It started with a walk.
Aria had been restless—too much inside her head again—when Kael offered to show her how the Eastern clans trained their wolves to move silently through forest terrain.
She didn't say yes.
She just walked beside him.
They moved in comfortable silence, their wolves pacing quietly beneath their skin. When they reached the small glade beyond the river, Kael paused.
"This is where you shift, isn't it?" he asked.
She nodded. "It's the only place I feel like I can breathe."
Kael lowered himself to sit against a tree. "Then I'm honored you brought me here."
She gave him a look. "I didn't bring you. You followed me."
"Semantics," he said with a grin.
But his expression grew serious as he watched her take a seat nearby.
"Why him?" Kael asked suddenly.
She blinked. "Who?"
"Nigel." His voice didn't carry bitterness—only curiosity. "You loved him once. I see it in the way you flinch when his name is mentioned. He still has weight."
Aria's throat tightened. "He used to be different. We were young… he wasn't yet cruel."
"And now?"
She looked at the sky through the treetops. "Now, he's trying to crawl his way back into my life."
Kael's eyes darkened. "I heard what he's been saying about me. Whispering to your warriors. Even to you."
She didn't deny it.
"I can handle Nigel," she said quietly.
But Kael shook his head. "No. Let me."
Before she could respond, he stood.
---
Nigel was sharpening his blade near the training pits when Kael found him. The clink of metal stopped as Kael approached.
"You've been busy," Kael said, his tone calm but sharp. "For a man who claims he's no longer part of this pack."
Nigel stood, tense. "What do you want?"
Kael folded his arms. "To make something clear. I know what you're doing—hovering around her, feeding her doubt about me."
"I'm warning her," Nigel said coolly. "She deserves to know who she's dealing with."
Kael stepped closer, eyes narrowing. "She's not yours to protect anymore. She's not yours at all."
Nigel's jaw flexed. "You don't know her like I do."
"No," Kael said. "But I'm not the one who broke her."
That landed.
Kael didn't stop. "She's building something new here. And she'll choose who stands beside her. Not because of history. But because of who she can trust now."
He turned, beginning to walk away—then paused.
"Oh, and one more thing," he added without looking back. "If you try to manipulate her again, I won't stay civil next time."