Aiden's Escape Into Chaos.

Aiden stormed back into his room, slamming the door behind him.

His chest heaved, frustration clawing at him from the inside out. The room felt suffocating, but what made it worse was Jackson's absence.

Gone.

He hadn't even waited for Aiden to return. He had left without saying anything, without a single reaction to what Aiden had just confessed.

Panic twisted in Aiden's gut.

What if Jackson told someone?

What if the whole pack found out that the adopted kid, an outsider, was in love with the Alpha's son? He loves a Man?!

He could already hear the whispers. The stares. The laughter. The disgust.

Would Jackson go straight to his father? To the Alpha?

To the Luna, who already despised Aiden's existence in this house?

Aiden squeezed his eyes shut, his hands balling into fists. He didn't care what happened to him, but if this got out, Lucian would be dragged into it too. He couldn't let that happen. He couldn't stand the thought of landing Lucian in trouble.

And... speaking of Lucian…

The memory of their kiss rolled through his mind, burning and intoxicating.

The way Lucian had grabbed him, pulled him in like he was starving for it. The way their bodies had fit together, the heat, the need...

Then the way Lucian had pulled away.

" I can't do this."

Aiden's throat tightened. He swung his fist at the wall.

A dull thud. Then another. And another.

Pain shot up his arm, but he didn't stop. He punched until his knuckles left blood on the white surface. The sting grounded him, cutting through the whirlwind in his head.

It wasn't enough.

He needed to get out of here.

He grabbed his phone and dialed a number.

The call barely rang before a voice answered, loud and wild over the music in the background.

"Man, is there any party you know of?" Aiden had asked.

"Finally! My man is back! And yes! Check your phone, I just sent you a location."

Aiden ended the call without another word. He grabbed his jacket, shoved his phone into his pocket, and slipped out of the pack house, unnoticed.

Later on, he was there, and the moment Aiden arrived, he knew this was exactly what he needed.

The mansion was packed, kids spilling out onto the driveway, voices mixing into a chaotic hum.

Inside, the air was thick with sweat, alcohol, and the scent of bodies pressed too close together.

Music thundered through the space, shaking the walls and pulsing beneath Aiden's skin. The kind of music that made it impossible to think.

People danced like they had nothing to lose, grinding against each other, lost in the reckless energy of the night.

In the backyard, the party was just as wild. The swimming pool glowed electric blue, half a dozen kids already in the water, some in swimsuits, others in their full clothes, soaked and laughing.

Bottles of liquor floated near the edges, passed around like candy.

Aiden didn't bother looking for his friends. He didn't care.

He went straight for the drinks, grabbing the first bottle he could get his hands on.

He didn't even check what it was before tipping it back. The burn of alcohol rushed down his throat, sharp and fast, but it wasn't enough.

He drank more.

And more.

The world blurred around him, but he welcomed it. Anything was better than thinking. Anything was better than feeling.

Someone shoved a shot into his hand. He downed it without question.

Then another.

And another.

A laugh bubbled out of him, loud and careless. He let himself stumble into the crowd, bodies pressing against him as he moved to the music, not caring who he danced with.

A girl slid her arms around his neck, her body warm against his, swaying with him.

He leaned in, murmuring something drunken and meaningless into her ear. She laughed, running her fingers through his hair, but he wasn't really there.

He was nowhere.

Floating.

Numb.

And that was exactly what he wanted.

So he kept drinking. Kept dancing.

Kept running from the truth he couldn't escape.

MEANWHILE,

Lucian stepped out of the bathroom, water dripping from his skin as steam curled around him. The air in his room felt cold, but it wasn't enough. It wasn't nearly enough.

He had spent over an hour under the freezing shower, letting the icy water hit his body in a desperate attempt to cool the unbearable heat coursing through him.

But the moment he let his guard down, the memory of the kiss came flooding back.

Aiden's lips.

Aiden's breath.

Aiden's body pressed against his.

Lucian clenched his jaw, his hands tightening into fists at his sides.

"Shit."

Why the hell had he done that?

Why did it feel like his body was betraying him? Like his own instincts were forcing him toward something he had no right to want?

He grabbed a towel, roughly drying his hair before pulling on a loose T-shirt and sweatpants.

His mind was a warzone, and no matter how much he tried to shut it off, the battlefield only grew louder.

He threw himself onto his bed, grabbing his phone.

Distraction.

That's what he needed. Something, anything, to keep his mind off Aiden and the sin he had committed.

He opened Instagram, mindlessly scrolling, not even registering what he was looking at.

He double-tapped a random picture out of habit. Swiped up, kept scrolling. More faces. More posts. None of it mattered.

Until it did.

Until he saw a familiar face.

Lucian's fingers stopped, his breath catching as his gaze locked onto the video.

Aiden.

Drunk. On a raised platform.

A microphone in hand, singing, if you could even call it that. His words were slurred, nonsense spilling from his lips as the crowd cheered and laughed.

Girls surrounded him, dancing close, pressing against him, hands roaming freely over his body as if he belonged to them.

Lucian's blood ran hot.

His grip tightened around his phone, his jaw clenching so hard it ached.

No.

His mind screamed at him, but his eyes refused to look away, as if checking again would prove that it wasn't real, that his eyes were lying to him.

But they weren't.

It was Aiden.

It was real.

Lucian's control snapped.

"You gotta be kidding me!"

The phone left his hand before he could think, crashing against the wall with a loud thud.

The screen went dark as it hit the floor, but Lucian didn't care. He was already on his feet, storming out of his room.

He marched straight to Aiden's door, not even knocking, just yanking it open.

Empty.

The bed was untouched, the lights still off.

Aiden wasn't here. So it was really him.

Lucian sucked in a sharp breath, his chest rising and falling rapidly as frustration clawed at him.

Why the hell would he let everyone touch him like that?! -- that angered Lucian so much.

Without another thought, Lucian spun on his heel and left, his mind now set on one thing.

Finding that damn party.