Chapter 6: First Morning

Sunlight filtered through the carved stone window, catching on the dust that drifted lazily in the warm air. Aiden stirred beneath the fur blanket, muscles stiff and sore from the fight the day before. He blinked slowly, disoriented at first—until the faint scent of pine, firewood, and Theron reached his nose.

Right. He was in the Alpha King's den.

He sat up, groaning softly as pain flared in his shoulder. His left ear still stung where the beta's claws had sliced it. He swung his legs off the bed and stood, feet bare against the smooth stone floor. His clothes from the day before lay folded neatly on a bench—cleaned. He frowned.

The den was too quiet. He didn't like it.

Aiden padded out into the main room, finding Theron by the fire, shirtless, white hair damp as if he'd just washed. His back was to Aiden, scars like silver threads crisscrossing his skin. He was stirring something in a metal pot.

"You cook?" Aiden asked, voice rough with sleep.Theron didn't turn around. "Do you eat?"Aiden scowled. "Fair."

Silence again, until the soft bubbling from the pot filled the space between them."You slept well?" Theron asked eventually, without looking at him.

"I don't remember," Aiden muttered. "Which probably means yes."

Another pause. Then Theron said, "There's salve on the shelf behind you. For your wounds."Aiden didn't thank him. He didn't know how to say thank you to someone who'd shattered his life and then offered him a bed.

Instead, he applied the salve in silence, feeling the sting ease as he worked. When he turned back, Theron was already pouring something into two bowls.

Stew. Meat, herbs, and root vegetables.

He handed Aiden a bowl and walked to the open ledge of the den, sitting cross-legged on a stone seat carved from the wall. Aiden followed slowly, watching him.

"You're different here," Aiden said. "Quieter."

"This is my home," Theron replied simply.

Aiden sat across from him, eating slowly. The stew was better than he expected—rich and comforting.

"So what now?" he asked, licking the spoon. "You going to chain me here? Force me into Alpha training like the old stories?"

Theron's eyes met his—sharp, unreadable. "No. I brought you here so you'd be safe. After that fight yesterday, you would've been torn apart if I hadn't stepped in."

Aiden looked away. "I didn't ask for saving." Theron set his bowl down. "No. But you needed it."

Aiden stood suddenly, anger curling back into his chest. "You say that like you care. Like the bond makes you my protector."

Theron rose too, voice low. "The bond doesn't make me anything. I chose to bring you here. Because something in you called to me—and not just because of the moon."

Aiden froze. "What do you mean?" But Theron turned, walking past him without answering, disappearing into the back tunnels of the den.

Aiden clenched his jaw. He hated how his heart stuttered every time Theron looked at him like that. Like he knew something Aiden didn't. Like he wasn't just the Alpha King—but something older.

Something dangerous. And worse?

Aiden wasn't sure if he was afraid of him... or drawn to him.

Aiden stood in the middle of the den, Theron's presence lingering in the air even after he disappeared into the tunnels. The silence pressed against Aiden's ears like a scream, and he clenched his fists, suddenly feeling like he didn't belong in his own skin.

"I didn't ask for any of this," he muttered to the empty room.

Still shirtless, the chill of stone under his bare feet finally registered. He threw on his hoodie from the bench and wandered toward the ledge where Theron had just been.

From here, the entire forest stretched out below — green and silver, lit by the low morning sun. Birds called in the distance. The pack's territory looked small from up here. Too small. Too distant. Like a place he used to know.

A part of him ached to run again. Just run, shift into his wolf and disappear until his paws bled and he forgot Evelyn's voice, her broken laugh, her words: "Don't you understand? We're breaking up!"

He shut his eyes.

His wolf stirred inside him. Sad. Angry. Lonely.

A soft sound behind him. Aiden turned quickly, his instincts flaring—but it was just Theron, now wearing a long black shirt, sleeves rolled halfway up his arms.

"You're still here," he said simply.

Aiden rolled his eyes. "Should I have leapt off the ledge for a dramatic exit?" Theron didn't rise to the sarcasm. He studied Aiden carefully, then walked over and leaned against the archway. "You hate me."

"Right now? Yeah."

Theron nodded, like he expected it. "That's allowed."

Aiden's voice cracked a little when he said, "Why did the moon choose you?"

Theron didn't answer right away.

Instead, he walked forward, slow, deliberate steps until he stood beside Aiden. Their shoulders almost touched, but not quite. Aiden held his breath.

"I've asked that same question every night since I was a child," Theron finally said, voice low. "And I still don't have an answer I like."

Aiden looked at him, startled. It wasn't the answer he expected. "You were chosen... that young?"

Theron's lips quirked. "Too young to understand. Old enough to be afraid."

That struck something in Aiden's chest.

Theron turned his head, blue-white eyes boring into him. "You think I enjoy being the one the moon ties others to? That I enjoy watching them reject what fate hands them—just because it's me?"

Aiden looked away, guilt threading through his ribs. "I didn't ask for this either."

"I know," Theron said. The quiet stretched. And then, softer: "But I don't want to force this. I never have."

Aiden swallowed hard. "Then what do you want?"

Theron was quiet for a long time. Then, softly: "To be seen. To be known. Maybe even... to be loved. Not because of the bond. But in spite of it."

Aiden's breath hitched. That was too honest. Too raw.

And before he could think of a response, a howl echoed in the distance—long, sharp, and urgent.Both of them stiffened.

"Beta call," Aiden said immediately. "Something's wrong."

Theron was already moving, grabbing his sword from the wall. "Get ready. We're going to the borders."

Aiden shifted without another word, black fur bursting across his skin, muscles surging with energy. Whatever was coming, he would face it head-on.

But in the back of his mind, Theron's words clung to him like a second heartbeat.To be loved, not because of the bond... but in spite of it.