The first time I heard the melody, it felt like someone whispering directly into my bones.
It wasn't a song exactly. More like… a memory. A hum that stirred something in me. Something old. And tonight—on my nineteenth birthday—it wouldn't let go.
"Aria! You're going to be late!"
"I'll be down in a sec," I called back, forcing my voice steady.
My aunt was sweet. She meant well. Cupcakes, candles, a sweater with my name stitched across the front in royal blue. I smiled for her.
But my lungs felt tight. Like I needed to breathe air that didn't belong to a warm little kitchen.
I needed the forest.
"You're not seriously wearing that thin thing out there, are you?"
"I'm just going for a walk," I said, tugging the door closed behind me. "I'll be back soon."
"Aria—" she started.
But I didn't wait.
Blackridge Forest wasn't just dark.
It was forbidden.
Even I knew that. "No trespassing" signs carved in bone, and the town's favorite bedtime story: "Stay out or the wolves will take you."
And yet…
That music. That haunting pull. It was louder here. Not in sound, but in feeling. Like the ground was singing.
"This is stupid," I muttered, pushing past a tangle of branches.
Still, I didn't turn back.
Every step I took felt… right. Like I'd done it before.
Then the trees opened—and I froze.
Wolves. Dozens of them. Not shifted. Human. Silent. Watching.
In the center stood a man.
Broad shoulders. Bare chest marked with symbols that seemed to breathe under the moonlight. A blade in his hand. A bowl glowing gold.
He didn't look up.
But he didn't need to.
Something inside me whispered his name.
Kael.
I took a step back.
"Nope. Not my business. Just a mistake—"
His eyes snapped to mine.
I couldn't breathe.
He stared.
I stared back.
And then—he moved.
Slow. Focused. Every eye in the circle shifted with him. Some looked confused. Others afraid.
"Wait," I whispered, backing up. "I didn't mean to—"
Kael didn't speak.
He reached for me.
"Don't—" I gasped. "What are you—?"
His fingers brushed my skin.
And the world exploded.
A burn—sharp and wild—shot through my neck, then down my spine. My knees buckled. The air spun. And then—
Nothing.
When I woke, it was to warmth.
Soft sheets. Dim firelight. And pain—oh gods, the pain still burned across my collarbone.
I reached for it, fingers trembling. Something hot pulsed beneath my skin.
That's when I saw him.
Standing in the corner. Arms crossed. Watching.
"You."
His voice was low. Controlled.
I swallowed hard. "Where am I?"
"The Bloodfang Packhouse."
"The what?"
He stepped forward. "You crossed the warding stones. Into the ritual circle."
"I didn't mean to—"
"You shouldn't have been there."
"I didn't know it was sacred! I was just… walking."
"You shouldn't exist."
I blinked. "What?"
Kael's jaw flexed. "You were marked."
"No kidding," I said, rubbing the spot. "What the hell was that?"
"My mark."
"Then take it back."
"I can't."
"What do you mean you can't?"
He stared at me, voice flat. "The bond is sealed."
"But we don't even know each other!"
"The bond doesn't care."
"I—I don't belong here!"
"You do now."
I sat up, ignoring the dizziness. "This has to be a mistake."
He paused.
"It was."
I let out a breath.
"But it's done."
I stared at him. "So… what happens now?"
Kael stepped closer, and something shifted in his gaze. Not anger. Not confusion.
Claim.
"You're mine now," he said quietly. "And that changes everything."