The night air clung to Aiden's skin like ice. Every breath he took burned, not from the cold—but from the ache left behind by Evelyn's silence.
He stood in the empty clearing long after she had disappeared.
His heart pounded, a frantic rhythm that didn't match the calm of the forest around him. Leaves rustled softly. A few fireflies danced near the edge of the woods. But the world felt still—like it was holding its breath.
Just like him.
His fingers clenched. The place where Theron had touched him—where the bond had sparked to life—still tingled.
It wasn't supposed to be like this.
He was supposed to go through the ritual, feel nothing, return to Evelyn, and maybe joke about how the whole thing was outdated anyway. Instead, he had felt everything. A pull so strong it drowned him.
And it wasn't Evelyn.It was him. The Alpha King. Theron.
Aiden turned away from the clearing and started walking, his steps unsteady on the forest floor. He didn't shift—didn't trust himself to. He needed the walk, the time, the air.
His thoughts were a storm.
A beta couldn't be a moon-fated mate to an alpha. It never happened. Not once.
Maybe I'm broken. Maybe the bond is broken.Or maybe... I'm not who I think I am.He gritted his teeth and kept walking.
The house was dark when he returned. His mother had shifted back, dressed in an old sweater and curled up on the couch. She stirred when the door opened, nose twitching.
"Aiden?" she murmured.
"Yeah," he said, quietly closing the door behind him.
She sat up straighter. "You're late. Is Evelyn—" "She went home," he said, voice clipped.His mother studied him. She could smell it. The bond. The shift in him. The change.
"She's not your mate, is she?" she asked gently.
Aiden didn't answer.
"I see." Her tone wasn't cold. Just sad."I need to shower," he muttered, avoiding her eyes.
She didn't stop him.
Upstairs, the water was scalding. He stood under it until the heat bit into his skin. His thoughts spun the whole time—flashes of Theron's golden eyes, the way the wolves had gone still when he appeared, the shock of the bond taking hold.
He hadn't wanted it. He still didn't. But... why did his chest feel so empty now? Why had Theron turned away so fast, like he didn't care?Why did that hurt?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aiden lay on his bed, face pressed into the pillow, eyes wide open in the dark.He hadn't slept.
Every time he drifted off, the bond pulled him under, dragging him into a dream not his own.Eventually, exhaustion won.
He was running.
The trees bled moonlight, silver branches bending above him like bones. The ground glowed faintly beneath his bare feet. He wasn't cold, but the air was too still, too quiet—like the forest itself was holding its breath.
Then came the scent.Cedar. Smoke. Snow.And amber.
He slowed, his breath caught in his throat. The trees opened into a clearing, where moonlight poured like liquid over the grass. In the center stood a figure, tall and bare-chested, his back turned, white hair catching the wind.
Aiden knew him.
Even though he'd barely spoken to him.Even though he didn't want to know him.
Theron.
But here, in this place, he wasn't terrifying. He wasn't king. He wasn't even looking at Aiden. Just standing still, as if carved from silence. Aiden took a step closer. Then another. Theron turned slowly, and Aiden froze.
His eyes glowed brighter than they should have. Amber, yes, but deeper—like molten light. His expression was unreadable, like he was both furious and grieving all at once."You came," Theron said, voice echoing, distant.
"I didn't mean to," Aiden whispered, confused. His own voice sounded small.Theron stepped forward. The forest bent around him.
"You are mine. Bound beneath the moon. You cannot run from me."
"I didn't choose you!" Aiden shouted, the words torn from his throat. "I didn't want this!"Silence.
Then, softly—almost broken—Theron replied:"Neither did I."
Aiden gasped, and the forest cracked apart like shattered glass.He shot up in bed, chest heaving, shirt damp with sweat.
His fingers trembled. The bond was still there, humming beneath his skin like an old, quiet drum.And in the back of his mind, Theron's eyes still burned like firelight.
Aiden pressed a hand to his chest.
His heart wouldn't slow down. It was like something had chased him out of sleep—and it still lingered. The heat of Theron's gaze, the weight of his voice. The raw truth in that final sentence."Neither did I."
He swung his legs over the bed, his room bathed in pale morning light. Outside, the pack was already stirring. He could hear pawsteps in the mud, the occasional bark. Life moved on.But he couldn't.
Not after that.
He stood up and walked to the window, yanking it open for air. Wind hit his face, cold and sharp. He welcomed it. Anything to stop feeling the strange pull in his chest. Anything to stop remembering those amber eyes that saw too much.
A knock came at the door.He jumped."Aiden?" his mother's voice, muffled through the wood. He swallowed. "Yeah?""Can I come in?" He hesitated. "...Sure."
She stepped in quietly, still brushing a leaf from her coat. She must've just shifted back.She looked at him for a long moment, eyes soft. "You didn't sleep."
Aiden stared at the floor. "How can I?" She nodded, as if she already knew. "You felt the bond," she said gently. "I didn't want to," he muttered. "I don't want him."
"But he's your mate."
"I don't care." His voice cracked. "It should've been Evelyn." Her lips pressed together. "I know." Silence sat between them.
Finally, she walked over and wrapped her arms around him. "You don't have to accept it. Not yet. The bond is a thread, not a chain."
Aiden shut his eyes. He wanted to believe her. But the bond didn't feel like a thread.It felt like a brand.
Meanwhile, far away...Theron sat on the edge of a rocky ridge overlooking the valley. Still shirtless. Still barefoot. Still breathing in the dream.
He'd seen Aiden's eyes again. Angry. Hurt. Beautiful. The bond hummed through his veins like ancient music.
He clenched his fists. This shouldn't have happened. He was not meant for a beta. He was not meant for anyone.
And yet... he could still feel the warmth of Aiden's soul against his own. Soft. Bright. Wild. He pressed his palm to his chest.
"Why you?" he whispered to the sky. "Why me?" The moon was quiet. But somewhere, deep inside him, it smiled.