The rebellion shattered the pack's trust, and Aradia felt it like chains around her wrists. Even as Kael stood firm beside her, she knew some wolves would never accept her.
And Ronan knew it too.
She found him waiting at the river that night, the moonlight gilding his copper hair, his amber eyes glowing with dangerous promise.
"You think this ends with them bowing to you?" he asked softly, stepping closer. "It will not. They will never see you as one of them. You are fire. You are storm. And storms are feared, never loved."
Her chest heaved, torn. "Kael loves me."
His smile was sharp. "He wants you. He needs you. But love? Love is freedom, not chains. And you are bound tighter every day."
He brushed her cheek, his touch feather-light but searing. "Come with me. Leave him. I will not cage you. I will not bind you. I will let you burn as you were meant to."
Her lips parted, trembling. His words cut into her heart, exposing her fears. For a breathless moment, she swayed toward him, her pulse racing, her body aching with temptation.
But then Kael's vow echoed in her memory: You are mine, in this life and every life after.
Her tears spilled. She caught Ronan's hand and pushed it away. "No. My fire is his. My soul is his. I will never be yours."
For the first time, Ronan's mask cracked. His amber eyes darkened with fury, his jaw tightening.
"Then you will burn with him," he whispered. "And when the ashes fall, don't say I didn't warn you."
And then he vanished into the forest, leaving her trembling, her choice made—but the danger of it still heavy in her chest.