Chapter 7

Aeris didn't sleep that night.

She sat curled in the corner of her apartment, arms wrapped tightly around her knees, eyes locked on the door as though she expected it to burst open at any moment. Every sound outside—every footstep, every rustle of wind—sent a sharp jolt of tension through her spine.

Loyd had found her. That was bad enough. But what unsettled her more was Rheon’s reaction. He had stepped between them, his presence a solid, immovable wall, and his voice had carried a promise of violence that still rang in her ears.

And worst of all?

It had felt good to have him there. Safe. Protected. Claimed.

Aeris squeezed her eyes shut, pressing her forehead against her knees. Don’t be stupid. He can’t save you from this. No one can.

For years, she had survived on her own. She had fought for every scrap of food, clawed her way through the filth of a world that had never wanted her. She couldn't afford to be weak now.

She couldn't afford to hope.

A sharp knock at the door made her jerk upright. Her breath caught, fingers gripping the fabric of her pants as her heart slammed against her ribs.

Three knocks. A pause. Then two more.

She exhaled slowly, recognizing the pattern. Not a threat.

But not necessarily a friend, either.

Pushing herself to her feet, she crossed the room with cautious steps, unlocking the door and cracking it open. A familiar figure stood on the other side, arms crossed, expression unreadable.

"Let me in," Rheon said, his voice low.

Aeris hesitated. "Why?"

His amber eyes locked onto hers, intense, unwavering. "Because we need to talk."

Aeris bit the inside of her cheek, debating. Everything in her screamed to push him away, to keep her walls intact. But she knew better than to think he'd leave. And part of her—a very dangerous part—didn’t want him to.

Wordlessly, she stepped aside.

Rheon entered without hesitation, his broad shoulders filling the tiny space, his presence consuming the room like a storm. He didn’t sit. He didn’t relax. He just stood there, a force of nature barely contained.

Aeris shut the door, keeping her back to him as she forced her voice into something steady. "If this is about what happened earlier—"

"It’s not just about earlier," Rheon interrupted. "It’s about you. About what Loyd wants. And why I’m not going to let him take you."

Aeris turned slowly. "Rheon—"

"You’re my mate." The words were quiet, but there was no hesitation in them. No room for doubt.

Aeris swallowed hard, her chest tightening. "I never said—"

"You don’t have to say it." His jaw clenched. "I feel it."

Aeris felt it too. She had felt it the first time their eyes met, the first time his presence had wrapped around her like a second skin. It was a bond she wanted to deny, a connection she had tried to bury beneath every fear and excuse she could find.

But it was there. And it wasn’t going away.

She took a slow breath, gripping the back of a chair for balance. "That doesn’t change anything."

Rheon’s gaze darkened. "It changes everything."

Aeris let out a bitter laugh. "Really? Because last I checked, your pack still hates me. The elders still want you to mate their perfect little princess. And Loyd—" She swallowed. "Loyd isn’t going to stop coming after me."

"Then I’ll kill him," Rheon said flatly.

Aeris flinched. "You can’t just—"

"Watch me."

The words weren’t a threat. They weren’t even a promise. They were a fact.

Aeris stared at him, her pulse racing.

He meant it.

She could see it in the hard set of his jaw, in the lethal glint of his eyes. Rheon wasn’t just saying it to comfort her. He wasn’t trying to be the hero in some fairytale where the Alpha saves the helpless little hybrid.

No.

He was simply stating what he was willing to do.

And it scared the hell out of her.

"You don’t understand," she whispered. "Loyd isn’t just some rogue Alpha. He’s been hunting me for years. He knows things about me that even I don’t fully understand." She looked away. "And I don’t even know why."

Rheon was silent for a long moment.

Then, finally, he stepped closer, closing the space between them with slow, deliberate intent.

"I do."

Aeris frowned, her breath catching as he reached into his jacket and pulled out a thick folder. He tossed it onto the table between them, the contents spilling out.

Documents. Photos. Reports.

Aeris’s blood ran cold.

"What is this?" she asked, barely able to push the words past her lips.

Rheon’s expression was unreadable. "Proof."

Aeris hesitated, then reached out with shaking fingers, flipping through the pages. Her stomach twisted with every word, every revelation.

Her mother’s exile. Her bloodline. The whispers of power hidden within her very existence.

And at the bottom of the stack, a single, worn photograph.

Her mother.

Standing beside a man Aeris had never seen before.

But there was something hauntingly familiar about him.

Rheon’s voice was quiet, but heavy. "Your father is still alive."

Aeris’s breath hitched.

No. That wasn’t possible. He had left. He had abandoned them. Her mother had told her he was gone.

She shook her head. "You don’t know that."

Rheon didn’t flinch. "I do."

Aeris’s hands clenched into fists. "Even if he is, what does that have to do with Loyd?"

Rheon exhaled, his expression turning even darker.

"Because he’s not just some deadbeat father who walked away," he said. "He’s a warlock. And not just any warlock." He met her gaze. "He’s one of the last direct blood descendants of the Elder Houses."

Aeris’s heart stopped.

She had heard the stories. The Elder Houses were ancient warlock bloodlines, rumored to hold magic so pure, so potent, that even the strongest Lycans had once feared them.

But they had been wiped out centuries ago.

Hadn’t they?

She swallowed, her throat dry. "That’s—that’s not possible."

Rheon studied her. "It is. And it’s why Loyd wants you."

Aeris shook her head. "Why would he care about warlock blood?"

Rheon hesitated. Then, slowly, he pulled out one last page.

A ritual.

A bond.

A breeding contract.

Aeris’s entire body went cold.

"He wants to mate you," Rheon said, his voice controlled, but burning with barely restrained fury. "Because if he does, and you conceive, the child would be the first true hybrid of its kind in over a thousand years. A being that could wield both Lycan strength and warlock magic." His jaw tightened. "And he plans to use that power to take control of every pack on this continent."

Aeris couldn't breathe.

She stumbled back, shaking her head. "No. No, that’s insane."

Rheon took a step forward, his voice sharp. "It’s the truth."

Aeris felt like the walls were closing in. Like the floor had been ripped out from beneath her.

Loyd didn’t just want her.

He wanted her bloodline.

Her future.

Her very existence.

And the only thing standing between her and him—

Was the Alpha standing in front of her.

Her mate.