Chapter 5
The night stretched on, thick with the scent of rain and earth, the storm from earlier leaving the streets of Arrow Brooke damp and glistening under the pale moonlight. The town was quiet now, most of its inhabitants tucked away in their homes, but Aeris Valkryn couldn’t find peace even in the solitude of her tiny apartment. Sleep had been a lost cause the moment Rheon Draven had walked into her life, upending everything she had carefully built.
She lay on her bed, staring at the cracks in the ceiling, her thoughts tangled in the lingering echo of his words.
"You do belong to me."
She hated the way her body reacted to him, the way his presence seemed to pull at something deep inside her, something she didn’t want to acknowledge. She wasn’t some naïve girl who believed in love at first sight or soulmates. Fate had never done her any favors before—why would it start now?
Aeris clenched her fists, trying to push the memory away. He doesn’t get to do this to me. He doesn’t get to make her feel things she has spent years burying.
A knock at the door shattered the silence.
She stiffened, her instincts immediately on edge. No one came to her apartment unannounced. In fact, no one came at all unless they wanted something from her, and she had nothing left to give.
Slowly, she pushed herself up, padding toward the door, her body tense as she pressed her ear against the wood.
Another knock—firmer this time.
“Aeris.”
Her blood ran cold.
Him.
Her fingers tightened around the doorknob. Of course, it was him.
For a moment, she considered ignoring him, pretending she wasn’t home. But Rheon Draven wasn’t the type to take no for an answer. If she didn’t open the door, he would find another way in. That much she was sure of.
Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself and swung the door open.
And there he was.
Tall, imposing, every inch the Alpha he was born to be. His dark brown hair was slightly tousled, his amber eyes burning like molten gold in the dim hallway light. He had changed out of his usual dark button-downs, wearing a simple black t-shirt that clung to his broad shoulders, the sleeves straining against his muscular arms. He looked casual, almost effortless, but there was nothing relaxed about the way he watched her.
“I could smell you from the street,” he said, voice low and rough, as if he had been holding himself back.
Aeris exhaled sharply. “That sounds like a you problem.”
His lips twitched, but there was no humor in his expression. “Let me in.”
She folded her arms, leaning against the doorframe. “And why would I do that?”
“Because I’m not leaving until we talk.”
She wanted to slam the door in his face just for the sake of defiance. But she knew it wouldn’t matter. He would wait. He always waited.
With an irritated sigh, she stepped aside, gesturing for him to enter.
Rheon walked past her, his presence too big, too overwhelming in the small space of her apartment. He glanced around, his gaze sweeping over the cracked walls, the peeling wallpaper, the worn-out furniture.
“You live like this?” he asked, his tone unreadable.
Aeris bristled. “Not all of us were born with silver spoons in our mouths, Alpha.”
His jaw tightened, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he turned to face her, his gaze dark and unrelenting.
“I don’t like the idea of you staying here,” he said.
She scoffed. “That’s not your concern.”
He took a step closer. “It is when you’re mine.”
Aeris’s stomach twisted. “I am not yours.”
His eyes flashed with something dangerous. “Then reject me.”
She froze.
The words hung between them, thick and heavy, daring her to speak them.
Aeris knew what rejecting a mate meant. It wasn’t just a casual dismissal. It was painful, a deep, cutting wound to the soul that could take years—if not a lifetime—to heal. Some wolves never recovered at all.
She wanted to say the words. She should say the words.
But her lips wouldn’t move.
Rheon’s gaze bore into her, knowing, challenging. He could sense her hesitation. He could feel the war inside her, and the worst part was—he wasn’t wrong.
“Say it,” he murmured. “Say the words, Aeris. If you really want nothing to do with me, end it now.”
She swallowed hard, her heart slamming against her ribs.
He was calling her bluff.
She opened her mouth—but nothing came out.
Rheon took another step closer, until they were barely inches apart, his warmth wrapping around her like a second skin. “That’s what I thought.”
Her breath hitched, her body betraying her as the air between them grew electric.
“I hate you,” she whispered, but even she knew it wasn’t true.
Rheon’s lips curled in a knowing smirk. “No, you don’t.”
Aeris hated that he was right.
She hated even more that a part of her wanted to give in.
But she couldn’t. She wouldn’t.
So, she did the only thing she knew how to do—she ran.
Stone Hollow Packhouse – The Next Morning
Rheon sat at the long oak table in the pack’s council room, his fingers drumming against the polished wood as the elders bickered among themselves.
“She is not one of us,” Daston Hallow said, his voice laced with disdain. “A half-blood? A warlock’s child? That is not a Luna fit for this pack.”
Rheon clenched his jaw, his wolf growling at the old man’s audacity.
“She is my mate,” Rheon said evenly.
Daston sneered. “And that’s supposed to mean something? You are the Alpha. You have a duty to this pack.”
