AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I nodded, absorbing this information. The thought of being that close to Aria sent a thrill through me, but it also terrified me. What if I lost control? What if I hurt her? My wolf nature was powerful, and without a pack to ground me, I sometimes felt adrift in my own skin. The magic of a pack kept us in full control, without it, we had struggles at times.
“What if she doesn’t feel it? How would we even share a mark if she’s human? She has no shifter side to harness and bite me with?” I mused, troubled by the logistics of it all.
Lydia squeezed my arm. "Don't overthink it, Chris. Aria cares for you, that much is clear. And with everything that's happened, life's too short to be scared. Talk to her. Be honest about your feelings. And whatever happens, happens. I understand your worries, she is human, but what you feel can’t be denied either. Just go with your instinct.”
“Right,” I murmured, my wolf whining within me at the heaviness of it all.
They said it was better to love and have lost than to have never loved at all. But was I ready to risk that?
The next day, I threw myself into training with renewed vigor. If we were going to face whatever challenges lay ahead, I needed to be at my best. But more than that, I needed to prove to myself that I was worthy of Aria, worthy of being her mate if that's what fate had in store for us.
I watched her during our session, marveling at her determination. For someone who had been thrust into this world of magic and supernatural beings, she was adapting remarkably well. Her strength, both physical and mental, never ceased to amaze me.
As we practiced our newly awakened abilities, I couldn't help but imagine a future with Aria. When we beat this Void and returned to Earth. The thought of building a life with her, no matter where we ended up, filled me with a warmth I hadn't felt in years.
But doubt still nagged at me. What if she didn't feel the same way? What if the connection I felt was one-sided? The thought of losing her, of ruining anything between us, terrified me. I'd been alone for so long, estranged from my pack, broken by the one female I’d tried to love, that the idea of having someone to call my own seemed almost too good to be true.
And then there was the guilt. As much as I tried to push it away, I couldn't help but wonder about my pack back on Earth, my parents. Were they safe? Had the shadow creatures attacked them? Despite everything that had happened, despite the rejection and pain, a part of me still cared. They were my blood, after all.
During a break in training, I found myself staring at the walls around us in the Training Grounds, lost in thought. They pulsed with a soft glow of otherworldly magic, beautiful and terrifying in its strangeness. I wondered if I'd ever see the forests of home again, ever run beneath a full moon with the scent of pine in my nose. We’d not been granted leave from the Keep, and my wolf was getting restless being confined.
Not that I was the only one, the other shifters were getting antsy, and I’d noticed some of the other werewolves butting heads. We needed to shift and run, it was in our blood, and yet the Dracarians wanted us right here, confined in the walls of the Keep.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Aria's voice pulled me from my wondering. I hadn’t even sensed her walking up to me, which was pathetic for my wolf side. It paced inside me, anxious at her presence now.
I turned to find her watching me, concern etched on her beautiful face. For a moment, I considered brushing off her question, hiding my worries behind a smile. But something in her eyes, a depth of understanding and compassion, made me want to open up.
"I was thinking about home," I admitted. "About my pack, my parents.”
Aria nodded, moving to stand beside me. "You must be worried about them, even after everything.”
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “Yeah, I know I shouldn’t care…” The old pain welled up, but I pushed it down. "But now, with everything that's happening... I can't help but wonder if they're okay."
“I keep wondering about my dad and best friend too. Just wish there was a way we could know,” she admitted.
“Same.”
“Chris…” Aria hesitated, a war raging behind those soft, earthy brown eyes. I knew the feeling.
“Look, I’m sorry I bailed after we kissed. I panicked, Aria. I felt something, and… shit, it’s not an excuse, I know that, but I’ve been cast aside so much in life, it’s hard for me to let someone in. I was able to until I realized how real it was, and I freaked…”
She stared at me, her expression softening as she hesitantly reached out to touch my arm.
“It’s okay.”
The simple gesture had a warmth spreading through me as my wolf whined.
How could she be so understanding?
Elowen called out for us to return to training, and she sighed as she let her arm fall away.
“Can we talk after this? Please?” I asked, searching her eyes hopefully.
“Of course, we’ll talk,” she said, a small smile touching her lips and easing my worries just a little.
“Maybe in private?” I suggested, and she nodded.
“Come to my room after,” she said as she turned to return to where she’d been working with Lydia on dodging the barriers and scaling the magical rock walls and ropes.
