The room was too small for the storm between them.

Aria sat on the edge of her bed, bandaged arm throbbing, her whole body humming with the memory of fire in her veins. The mark still glowed faintly beneath the linen, a steady pulse she couldn’t smother.

Damian paced before the window like a caged beast, still half-wolf in the way his muscles twitched and his claws lingered at the ends of his fingers. His golden eyes cut to her, then away, then back again — as though looking at her both burned and soothed him.

Finally, she broke the silence. “You saw what happened. I didn’t mean to use it. I didn’t even know I could.”

He stopped pacing, shoulders rigid. “You drew power from your bloodline.” His voice was low, frayed with fury — not at her, but at the danger woven into her veins. “That’s what Kael wanted. That’s why the rogues came.”

Her throat tightened. “So I’m a weapon. That’s what you’re saying.”

His head snapped toward her, eyes blazing. “No. You’re more than that. But they’ll see you as one. Even my own council is whispering it.”

Her chest ached. “And what about you? What do you see?”

Silence.

Then he was in front of her, crouched low, his hands braced on either side of her thighs, his face so close she could feel the heat of his breath. “I see the woman who saved lives last night. I see the bond that’s killing me every time I deny it. I see—” His voice broke off, his throat working. “I see the one thing I can’t lose.”

Her heart stuttered, the bond blazing hot between them. Without thinking, she reached up, her fingers brushing his jaw, rough with stubble. “Then stop fighting me.”

His golden eyes darkened, his lips hovering a breath from hers. The tension coiled, unbearable, the kind of heat that could ignite the world.

And then a fist pounded on the door.

“Alpha!” Rylan’s voice, urgent. “The council demands your presence. Now.”

Damian’s growl rumbled deep in his chest. He pressed his forehead to hers for one long, tortured moment, then stood and strode to the door, every inch of him vibrating with barely restrained fury.

Aria sat frozen, her lips tingling with the kiss that hadn’t happened. Her hand still trembled where it had touched his skin.

The bond wasn’t weakening. It was consuming them both.

The council chamber was worse than the night before.

Half the elders stood behind Marlowe now, their voices loud and sharp. “He risks the pack for her!” “The rogues came for her blood!” “He’s blinded by lust!”

Aria flinched at the words but kept her head high, refusing to give them the satisfaction of shame.

Damian entered like a storm, his gaze sweeping the room until silence fell. His voice cracked like thunder. “You question my leadership?”

Marlowe stepped forward, unflinching. “I question your judgment. Shadowpine has always been ruled with strength and clarity. But since she arrived, you’ve faltered. You defend her more fiercely than you defend us.”

Growls rippled across the chamber — some in agreement, others in anger.

Aria’s pulse raced. This wasn’t just doubt. It was a challenge.

Damian bared his teeth, his wolf burning close to the surface. “If you want my place, Marlowe, you know the law. Challenge me. Here. Now.”

The room erupted in shouts. Some elders shouted for blood, others for calm. Aria’s stomach twisted. A fight between Damian and Marlowe would rip the pack apart at the very moment they needed unity most.

Before Marlowe could answer, the doors burst open. A scout stumbled in, bloodied and breathless.

“Alpha! The rogues—Kael—southern patrol is gone. Slaughtered. They left one alive to deliver a message.”

The chamber froze.

Damian’s voice was a growl of steel. “What message?”

The scout’s eyes flicked to Aria. His voice shook. “He said… the girl is his. And he’ll come to claim her.”

The room erupted again, fear and fury colliding. Aria’s stomach dropped, her blood running cold.

Damian’s golden eyes locked to hers, molten with rage and something far more dangerous.

Kael wasn’t just circling anymore. He was coming.