The moon hung low, casting silver light over the encampment deep within the Shadowlands. For the first time in days, everything was still. The rogues hadn't attacked. Silas hadn't made a move.
But Aria couldn't sleep.
She sat at the edge of a cliff, overlooking the valley below where mist coiled like sleeping dragons. Her thoughts were a storm—about the power she awakened, the Bloodstone, the prophecy, and him.
Always him.
She sensed him before he spoke.
"You always wander off when your thoughts get too loud," the alpha murmured behind her.
Aria turned slightly, offering a small smile. "And you always follow."
He came to sit beside her, close enough that their shoulders touched, the heat of his body calming something inside her.
"I can't lose you, Aria," he said quietly, not looking at her.
"You keep saying that."
"Because I mean it more every time."
She turned to him, brushing her fingers against the side of his face. "Then why do you keep pulling away from me?"
He exhaled, like it hurt to answer. "Because when the curse breaks, I don't know who I'll be. And if I don't survive it—"
"Then we find another way," she said firmly. "I'm tired of running from fate. I want to choose mine."
The wind picked up, brushing her hair across his cheek. He reached up, gently tucking a strand behind her ear.
"I want you to choose me," he whispered.
"I already did."
Their lips met—soft at first, then deeper, fiercer, like all the nights they held back were pouring out at once. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her into his lap, their marks glowing where skin met skin.
He laid her back on the mossy stone, the moonlight bathing them in silver fire.
But before anything more could happen—he pulled back.
His breath was ragged. "I want you. Gods, I do. But not here. Not like this."
Aria blinked, dazed. "Why?"
"Because when I have you, I want it to be in a place where no shadows linger. I want it to be a beginning, not a goodbye."
She stared at him, heart thudding. "Then promise me something."
"Anything."
"When the war ends… you'll come back to me."
He leaned in, pressing a kiss to her forehead, to her marked shoulder, and finally, to her lips.
"I swear it. Even if I have to crawl through fire, I'll come back to you."