Aurelia felt heavy.
It honestly felt like an elephant had used her as a trampoline before deciding she would make a much better skipping rope.
Every part of her body ached, her ribs protested every breath she took, and she was currently fighting a losing battle with a pounding headache that refused to show her even the slightest bit of mercy.
A soft groan escaped her as she slowly opened her eyes.
The light hit her immediately, forcing her to squint before she shut them again.
She lay there for another moment, letting her eyes adjust before trying a second time.
This time she managed to keep them open.
The room around her was unfamiliar.
Wooden shelves lined one wall, each crowded with jars of dried herbs and neatly labeled remedies.
Bundles of plants hung upside down from the ceiling, filling the air with the earthy scent of crushed leaves, roots and medicinal oils.
It smelled clean, comforting…
It reminded her of the healing bay back on the isle.
The thought made something in her chest tighten.
For a brief moment she simply stared at the ceiling, trying to remember how she had ended up here.
Then everything came rushing back.
Elena…
And those dead wolves…
And that protest from earlier.
Aurelia shut her eyes again and let out another long suffering groan.
“…This has been the worst week of my life.”
She wasn’t even sure today had officially started yet, and somehow she already wanted it to end.
Then she heard a low growl rumbled from somewhere near the floor.
Aurelia’s brows pulled together in confusion as she slowly turned her head towards the sound.
That was when she noticed the large black wolf lying near the side of the bed, his massive body curled against the floor as he slept.
She froze for a moment.
She knew that wolf, she would recognize him anywhere.
It was Darius.
Aurelia wasn’t sure why, but seeing him like this made him seem a little less intimidating.
Without the cold expressions and the constant arguments, he looked almost peaceful.
Almost.
Before she could think better of it, her hand moved towards him.
Her fingers brushed through the thick black fur between his ears, expecting it to be rougher than it was.
Instead, it was surprisingly soft beneath her touch, almost silky.
A low, satisfied sound rumbled through his body.
Aurelia blinked.
Was he…
Enjoying that?
A small smile tugged at her lips before she could stop it.
“Like a giant cute cat…
or dog…” A quiet chuckle escaped her.
The sound seemed to wake him.
The wolf’s ears twitched before his amber-brown eyes slowly opened.
For a moment he simply stared at her, as if surprised to find her awake.
Then, without hesitation, he lowered his head and pressed it further into her hands.
Aurelia stared at him.
The creature that looked beyond intimidating before now looked mo less that a cat demanding attention.
“Mm…” she murmured, amused despite herself.
“A puppy?”
The wolf gave a soft huff.
Aurelia’s smile widened.
Somehow, she had a feeling Darius would absolutely hate knowing she was comparing his wolf to a puppy.
She pushed herself up a little more despite her body’s loud protests.
Every movement pulled at bruised muscles and aching ribs, but she ignored them, reaching both hands towards the large black wolf.
Her fingers found one of his ears and gently rubbed behind it.
The reaction was immediate.
His tail started wagging.
Aurelia blinked for a second before a laugh escaped her lips, this one genuine and bright enough to echo around the small room.
She hadn’t expected the terrifying beast to react like this over a simple scratch behind the ear.
“Mm…
have you always been this cute?” she murmured with an amused smile.
She cupped his large face between both hands, gently squishing his fluffy cheeks together.
The wolf answered with another satisfied rumble deep in his chest, leaning further into her touch as though encouraging her not to stop.
His tail wagged even harder, thumping softly against the wooden floor, and Aurelia couldn’t help the smile spreading across her face.
“So you do like compliments,” she teased, scratching beneath his jaw this time.
“Who would have thought the scary Alpha was secretly just a giant spoiled puppy?”
She blinked.
When her eyes opened again, the wolf was gone.
Darius stood in front of her instead.
His brown hair was slightly tousled where her fingers had been moments ago, and his amber-brown eyes were narrowed at her with an expression that was somewhere between annoyance and embarrassment.
For a long moment neither of them moved. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
Aurelia’s hands were still cupping his cheeks exactly where they had been before he shifted.
“…No,” she complained, sounding almost disappointed.
“Bring back my wolfie.”
Darius didn’t immediately pull away.
Instead, he stayed where he was, quietly letting her hands remain on his face.
The warmth of her palms against his skin was strangely comforting, and before he realized what he was doing, he leaned ever so slightly into her touch.
His eyes held hers for a moment before drifting down to her lips.
He lingered there only briefly before forcing himself to meet her gaze again.
“I see you’re feeling better,” he said at last, his voice quieter than before.
Aurelia narrowed her eyes at him.
Without a word, she gave his cheeks one last firm squeeze before finally letting him go.
“Your people didn’t finish the job.”
Darius let out a long weary sigh.
“I should have protected you better…” His voice came out quieter this time as he dragged a hand down his face.
“I just…” He trailed off, his shoulders sinking a little.
“I didn’t expect them to act this way.”
Aurelia remained quiet.
She simply watched him.
She wasn’t looking at the Alpha of the Crimson Fang Pack.
She was looking at a man who looked exhausted.
There were dark shadows beneath his eyes and a sort weariness about him.
It was only then her gaze caught the fresh scratches running across his cheek.
Her brows slowly furrowed.
“…How did you get hurt?”
The question left her before she even thought about it.
She leaned forward and cupped his face between both hands, turning it slightly so she could get a better look.
