Crashing Memories!

After a long silence and deep thoughts about his future, about the way he was left in their secret house like he never mattered after all, Aiden stands up abruptly.

His heart pounds in his chest, frustration and pain surging through him as he grabs his suitcase, yanking it open with shaky hands.

His movements are sharp and angry.

He starts packing, shoving his clothes inside without care, his mind racing with everything Lucian has put him through.

"Aiden," Jackson's voice is quiet but firm. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you leave. Lucian asked me not to, and you know I can't go against him especially not now, when his emotions are on edge. Aiden, you know what you really mean to him, if he loses you... He will never be himself ever again."

Aiden freezes, his back still turned. His vision blurs again, the weight in his chest pressing down harder.

Then he turns, his gaze locking onto Jackson, eyes burning with betrayal.

"Lucian!?" His voice is hoarse, laced with disbelief. "You're still taking his side? Even after everything you've seen? After what he's done to me?" His fingers tighten around the fabric of the shirt he's holding, his knuckles turning white. "Jackson, I thought you cared about me... But you're just the same as him, aren't you?" His voice wavers, cracking at the edges. "None of you actually feel my pain. All you care about is what you want."

Jackson's jaw tightens, guilt flickering across his face. "You know that's not true. You know Lucian actually loves you." He steps closer, his tone raw. "What choice did he have? Can't you see how much he's been trying? How he's still trying?"

Jackson says, swallows hard. This... this is the last thing he wanted. To sit here, in this room, and watch Aiden fall apart.

Jackson is the only person who knew about them. And for good reason.

Because even if they tried to explain, no one would understand.

No matter which way anyone looked at it, their love would always be wrong.

Because first, they are both men.

Same-gender mates have never existed in their pack. Not in their history, not even in whispers or old stories.

The mate bond has always been between a male and a female. There was never any space for anything else.

And second... Aiden and Lucian are considered brothers.

Not by blood, but in the eyes of the pack, that doesn't matter.

Aiden may have been adopted, but he grew up beside Lucian. He was raised under the same roof, treated as part of the Alpha's family.

Their bond, one nurtured since childhood, should have remained brotherly. Nothing more.

And yet, here they are. Two people who should have never fallen in love.

Jackson runs a hand down his face. He shouldn't be here. He shouldn't have taken part in this, shouldn't have encouraged it.

But he did.

And now he has to watch it fall apart.

Aiden lets out another broken laugh after a long silence, shaking his head. When he speaks, his voice is barely above a whisper.

"Maybe... Maybe I should have never let this happen." His throat tightens, his gaze dropping to the floor. "Maybe I should have just stayed a brother to him. A brother that I will always be to him."

His hands clench into fists on his lap. "I should have never gone that extra mile to make him accept what we felt for each other." His voice wavers, thick with regret. "If I hadn't... maybe this moment wouldn't be happening. Maybe he wouldn't be walking away to make someone else his when I always thought... I would be that someone." His voice fades into a whisper, barely there.

For a moment, just a moment, he lets himself regret it all.

Regret ever loving Lucian.

Regret ever thinking they had a chance.

The past crashes into him, pulling him under. The memories of how they got here, of how maybe, just maybe... he could have stopped this from happening.

FLASHBACK°°°

Aiden remembers the first time he was brought into the pack house by the late Alpha Noman-- Lucian's father.

The man had found out about him after hearing whispers of rogue wolves who refused to tie themselves to a pack, choosing instead to live hidden among humans.

Their defiance had cost them. They were discovered. Hunted. Killed.

And their only son, a boy too young to fend for himself, had been left behind.

Aiden had been just thirteen when they brought him to the pack house. Too young. Too different. He wasn't human, but he wasn't like the other wolves either.

~

The pack house was bigger than Aiden expected.

Tall wooden walls loomed over him, and the scent of pine, damp earth, and something else, something unfamiliar, filled the air. This wasn't home. He wasn't sure if it ever would be.

Last night, Alpha Noman had spent hours explaining everything-- why he was there, what the pack was, and what would happen next. Even though Aiden knew he was a werewolf, still it wasn't easy.

None of it had prepared him for standing in the grand entrance hall, surrounded by unfamiliar faces.

At the Alpha's command, the pack had gathered. The tension in the air was thick, silent.

Aiden swallowed hard as his gaze swept over the faces before landing on two people standing at the front, a woman with sharp eyes and a boy standing beside her.

Aiden knew immediately. That must be Uncle's son. The one he told me about. (Told to call him that)

The boy didn't acknowledge him.

He stood with his hands tucked in his pockets, his black eyes revealing nothing.

There was something about him- calm, unreadable, and yet... heavy. The way people around him seemed to keep their distance made it clear. He wasn't just anyone.

Lucian.

Aiden had never heard of him before last night, but he could already tell, this wasn't the type of person you easily got along with.

Alpha Noman's voice broke the silence. "This is Aiden."

Aiden felt the weight of countless eyes turning to him.

"He will live among us from now on," the Alpha continued. His tone was firm, leaving no room for question or complaint.

No one reacted.

Except the Luna.

Her expression didn't change, but there was a flicker of something in her gaze- disapproval? Annoyance? Aiden couldn't tell, but whatever it was, it was gone in an instant.

Alpha Noman went on. "He is to be treated as one of our own."

Silence.

Then, the Alpha's gaze shifted to his son. "Lucian."

Lucian tilted his head slightly. It wasn't quite acknowledgment, but it wasn't dismissal either.

"Aiden is still young," Noman continued. "He will need guidance. Show him around. Help him adjust. Be an older brother to him."

Lucian didn't respond.

Didn't nod.

Didn't even blink.

Then, without a word, he turned and walked away.

Aiden hesitated, glancing at Alpha Noman. The man gave him a look that made it clear, this wasn't a request.

So, with a deep breath, Aiden hurried after him.

Lucian walked at an unhurried pace, his hands still in his pockets. He never once looked back, never checked if Aiden was following. But Aiden followed anyway.

They passed through long hallways, the wooden floors creaking slightly under their steps. Aiden stole glances at him, trying to figure him out.

Lucian looked older than sixteen. Not in his face, his features were sharp but youthful.

It was the way he carried himself. He wasn't just any teenager. He was someone who had already seen more than most.

He was someone people feared.

Aiden had noticed it immediately. The way the pack members had looked at him, the way they had kept their distance, it wasn't normal.

Was it respect? Or something else?

They reached the end of the hallway, and Lucian stopped in front of a door. Without a word, he pushed it open and stepped inside.

Aiden hesitated, expecting him to hold the door, to give some kind of signal that he could follow.

But the door shut in his face.

Aiden blinked.

...Okay.

He stared at the closed door for a moment before exhaling and stepping back. He wasn't sure what he expected, but it definitely wasn't that.

So much for getting along.