Some scars never fade. They just learn how to hide beneath the skin.
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.
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The forest was still bleeding with silence, except for the faint rustle of wind which pressed through the trees that broke the quiet. Carrying the scent of rain, moss, and faint traces of blood across the serene.
Aria moved wordlessly while her cloak dragged through the mud as she led Damien deeper into the woods. She didn't look at him; not even once. The weight of what had happened still clung to her like smoke.
Finally, they stopped by a half-frozen stream. The air was sharp enough to sting. Aria spontaneously knelt to wash her hands while she watched the crimson ribbons swirl and vanish downstream.
"You should rest," Damien said behind her, his voice steady but edged with command. She just ignored, scrubbing harder until her skin burned.
"I don't need rest." She answered with no interest at all.
"You've been bleeding since the ridge," he countered, his gaze laced with concern. "That cut's deep." He tried to touch but her words paused him midway.
"I've had worse." She spoke.
He knew for sure; she wouldn't like it if he had. "I can see that."
He commented. Her hands instinctively froze mid-motion at his words. She slowly turned with eyes narrowed at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"
His gaze softened with those golden eyes glowing faintly in the dim light. "It means you fight like someone who have had to survive too many times."
Something inside her flinched and she intuitively looked away. "You talk too much, Alpha." She lamented, still glued at the edge of the stream.
Damien didn't move any closer or push either. He only folded his arms and carefully watched her as she sat by the water's edge. The air between them was heavy with things unsaid. Aria doubted, whether to tell him or not.
After a moment or two, she Finally gave in, "You want to know why I run." she whispered, but Damien said nothing—he only nodded once.
Aria sighed, her eyes glimmering faintly as it reflects the moonlight. "I was born into the Sliver- fang Pack. "She started. "My brother, Kian, was Alpha. He was everything a leader should be. Brave, Kind and Stupidly noble." Her lips quirked into a bitter smile.
"And I was the cursed sister. The one born under a blood moon. The one whose scent drew danger."
Her fingers dug into the damp soil as if to anchor herself. "We were attacked on a night like this. The forest was howling with fire, wolves screaming in the dark. I remember running toward the sound of my brother's roar" Aria broke off as she catches on her breath.
"You don't have to…" Damien said quietly.
"Yes, I do," she cut in sharply, her voice shaking. "Because every time I close my eyes, I still see it."
Flashback — The Night of the Fall
The Silver-fang grounds burned red. The smoke coiled through the trees as the fire devoured everything it touched. Wolves lay scattered, half-shifted, with some still moving. Aria stumbled through the chaos; her lungs filled with ash and her heart with terror.
"Kian!" she screamed, her voice raw. Just like that, she saw him through the blaze; her brother who was standing over two fallen rogues with blood staining his fur, silver and crimson. His eyes met hers across the flames.
"Run, Aria!" he shouted.
"No!"
"Run!" His voice cracked, desperate.
She moved toward him anyway, but the explosion of a collapsing roof threw her back. The fire licked at her skin. And then came the sound; the growl that didn't belong to any pack she knew.
The Blood-fangs.
She saw them tear through the camp. Their eyes glowing with gold fury. Her brother fought until he couldn't, until one of them—a massive black wolf with scars across his muzzle, sank his teeth into his throat. Her scream tore through the night.
When she reached him, Kian was already fading. His hand weakly gripped hers. "You live," he rasped. "No matter what happens. You live and you must." With that, his eyes went still.
Aria's howl shook the trees.
Present Day
Her voice was trembling by now. "I buried him under the old oak where we used to train. I left that night and never went back. I swore I'd never serve another Alpha again; Never kneel nor love ever again."
The fire beside them hissed. The sparks rose like lost souls into the night. 'Damien had gone still, his expression unreadable. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and rough. "It wasn't the rogues who killed him."
She met his eyes. "What are you saying?"
He hesitated. "The Blood-fangs were under orders that night. I was still a Beta then, but I remember hearing about the attack. It wasn't sanctioned; it was revenge."
Her eyes darkened. "Revenge? For what?"
"Your brother refused a treaty. The council wanted Silver- fang lands. He stood in their way."
Silence fell like a knife. Aria's breath hitched, fury and grief, crashed through her all over again.
"So that's what loyalty means to Alphas," she whispered. "Power over honor. Blood over peace."
Damien took a step closer; his hand hovered near her shoulder but not quite touching. "I didn't know then. But I know now. And I swear to you, Aria, I'll find out who ordered it."
Her heart twisted painfully. The vow in his voice, and the fire in his eyes; it shouldn't have mattered but it did. "Why?" she asked quietly.
His gaze held her in. "Because you deserve peace. And because… I can't stand the thought of your past haunting you more than I already do."
Her throat tightened. She looked away, blinking back the sting in her eyes. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Alpha."
A faint smile spontaneously spread across his face. "Then I'll just have to keep it."
She sighed, the sound breaking slightly. "You really don't know when to stop."
"Not when it comes to you."
For the first time in a long time, she didn't have an answer.
The night stretched between them—silent, fragile, and full of ghosts. But for once, she didn't feel entirely alone.