Undeniable Attraction.

One Saturday morning, Aiden was already dressed, slipping into his shoes with practiced ease.

The air was cool, the faint scent of damp earth lingering from the night before.

It was the perfect morning to be anywhere but here. He had made it a habit to slip away whenever he could.

But just as his foot crossed the threshold of the porch, a sharp voice cut through the quiet.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?"

Aiden's shoulders tensed. He didn't need to turn around to know who it was.

Lucian stood a few steps away, arms crossed over his chest, his gaze locked onto Aiden like a predator cornering its prey.

The early morning light caught in his stormy eyes, making them appear even sharper, more intense.

"You know there's training, and yet you leave like it doesn't concern you?" Lucian's voice was firm, laced with an authority, but above it all, there were other emotions in his voice that he didn't dare let them be obvious.

Aiden exhaled, barely holding back a scoff.

"You miss today, then consider yourself out of the group." Lucian added,

Aiden's fingers curled into his palms.

"And you can as well consider yourself a nonmember of the Moonlight Pack," Lucian continued, his words precise, deliberate. "Because what do you even contribute to it to call yourself one of us?"

Aiden felt the breath leave his lungs. It was a direct hit, sharp and cutting.

Lucian didn't wait for a response. He turned sharply, striding back toward the training field, leaving Aiden standing there.

He could leave. He could ignore Lucian completely, pretend none of this mattered.

But he knew, he really knew that he was being carried away by other things neglecting the fact that he was a member of a pack. And being a member means you had to do your absolute best to make your pack outstanding.

Especially for a young warrior like him. They were considered- the future of the pack. And if he didn't shape that future at the moment, then when would he?

With a curse under his breath, Aiden turned back inside, changed into his training clothes, and headed toward the field.

By the time he got there, the others were already gathered. The air buzzed with energy as pack members stretched, preparing for another grueling session.

Lucian stood at the front, his presence commanding, effortlessly drawing everyone's focus.

The boys looked at him with some hint of worry, guessing what was about to come. Lately, Lucian had been easily irritated. Yes, he was always harsh and all that, but it seemed like he was getting worse each day.

The moment Aiden stepped closer, Lucian's gaze snapped to him.

"Aiden." He called.

Aiden barely had time to react before Lucian gestured him forward.

"Since you've been skipping training, let's see if you still remember the basics. Maybe you've been skipping because you got good enough. And if you prove that, I'll leave you alone, to do whatever you want."

Aiden stiffened. He had known this was coming, but he still wasn't prepared for the quiet amusement in Lucian's voice, the way he was determined to see Aiden fail.

"Demonstrate the counter move against an opponent twice your size," Lucian ordered.

Aiden hesitated. That wasn't a move he had mastered, not even close. His gut twisted as he stepped forward, swallowing back his frustration. He tried to execute the move, but he failed instantly.

The opponent barely budged, and in seconds, Aiden was pinned.

Soft chuckles echoed from the pack members. Lucian didn't laugh, but the glint in his eyes said enough.

"Go again," Lucian instructed.

Aiden obeyed. He failed again.

And again.

Each mistake only seemed to fuel Lucian's sharp remarks, his tone biting.

When the others were dismissed, Aiden knew that was it, it was the end of him. Lucian always did that when he had other plans for Aiden, and Aiden knew that.

Lucian didn't hold back.

Every strike, every counter, was meant to prove something. Aiden wasn't just being trained, he was being tested, pushed, broken down.

Every time he stumbled, Lucian was there, pushing harder, his voice laced with something Aiden couldn't quite name.

And even though Lucian didn't want to accept it, it was true- he was just trying to prove to himself that he didn't care about Aiden that much, and that he didn't feel bad because Aiden wasn't giving him attention anymore.

Aiden's breath came fast, ragged. His patience snapped.

"What the hell is your problem with me, Lucian? It's like you have anger that is kept somewhere in you, just for me! Did I do something to you? Is it that you still don't want me in your family or the pack altogether!? You call this training but every time I feel like you are just trying to lush your anger at me! Am not your punching bag, and if you have a problem with me then mention it!" he hissed.

Lucian stilled before he suddenly started to walk away.

Unconsciously, Aiden pulled him back, because Lucian was walking away before giving him the answers.

And since Lucian wasn't expecting that, his body moved back with a lot of force that made them crash into each other, sending both of them to the ground.

Lucian landed on top of Aiden, their bodies colliding with force. Aiden gasped, the air forced from his lungs, but before he could process the impact, something else took over...

Lucian's weight. His scent. His warmth.

The space between them was almost nonexistent.

Aiden's chest rose and fell rapidly, his heart pounding as Lucian's body pressed against his.

Every inch of him was suddenly aware of how close they were, how Lucian's breath was warm against his skin, how his hands had instinctively braced on either side of Aiden's head, caging him in.

For a moment, neither of them moved.

Lucian's breathing was unsteady, his jaw clenched, but Aiden could feel the tension in his body, not from anger, not from frustration, but from something else.

And he feels it too, in his body.

Aiden had been distracted for weeks, all those things that had been lately going on in his life had made his mind really occupied, so occupied that those feelings he had started to develop for Lucian were pushed somewhere else.

Back then, he had started to think that he was admiring Lucian, but when other things occupied his mind, that feeling was pressed down.

But now that Lucian was right there, on top of him, he felt it in every bit of his vein.

He unconsciously wanted him closer. And it wasn't just attraction. It wasn't just curiosity. It was need.

Lucian's fingers twitched against the dirt, his body taut, as if he were fighting something inside him.

His gaze flickered to Aiden's lips, to the way his chest rose and fell beneath him. He wanted to move away but he couldn't.

For a second, just one second, Lucian leaned in.

The world felt like it was tilting, time stretching impossibly slow.

Aiden could feel it, the pull, the inevitable gravity drawing them together. And he wanted Lucian to really lean closer. To kiss him.

But suddenly Lucian pulled away.

Fast.

He was on his feet before Aiden could even process it, his hands clenched at his sides, his expression unreadable.

At that moment, Aiden saw something in Lucian's eyes- even if he wasn't sure what it was, but he was sure he had never seen Lucian like that- looking like he was fighting something inside of him.

A really intense thing.

Lucian turned on his heel, walking away without a word.

Aiden lay there, still staring at the sky, his pulse hammering in his ears.

His fingers dug into the dirt.

There was something between them. And there was no denying it anymore.

Aiden thought.