The night pressed against the cabin, thick and suffocating, the air electric with tension. Aria could feel it—the weight of something unseen, lurking just beyond the wooden walls.
Kael stood by the door, his body tense, his silver eyes locked on the darkness outside. She had heard them too. The wolves. His pack.
The low, guttural growls echoed from the forest, distant yet unnervingly close. Shadows shifted beyond the trees, moving with purpose. Watching. Waiting.
Aria swallowed hard, her body still weak from the rejection. But despite the exhaustion clawing at her, something inside her screamed that she needed to understand.
Why was he keeping her here?
And why did his pack feel like more of a threat than a home?
Kael had saved her. But now, looking at the way his jaw tightened, the way his fists clenched at his sides, she wasn't sure if she was truly safe.
Not from him.
And not from whatever secrets he was hiding.
The Arrival
A sharp knock shattered the silence.
Not a request. A demand.
Kael exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulders before striding toward the door. He didn't look at her as he pulled it open, but Aria saw the shift in him. The way his aura darkened. The Alpha awakening.
Two men stood outside, their imposing figures barely visible beneath the hooded cloaks they wore. The taller one stepped forward, his golden eyes gleaming under the moonlight.
"Alpha."
His voice was low, respectful—but cautious.
Kael didn't move. "Elias."
The second wolf, broader and more scarred, tilted his head slightly, his nostrils flaring. "You're hiding something."
Kael's expression didn't change, but Aria swore the air in the room shifted, thickening with something dangerous.
"I hide nothing." His tone was cold, final. "What do you want?"
Elias hesitated, his gaze flickering past Kael's shoulder. Aria shrank back instinctively, pressing herself against the shadows of the cabin.
"We scented something," Elias murmured. "Something unfamiliar. The pack is uneasy."
Kael didn't blink. "The pack is always uneasy."
"Not like this," the scarred wolf growled. "Your scent has changed. It's… different."
Something passed between them—something unspoken but charged.
Kael's fingers twitched at his sides. "Go back to the castle."
The wolves stiffened. Elias hesitated, then took a slow step back. The scarred one, however, let out a low snarl. "You should remember, Alpha, that wolves don't trust what they don't understand."
Kael's lips curled, but it wasn't a smile. It was a warning.
"And you should remember," he said softly, "that I do not need trust to command loyalty."
A long silence. Then, without another word, the wolves turned and melted into the forest.
Aria let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding. But Kael didn't turn to her. He remained by the door, his posture rigid, his fingers flexing.
She watched him carefully, her heartbeat hammering in her ears.
"They don't trust you," she whispered.
Kael exhaled, shutting the door with a quiet click. "They fear me."
His voice was emotionless, but something about it sent a chill down her spine.
Fear and trust were not the same thing.
And if his own pack feared him… then what was he truly capable of?
The Locked Door
Kael was quieter than usual that night. He barely spoke, his mind elsewhere, his movements sharp and controlled.
Aria watched him from the other side of the room, her exhaustion battling with curiosity. She should sleep. She should rest, regain her strength.
But she couldn't ignore the gnawing unease settling in her bones.
Something wasn't right.
And if Kael wasn't going to give her answers, she would find them herself.
She waited until he disappeared into the back room before moving. Carefully, silently, she slipped off the bed, ignoring the lingering soreness in her limbs.
Her gaze swept the cabin. It was simple, sparsely furnished—except for one door.
The only door that remained locked.
Her pulse quickened. Why would an Alpha, a king among wolves, hide something inside his own hideout?
She stepped forward, her fingers hovering over the handle. It was ice-cold, as if untouched for years.
Her gut twisted.
She shouldn't do this.
But she turned the handle anyway.
The Secret Within
The door groaned as it opened.
The room beyond was wrong.
It wasn't just dark—it was suffocating. Heavy. The air pressed against her, thick with something ancient, something unnatural.
Her breath hitched.
The walls were lined with old, dust-covered books, their spines cracked with age. Symbols were carved into the wooden floor—symbols she didn't recognize.
But it was what stood in the center of the room that made her blood run cold.
A mirror.
Not an ordinary mirror.
It was massive, framed in black iron, its surface dull and lifeless. But as she stepped closer, the glass shifted, flickering with images too fast to grasp.
And then—
Her own reflection stared back at her.
But it wasn't her.
Her eyes were black. Not dark—not shadowed. Pure, endless black.
A scream lodged in her throat as the reflection moved on its own. It lifted a hand that she had not raised, tilting its head with a slow, eerie grace.
And then it spoke.
"You shouldn't be here."
The voice was hers—but distorted. Twisted. Wrong.
Aria stumbled back, slamming into the bookshelf, sending ancient books tumbling to the floor.
What the hell was this place?
And what the hell was Kael hiding?
Caught
A hand closed around her wrist.
Aria gasped, spinning—only to be met with burning silver eyes.
Kael.
He wasn't angry. He wasn't even surprised.
But his grip on her wrist was unyielding.
"You shouldn't have opened that door."
His voice was quiet. Too quiet.
Her pulse raced. "What is this place?"
Kael didn't answer. He glanced past her, toward the mirror, his expression unreadable.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke.
Then, finally—
"You need to sleep," he said, his tone leaving no room for argument.
She opened her mouth, ready to protest, ready to demand answers. But something about the way he looked at her made the words die in her throat.
This wasn't just about secrets.
It was about control.
Kael was choosing not to tell her.
And that meant whatever truth lay behind that door…
It was worse than she could imagine.
The Suspicion Grows
That night, Aria lay awake, staring at the ceiling, her mind whirling.
She had survived rejection when she shouldn't have.
Kael had saved her when he shouldn't have.
His pack feared him.
He feared something in that room.
And worst of all…
The mirror had spoken.
You shouldn't be here.
But why?
What was she?
And what was Kael hiding?
One thing was certain.
This wasn't just about her anymore.
Something far darker was at play.