Leonel POV
I had barely stepped away from Serene when my thoughts went racing back to Aria. Her eyes at the pond, her posture, the tension she carried it all tugged at me. I couldn't leave without seeing her again.
"I… I have to go," I told Serene as politely as I could, forcing a calm tone. "I just need to… check something."
Her brow lifted slightly, curiosity sparkling, but she didn't press. She trusted me too much, and that trust… it burned. I let it go, moving swiftly through the corridors.
I asked around casually, pretending I didn't know, and learned which room was hers. My steps quickened. Each footfall a soft scrape against the polished floor, each step bringing my wolf closer to the surface.
When I reached her door, I froze.
Another Alpha. Kaelen.
The scent hit me instantly, sharp, steady, unmistakable. My jaw clenched, teeth grinding. She had run from me at the pond… only to end up with another Alpha. My wolf growled, low and insistent, and my instincts flared. She's mine.
I stepped closer, boots barely making a sound. Each step brought me closer to her room and closer to losing control. My senses picked up the subtle shift in the air, the tension curling around the other Alpha, and I smelled it clearly now: Kaelen's pheromones, calm but undeniably Alpha. Heat flared in my chest. Fury and possessiveness twisted in me, low and raw.
My pulse spiked.
Aria POV
The scrape of boots froze me completely. I blinked up at Kaelen, who was frowning, eyebrows knit. "Why is he here?" he muttered, irritation creeping into his tone.
I rose slowly beside him, heart hammering. My legs felt like lead, yet my body moved with sharp precision. Every instinct screamed that I shouldn't be standing here, yet I couldn't stop myself.
Kaelen moved first, irritation tightening his jaw. "Stay behind me," he muttered under his breath, stepping toward the door. His hand reached for the handle.
And then the door swung open.
He was there. Black, neck-length hair falling into silver-gray eyes, jaw tight, every inch the Alpha who haunted my thoughts for years. His gaze swept the room in a slow, deliberate scan, and then he smelled Kaelen.
His nostrils flared. Sharp, controlled anger laced with instinctive possessiveness. Another Alpha. My chest tightened, heat rising at the tension radiating off him. His jaw clenched, a low growl threatening under his breath, eyes narrowing.
I froze beside Kaelen, still a step behind, heart thundering. I felt… small, wrong, vulnerable, but utterly aware of the storm building in the room.
Kaelen's eyes snapped to Leonel, glare sharp. "What are you doing here? Letting me breathe your possessive pheromones it's making me sick."
Leonel's gaze flicked to me, sharp and unyielding. My stomach twisted. Heat, guilt, desire all tangled in my chest. I wanted to step back, hide, but my legs wouldn't obey. I was trapped between them, and the tension was unbearable.
Leonel's gaze didn't leave me, silver-gray eyes narrowing dangerously. Kaelen's jaw tightened, the air between them practically crackling. I felt my pulse spike, wolf stirring faintly, instincts screaming. And then… Leonel took a step closer, slow, deliberate, his eyes flicking to mine with something I couldn't name.