Chapter 3: The Fire Inside Me

Aria’s Point of View

I sat on the cold floor, my back against the wall. The howl from the bad man, Roman, still rang in my ears. It made my tummy hurt, like I ate something bad. My body was hot, like I was sitting too close to a fire, and it wouldn’t stop. I hugged my knees tighter, trying to make it go away, but it just got worse. My skin felt tingly, and my heart was beating too fast. I didn’t know what was happening to me, and that scared me more than the howl.

The shed was quiet now. Darius was gone, out there with his guards, keeping the bad man away. I wanted to believe he could stop Roman, but I wasn’t sure. Roman was mean and strong, and he never gave up. I wiped my eyes, angry at myself for crying. I wasn’t a baby. I was a wolf, even if I didn’t feel like one right now.

I stood up, my legs were shaking. The heat in my body made it hard to move, but I didn’t want to just sit there. I paced the small shed, my bare feet slapping the dirt floor. The walls were rough, and the air smelled like old wood and damp earth. There was one tiny window, high up, but it was too small to climb through. I felt trapped, like a mouse in a box.

The door creaked. I froze, my heart jumping. Was it Darius? Or someone worse? I backed up until I hit the wall again, my hands clenched into fists. The door opened slowly, and Darius stepped inside. His gold eyes found me right away. He looked big, filling the doorway, his shoulders tight like he was ready to fight. But his face wasn’t mean. It was soft, like he was worried about me.

“You’re okay,” he said, his voice low. “He’s gone. For now.”

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “Roman?” I asked, my voice shaky.

Darius nodded. “His wolves came close, but we pushed them back. They won’t get in.”

I wanted to feel safe, but I didn’t. The heat in my body was too much, and my head felt fuzzy. I looked at Darius, trying to figure him out. Why was he helping me? Nobody ever helped me before, not without wanting something. “Why are you doing this?” I asked. “You don’t know me.”

He tilted his head, like he was thinking hard. “You’re in my territory,” he said. “That makes you my problem.”

I frowned. “I’m not a problem. I’ll leave. I don’t want to stay.”

He took a step closer, and I flinched. He stopped, his hands up like he didn’t want to scare me. “You can’t run,” he said. “Not like this. The moon’s full, and your heat’s started. It’s not safe out there.”

I crossed my arms, trying to hide how much I was shaking. “Why the heat?” I asked. I didn’t like how he said it, like it was something big and scary. My body felt wrong, and I hated not knowing why.

Darius looked at me for a long time, like he was trying to decide what to say. “It’s your wolf,” he said. “It’s waking up. The moon is making it stronger. That is why you feel hot, why is your body acting funny.”

I shook my head. “I don’t want it. Make it stop.”

He sighed, his shoulders dropping a little. “I can’t,” he said. “Nobody can. But I can keep you safe until it passes.”

I didn’t believe him. Nobody could keep me safe. Not from Roman, not from this fire inside me. I turned away, staring at the wall so he wouldn’t see my face. My eyes were wet again, and I wiped them fast. “I don’t need you,” I said, but my voice was small, like it wasn’t sure.

Darius didn’t say anything. I heard him move, his boots soft on the dirt. He didn’t come closer, just stood there. I could feel his eyes on me, like they were heavy. My skin got hotter, and that tug in my tummy got stronger. It was like my body wanted him to stay, even if I didn’t.

I turned back, glaring at him. “Why do you keep looking at me like that?” I snapped. “Stop it.”

He didn’t look away. His gold eyes were bright, like they could see inside me. “I’m not going to hurt you, Aria,” he said. “But you need to trust me. Just a little.”

I laughed, but it wasn’t a happy sound. “Trust? I don’t trust anybody. Everybody lies.”

He nodded, like he understood. “I know,” he said. “I’ve been lied to, too. But I’m not lying now. You’re safe here, with me.”

I wanted to yell at him, to tell him to leave me alone, but the words wouldn’t come. My body was too hot, my head too fuzzy. I sat down on the floor again, pulling my knees up. “I’m scared,” I whispered. I didn’t mean to say it out loud, but it slipped out.

Darius knelt down, still keeping his distance. “I know,” he said. “But you’re not alone. Not anymore.”

I looked at him, trying to see if he was lying. His face was serious, but his eyes were kind. My tummy did that funny flip again, and the heat got worse. I pressed my hands to my face, trying to cool it down. “What’s happening to me?” I asked again. “Why do I feel like this when you’re here?”

He was quiet for a second, then he said, “It’s the moon. It’s telling us something. You feel it, and I feel it too.”

I frowned. “Feel what?”

He looked at the floor, like he was embarrassed. “You’re my mate,” he said, his voice so soft I almost didn’t hear it. “The one I’m supposed to be with.”

My heart stopped. Mate? I didn’t know much about wolf stuff, but I knew what that meant. It was like a promise, a bond that tied two wolves together. Forever. I shook my head. “No,” I said. “I don’t want that. I don’t want anybody.”

Darius didn’t argue with me. He just looked at me, his eyes steady. “You don’t have to want it,” he said. “But it’s there. I can’t change it, and neither can you.”

I hugged my knees tighter, my nails digging into my skin. The heat was so bad now, I felt like I was burning up. My body wanted to move closer to him, but I wouldn’t let it. I didn’t want to need him. I didn’t want to need anybody.

Outside, I heard a noise. A low growl, far away but getting closer. My head snapped up. Darius heard it too. He stood, his body tense, like a wolf ready to pounce. “Stay here,” he said, moving to the door.

“Don’t go!” I said, my voice loud. I didn’t want to be alone again, not with that growl out there. It wasn’t Roman’s howl, but it was still bad. It made my skin crawl.

Darius looked back at me. “I’ll be right outside,” he said. “My guards are with me. You’re safe.”

He opened the door and stepped out, closing it behind him. I heard voices, low and fast, but I couldn’t make out the words. My heart was beating so hard it hurt. I crawled to the door, pressing my ear against it. The growl came again, louder now. It wasn’t just one wolf. There were lots of them.

Then I heard something else. A voice, soft and sneaky, coming from the back of the shed. “Aria,” it whispered. I turned, my eyes wide. There was a crack in the wall, and a shadow moved behind it. Someone was there, watching me.

“Who’s that?” I said, my voice shaking. The shadow moved closer, and I saw eyes glinting in the dark. Not Darius. Not Roman. Someone new.

And they knew my name.