Chapter 7 Whispers in the Shadows

The banquet hall throbbed with energy, music weaving through laughter, the clinking of goblets punctuating conversations like tiny cannon blasts, servants rushing silently beneath the watchful eyes of nobles. Aria had drifted through it all like a ghost, her pale fingers grazing the edge of her wine glass, eyes trained on Kael even as she pretended to listen to the chatter around her.

Every heartbeat reminded her of him. His hand on her waist earlier, steady and commanding, lingered like a brand. His fingers brushing hers when their paths crossed made her skin tingle. Every subtle glance from the Lycan King ignited something wild beneath her ribs, a pull she couldn’t and didn’t want to ignore.

She had to get away. Not because of shame, not because of fear, but because the storm inside her needed space to breathe.

Aria slipped through a side door, weaving past drunken nobles whose laughter was too loud and guards whose eyes followed her instinctively but not too closely. The cold night air hit her lungs like liquid silver. Her chest heaved, trying to steady itself, but every inhale was sharp, electric.

She leaned against a marble pillar, pressing her palms hard against its chill surface. The stone offered no comfort, only grounding. She closed her eyes, willing herself to calm down. “Breathe,” she whispered. “Calm. You’re safe… for now.”

But her wolf inside her only laughed, a sultry, insistent whisper: Mate. Ours. Strong. Claim him.

“Quiet,” Aria hissed under her breath, a shiver crawling down her spine.

The wolf purred, amused, unyielding.

---

From the shadows of the garden path, a cluster of nobles passed, their voices careless, sharp with intrigue and gossip.

“…Quite the spectacle inside,” one murmured, the tone equal parts admiration and scorn.

“The Lycan King, dancing with her of all people.”

“She looked ready to collapse.”

“Not surprising. Everyone knows she’s half-dead already. She won’t last the season.”

Aria’s jaw tightened. She remained perfectly still, hidden by the shadows of the colonnade, listening, absorbing every word.

“But the real surprise,” another whispered conspiratorially, “is the arrival of the new scholars from the southern territories. Quite the talk, especially those two prodigies.”

“Ah yes,” the first voice chuckled. “Strange pair, inseparable. The girl, sharp tongue, clever wit. And the boy, skilled enough to rival a Gamma’s heir. Together, they’ll make waves.”

Aria froze.

Her blood ran ice-cold at their next words.

“…What were their names again?”

“I believe… Lysandra and Darius.”

The goblet she had stolen earlier slipped from her hand and shattered against the stone floor with a deafening crash.

Heads snapped toward her direction. She ducked further into the shadows, heart hammering violently, breaths shallow, rapid.

No. It couldn’t be.

Lysandra. Darius. Her so-called best friend. Her former fiancé. Here. In this world.

---

Aria staggered back against the pillar, her mind a hurricane of disbelief and fury.

Why were they here? How did they come to this world? Did they remember her? Did they know?

Her wolf growled low, caution and confusion lacing every note. They smell wrong… twisted. Be careful.

Her limbs shook, not just from the chill, but from the storm of emotions rising within her. Every instinct screamed danger.

And then… a voice. Deep, velvety, impossibly near.

“Running away again, little wolf?”

The words ripped through her chest.

Kael.

He emerged from the darkness as if the night itself had forged him. Broad-shouldered, commanding, golden eyes gleaming faintly in the moonlight. His presence pressed down on her like gravity, suffocating, thrilling.

Aria swallowed hard. Her fists curled instinctively, hiding the tremor in her hands. “I… I needed air.”

His gaze sharpened, cutting through the shadows. “You’re trembling.”

“I’m not,” she lied.

He closed the distance in two powerful strides, his hand catching her wrist before she could retreat. Sparks flared up her arm, searing, intoxicating. Her knees weakened, pulse skyrocketing.

Kael leaned closer, voice low, dangerous, resonant. “You can deny me in front of them. You can play games with yourself. But don’t lie to me. I feel it too.”

Her breath hitched. The nearness was overwhelming, the heat, the scent, the aura wrapping around her like fire. She tried to summon control, tried to suppress the wolf’s roaring in her mind.

“I don’t want this,” she whispered fiercely, glaring into his eyes. “I didn’t ask for it.”

His lips curved into a faint smirk, eyes burning with something darker, something primal. “Neither did I. But fate rarely asks permission.”

His thumb brushed against her pulse, lingering far longer than necessary. The mate bond howled, insistent, demanding. It tugged at the core of her being, a tether she couldn’t ignore, couldn’t sever.

Aria ripped her hand free, stumbling backward, chest tight. “Stay away from me,” she snapped, though the tremor in her voice betrayed her.

Kael’s jaw clenched, golden eyes glinting like molten fire. “You’ll tire of running, little wolf. And when you do…” His smirk deepened, sharp and predatory. “…I’ll be there.”

With that, he disappeared, fading into the hall as silently as he had come, leaving her breathless, shaking, furious at herself for the shiver still crawling down her spine.

---

Aria pressed a trembling hand to her chest, mind racing. The mate bond. Kael. The pull she could not deny. And now… Lysandra and Darius.

Her past and present collided violently, each memory and every possibility clashing in her mind. Questions clawed at her, each more urgent than the last; Were they friends here? Enemies? Did they remember their world, their lives together? And most terrifying of all… did they remember her betrayal?

Her wolf growled low, a warning, a whisper. They are not what they seem. Watch. Wait. Strike only when ready.

The night seemed suddenly colder, heavier, charged with possibilities. Shadows shifted along the garden path, twisting as if alive, carrying secrets she couldn’t yet name. Every rustle of leaves, every whisper of the wind, was a potential threat.

Aria’s body trembled, but not from fear alone. It was anticipation, the prickling fire of power waking in her veins. Her mind raced through strategies, contingencies, and calculations. She would not be caught unprepared. Not by Kael, not by Lysandra, Darius, nor any who sought to manipulate her.

Her wolf purred, approving, urging her to embrace the thrill, the tension, the danger. This is yours, little wolf. Every heartbeat, every shadow, every whisper, claims it.

And Aria, the Alpha’s daughter, genius hidden behind frail beauty, knew at that moment she would. She would claim her power. She would navigate the maze of loyalty, love, and deceit. She would survive the shadows.

And when the time came… she would strike.

The night stretched around her, silent yet alive with possibilities. The mate bond screamed for connection, the whispers of past betrayal taunted her, and the arrival of old enemies in new forms hung like a knife above her head.

And Aria… she was ready.

Her reflection in the marble of the colonnade stared back at her pale but unyielding, delicate but ferocious. Soon, the threads of destiny would pull taut.

And she would be at the center, unbroken, brilliant, unstoppable.