That night, Aradia dreamt of fire. Flames licked across her skin, not painful but intoxicating, wrapping her in heat as strong arms held her close. She could not see his face—Kael's or Ronan's, she did not know—but she felt his breath against her neck, his lips against her throat, and her body answered with a hunger that left her shaking when she awoke.
She slipped outside, needing the cold night air. The forest was quiet, the moon silver and heavy above.
"You burn in your sleep."
The voice was not Kael's.
Her heart lurched as she turned to see Ronan leaning against a tree, arms folded, amber eyes glinting with mischief.
She stiffened. "Why do you keep following me?"
"Because your Alpha would keep you caged," he said smoothly. "He fears you'll learn what you are truly capable of. But me? I would see you free."
"Free?" she scoffed. "You don't even know me."
"Oh, but I do." He stepped closer, his copper hair glowing in the moonlight, his gaze never leaving hers. "I see the fire in you. The hunger. Kael would chain it. I would feed it."
Her breath quickened as he stopped too close, his heat brushing against her in the cold night. She hated the way her body responded, the way her lips parted despite herself.
"You're lying," she whispered.
"Am I?" His hand brushed her arm, light as a whisper, deliberate and dangerous. "Tell me you don't feel it. Tell me your heart doesn't race when I'm near."
Her chest heaved, torn between fury and desire. And before she could find the words, a growl shattered the night.
Kael.
He emerged from the shadows, his green eyes blazing, his body tense with fury. "Step away from her."
Ronan smirked but did not move. "Careful, Alpha. You're not the only one who sees her fire."
Kael shifted, muscles coiling, claws threatening to break through his skin. "She. Is. Mine."
The words struck Aradia like a blade. Desire. Fear. Anger. All tangled inside her chest. She wanted to scream at both of them, to demand answers, to run until she could no longer feel their eyes burning into her.
But all she could do was stand frozen, caught between two men whose power and hunger threatened to consume her whole.