Aria stared at the man emerging from the shadows, his long black coat flapping in the mountain wind like wings of a predator. His presence was undeniable, terrifying in its calm, commanding strength.
"Brother?" she echoed, stepping closer to Lucian, her heart thundering.
Lucian didn't look back. His posture was rigid, his voice cold. "You shouldn't be here, Ronan."
Ronan's crimson-tinged eyes gleamed with amusement. "I could say the same. But you know I go where I please. These mountains no longer belong to you, Alpha."
Alpha. That word again. Like a sharp snap of power between them. A silent challenge.
Lucian's fists clenched. "I'm still recognized by the Crescent Council. This territory—"
"Is fractured," Ronan cut in smoothly. "And the Council isn't here to protect your little secrets anymore."
Aria could barely process what she was hearing. Crescent Council? Territories? She felt like she'd stepped into a power struggle straight out of a fantasy novel.
But the tension between the two men was real. So was the rising fear crawling up her spine.
"What do you want?" Lucian asked, voice now low and dangerous.
Ronan's eyes shifted to Aria, his gaze lingering in a way that made her skin crawl. "Curiosity, mostly. Word travels fast when an Alpha goes soft for a half-blood. And you, little flower... you smell of both wolf and storm."
Aria instinctively stepped behind Lucian, her fingers brushing the back of his arm. "Don't talk to me like that."
"Oh, she has spirit," Ronan mused, smirking. "Just like your mother did. Before she chose the wrong brother."
Lucian growled — not metaphorically, but an actual deep, vibrating sound that seemed to shake the earth beneath their feet. "Leave."
Ronan took a slow step forward. "You should be careful, Lucian. If you don't claim what's yours soon, someone else might. Mates are rare... and very, very tempting."
In a blink, Lucian lunged.
He moved faster than Aria thought humanly possible. One second he was beside her, the next he was on Ronan, slamming him into the ground with a roar of fury. Claws — real claws — tore through Lucian's fingertips, and for a moment, the air rippled with raw, supernatural energy.
Ronan laughed even as he bled, his body twisting beneath Lucian's.
"You still fight like a prince," he snarled. "But this kingdom fell long ago."
Lucian's eyes glowed with feral light. "If you ever come near her again, I'll rip your throat out."
"Noted," Ronan hissed, then shoved Lucian off with impossible strength. He rose to his feet, brushing dirt from his coat as if they hadn't just nearly torn each other apart.
"Don't get too comfortable, brother," Ronan said as he backed away into the mist. "The full moon is coming. And so is the reckoning."
Then he was gone, swallowed by the trees.
Lucian stayed tense for a long moment, his breath heaving, his claws slowly retracting. Aria stood in stunned silence.
"What the hell was that?" she finally whispered.
Lucian turned, his expression grim. "That... was my twin."
She blinked. "Wait, your twin? Your literal twin?"
He nodded, wiping a smear of blood from his jaw. "Identical in birth. Opposite in everything else. Ronan was once part of the pack. But when our father died, he challenged me for the title of Alpha. When he lost, he left. And he's been gathering enemies ever since."
Aria tried to wrap her head around that. "So this is a war?"
Lucian didn't answer right away. He stepped toward her, brushing her hair from her face. "If it is, you're at the center of it now."
She looked away, overwhelmed. "Why me? I didn't ask for any of this. I just wanted to survive a broken heart. Now I'm in a werewolf turf war?"
Lucian's voice softened. "You're not just anyone, Aria. The bond picked you. The blood in your veins chose you."
"And if I reject it?" she asked, meeting his eyes.
Lucian's jaw tightened. "Then you'll remain unclaimed. Vulnerable. And wolves like Ronan will see you as fair game."
The silence stretched between them.
Then Lucian added, "But I'll protect you. No matter what you choose."
Aria didn't know whether to feel relieved or more terrified.
She crossed her arms, retreating into herself. "I don't know what to think anymore. But I do know one thing — if there's going to be a war, I'm not going to be someone's pawn."
Lucian gave a faint smile. "You've got fire. Good. You'll need it."
Suddenly, an owl hooted in the distance. The wind shifted again — and with it, Aria smelled something. A new scent. Not Lucian's clean pine and storm. This was bitter. Smoky. Wrong.
Lucian's head snapped toward the trees.
"Go inside," he said sharply. "Now."
"Is it Ronan again?"
"No," Lucian growled, eyes flashing. "It's someone worse."