Rheon’s patience was wearing thin. “My duty is to lead. And a leader does not abandon his mate.”
Daston’s gaze darkened. “The pack will never accept her.”
“They don’t have to,” Rheon said coldly. “They only need to accept me.”
The room fell silent, tension thick in the air.
Daston narrowed his eyes. “Then I suggest you prepare for a war.”
Rheon’s lips curled into a slow, dangerous smile. “Then let them come.”
Because he was done playing games.
He had given Aeris a chance to accept their bond.
If she wouldn’t come to him willingly—he would make her.
One way or another.
Aeris ran.
She didn’t think, didn’t hesitate—she just moved, her body reacting before her mind could catch up. Her boots hit the pavement, her breath coming in quick, uneven bursts as she tore through the empty streets of Arrow Brooke, the night air biting against her skin.
She didn’t know where she was going, only that she needed to be anywhere but near him.
Rheon Draven was dangerous—not just because he was an Alpha, not just because he was powerful. But because he saw her. He looked past the walls she had spent years building, past the sharp edges she had honed to keep people at a distance. He saw everything she didn’t want him to see.
And she didn’t know how to handle that.
Her lungs burned, but she didn’t stop. She pushed forward, her body driven by pure instinct—until a voice stopped her in her tracks.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Aeris spun, her heart hammering.
Flora Hughes stood beneath the flickering glow of a streetlamp, arms crossed, an amused look on her face. The human woman had lived in Arrow Brooke longer than most, running a small café that had somehow become a safe haven for those who had nowhere else to go.
Aeris exhaled sharply, trying to steady her breathing. “It’s nothing.”
Flora arched a brow. “Right. And I’m the Queen of England.”
Aeris rolled her eyes, brushing past her. “Go home, Flora.”
“You’re deflecting,” Flora called after her.
Aeris didn’t stop walking. She couldn’t.
She needed to be alone.
But she barely made it two blocks before she felt it—a presence.
Not just any presence.
His.
A chill ran down her spine as she slowed to a stop. She didn’t turn around. She didn’t have to.
“I told you to leave me alone,” she said, her voice quieter than she intended.
Silence.
Then—“You ran.”
His voice was low, even, but there was something dangerous beneath it. Something restrained.
Aeris turned slowly. Rheon stood a few feet away, his gaze unreadable, his body tense.
She swallowed hard. “Because I don’t want this.”
His amber eyes darkened. “Liar.”
Her hands curled into fists. “You don’t know me.”
“I know enough.”
She hated how steady he sounded, how certain.
“You don’t get to decide this for me,” she said, forcing the words through clenched teeth. “I’m not yours, Rheon.”
His jaw tightened. “Then reject me.”
The words sliced through the air like a challenge.
Aeris opened her mouth—but nothing came out.
She could feel his gaze burning into her, waiting, daring her to say it.
She should.
She had every reason to.
But her throat locked, the words caught somewhere between her heart and her pride.
Rheon took a step closer. “Say it.”
Aeris’s pulse pounded. Why couldn’t she say it?
Because she didn’t want to.
And that terrified her more than anything.
Rheon exhaled sharply, his expression shifting—something like understanding flashing in his eyes.
“You’re scared,” he murmured.
She stiffened. “I’m not—”
“You are.”
He wasn’t mocking her. He wasn’t taunting her.
He was just stating a fact.
Aeris clenched her jaw. “I don’t trust you.”
Rheon’s gaze softened, but his voice was firm. “Then let me prove myself.”
She wanted to laugh, to tell him he was insane. But she didn’t.
Because a part of her—the part she had tried so hard to ignore—wanted to let him.
She wanted to believe him.
But she didn’t know if she could.
So instead of answering, she turned and walked away.
And this time—he let her go.
Stone Hollow Packhouse – The Next Day
Rheon sat at the head of the council table, his expression unreadable as the elders continued their arguments.
“This pack needs stability,” Daston Hallow said, his tone edged with frustration. “You refuse to choose a proper mate. You refuse to listen to reason. How long do you expect us to wait?”
Rheon’s fingers tapped against the polished wood. He was losing patience.
“I have a mate,” he said evenly.
Murmurs rippled through the room.
Daston’s eyes narrowed. “You mean the half-blood.”
Rheon’s wolf growled, his instincts bristling at the disrespect.
“Say that again,” Rheon said, his voice dangerously low.
Daston held his gaze, unyielding. “She is not worthy to be Luna.”
Rheon leaned forward, his amber eyes glowing. “Then you should pray to whatever gods you believe in that I don’t make her one.”
The room fell into silence.
Rheon wasn’t bluffing.
He was done playing by their rules.
Daston’s expression darkened, but he said nothing.
Rheon pushed back his chair, rising to his feet. “This meeting is over.”
Without another word, he turned and left.
He had wasted enough time.
It was time to claim what was his.
