turning ice-cold.

"They're trying to trigger your transformation before your wolf is ready-to destroy you before the bond makes you stronger."

"Who would-"

"Someone inside your pack."

Just then, a crossbow bolt whistled past Kael's head and lodged in the tree beside Aria's face.

A trap had been set.

And she was the bait.