The scratches weren’t deep, but they were fresh.
Darius winced when her thumb brushed one of them.
“It’s nothing.”
“It doesn’t look like nothing.”
He tried pulling away but Aurelia held his face firmly, refusing to let him move until she had properly examined him.
“It was just an Alpha challenge,” he admitted after a moment.
Her fingers stilled.
“What?”
“The idiot that dragged you out…” He gave a tired shrug.
“Yeah…
him.”
Aurelia stared at him.
They had challenged him.
Because of her.
Her jaw slowly tightened as anger settled inside her chest.
Those idiots had dared to challenge their own Alpha because he chose to protect her.
Her grey eyes slowly lifted to meet his again.
Neither of them looked away.
Instead she found herself leaning closer, wanting another look at the scratches.
Darius didn’t move.
He simply watched her as the distance between them disappeared little by little until she could feel the warmth of his breath against her face.
His eyes drifted to her lips.
Aurelia noticed.
She should have moved yet she didn’t.
Slowly, almost cautiously, Darius leaned in.
Aurelia closed the remaining distance.
Their lips brushed.
It wasn’t even a kiss, just the faintest touch.
Soft enough to make both of them freeze.
Neither of them pulled away.
For one suspended moment the rest of the world disappeared.
He leaned in closer—
“Alpha!”
The voice had them both flinch apart.
Aurelia immediately looked away, heat rushing to her face as realization crashed into her.
What in Hecate’s name was I just about to do?
Across from her Darius awkwardly cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck as though nothing had happened.
The door swung open to reveal an older man carrying a woven basket overflowing with herbs, roots and small clay jars.
His weathered eyes moved between the two of them, lingering just long enough to notice how close they had been before he stepped fully into the room.
Darius quietly stepped away from the bed, giving the healer enough room to examine her.
His eyes refused to settle on her, wandering instead to the shelves, the window, even the basket of herbs the old man had brought with him.
Anywhere but her.
She had lowered her head too, pretending to be interested in the healer as he gently took her wrist and counted her pulse.
The room had fallen into an awkward silence, one neither of them seemed eager to break.
After a moment, the old healer released her wrist and gave a thoughtful hum before setting his basket onto the nearby table.
“What the lady needs is rest,” he said matter-of-factly.
“Her body has been through far too much these past few days.”
He turned to Darius.
“The babe is fine, though.” A faint smile crossed the old man’s face before it disappeared just as quickly.
“However, I suggest she stops putting herself under so much stress if you want to keep it that way.”
The mention of her child made Aurelia look up.
Right…
She was pregnant.
Her hand instinctively drifted towards her stomach before stopping halfway.
Somehow, with everything that had happened over the past few days, she had almost forgotten.
A knot formed in her chest.
She slowly ran her fingers through her silver hair, guilt creeping into her thoughts.
She had been so consumed with surviving, with losing her home, her magic, running through forests and hiding from angry mobs, that she hadn’t stopped to think about caring for the tiny life growing inside her.
She had been so careless lately.
Was she even fit to be a mother…
__
News spread like wildfire among wolves.
By midmorning Elena had already heard about the Alpha challenge from one of the guards stationed outside the manor.
The moment he mentioned Adam’s name she had dismissed him, but his words had lingered in her mind long after he had left.
She already knew what had happened at Aurelia’s annex.
In fact…
She had been the one to make it happen.
It hadn’t taken much.
A few carefully planted words here, a concerned whisper there, and the pack had done exactly what she expected.
Fear was easy to cultivate, especially when magic was involved.
All she had done was water the seed.
She had hoped they would stone the witch to death before anyone could intervene.
Instead, those brainless idiots had somehow managed to provoke Darius into an Alpha challenge.
That…
That had never been part of her plan.
Elena paced relentlessly across her room, her silk slippers barely making a sound against the polished floor.
She chewed mercilessly on the edge of her thumbnail, her thoughts racing faster with every lap she made around the room.
Every time she pictured Darius standing between Aurelia and the crowd, something hot twisted inside her chest.
The soft click of the door opening pulled her from her thoughts.
Lucia stepped inside and quietly shut it behind her.
Elena stopped pacing immediately.
“Well?” she demanded.
“Where is he?”
The maid hesitated just long enough for Elena’s patience to begin wearing thin.
“…In the healer’s wing,” Lucia answered carefully.
“With…
the witch.”
Something inside Elena snapped.
She grabbed the nearest porcelain vase from the table beside her and hurled it across the room.
It exploded against the wall, shards scattering across the floor as water splashed over the carpet.
Lucia instinctively stepped back.
Elena’s breathing had become short and uneven as she stared at the broken pieces before beginning to pace again.
This time her movements were quicker, sharper, every turn fueled by frustration.
“Of course he’s with that bitch,” she hissed.
Her eyes landed on a silver hand mirror.
She snatched it from the vanity and threw it too.
It shattered against the same wall with a deafening crack.
“No…” she muttered, shaking her head as though refusing to accept the image forming in her mind.
“No.
She has to go.”
She crossed the room in quick strides and yanked open one of her vanity drawers.
Her fingers searched through neatly folded scarves and velvet boxes before closing around a small leather pouch.
Without a word she turned and thrust it into Lucia’s hands.
The maid looked down at it, then back at her mistress.
Elena’s blue eyes were frighteningly calm now.
“Don’t fail me.”
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