The walls of Ironfang Keep weren't thick enough to drown out the whispers anymore.
Kaelen stood in the shadows of the eastern hall, just beyond the reach of the firelight, listening to the low murmur of voices that once would have fallen silent at his approach. Now they didn't even bother pretending.
"He's losing it," one voice muttered, careless in its secrecy. "Should've ended it the first week. Instead, he feeds her, clothes her—keeps her like some twisted trophy."
"She's not just a prisoner," another replied. "You've seen the way he looks at her. There's something more. Something he won't admit."
Kaelen's jaw tightened, teeth grinding silently. He didn't need their gossip to know what they thought. He'd felt the shift in the air—the unease in his pack, the fear that curdled into distrust. His command had started to crack the moment Aurelia stepped inside Ironfang's gates—half-wolf, half-weapon, burning with a fire they couldn't smother. He had tried to control her, contain her.
But the collar was shifting.
And so was she.
And whether he admitted it aloud or not—so was he.
He turned sharply and stalked down the corridor, heavy boots echoing through the stone halls. Silence followed him like a loyal dog, doors closing, conversations halting. No one met his eyes anymore.
She'd been spotted near the southern watchtower. Too close to the perimeter. Testing boundaries. Again.
He found her near the training ring, arms crossed, posture proud. Waiting. Always waiting.
"Out for a stroll?" he asked coldly.
She didn't flinch. "You always this charming when you're losing control?"
He stepped closer, expression carved from stone. "You're hiding something."
"I'm surviving," she said, voice flat.
"Don't play games," he snapped. "The collar isn't working like it used to. It flares when I'm near you. The magic is unstable. You're changing."
Aurelia tilted her head, the corners of her mouth twitching. "You think I'm bending the rules just to watch you sweat?"
"You're not the same," he growled. "I see it. Every time you look at me, it's like something inside you is watching. Calculating. Your wolf isn't just stirring—it's breaking through."
She stepped forward, invading his space with deliberate calm. "Are you scared of me now, Alpha?"
His voice dropped, rougher. "I'd be a fool not to be."
There was a moment—a breath held between them—where neither moved. The tension crackled, thick and hot, threaded with something neither of them had the courage to name.
Aurelia's eyes glinted with golden flecks, the faint glow barely perceptible under the torchlight. "And what happens when I stop playing prisoner?"
Kaelen's throat bobbed with a silent swallow. "Tell me what's changing."
"You think you own me," she said, stepping in close enough that he could smell the wild earth on her skin. "But you never did."
His voice faltered, quiet. "Then what do you want?"
"Freedom," she said, like it was the simplest truth in the world. "But you'll never give it to me, will you?"
Kaelen said nothing. She didn't wait for an answer. She brushed past him, not with fear—but with purpose. Her scent lingered behind her like a challenge.
He didn't follow her.
Not this time.
That night, the dreams returned for her, sharper than ever. But they weren't dreams anymore.
They were memories.
Her mother's scream. The heat of fire licking through the trees. The metallic taste of blood. Her wolf howled in the depths of her soul, but this time, it didn't stay buried.
Aurelia jolted awake, drenched in sweat, heart beating like war drums in her chest. The collar burned against her skin—hot, not with pain, but with pressure. Energy. Something inside her was shifting, surging.
And then—her wolf surged.
She gasped as her bones cracked, body twisting violently. Claws tore through her fingertips, fur rippling across her skin in waves. It wasn't graceful. It wasn't controlled. She dropped to her knees with a strangled cry, fingers gouging into the stone floor.
This wasn't like her usual transformations. This wasn't the moon calling. It was something older. Wilder.
She barely registered the slamming of doors, the thunder of approaching feet.
But she knew that scent.
Kaelen.
He entered the room without hesitation, his presence filling the space like a storm. No weapon. No fear. Just wide eyes, flickering with something between awe and alarm.
Aurelia hovered between forms, shaking, panting, her body torn between human and wolf. Her voice came warped. "Stay back."
But he didn't move.
"You're not just a prisoner anymore, are you?" he said, voice low.
She forced her head up, eyes glowing gold. "You have no idea what I am."
"Then show me."
A snarl escaped her lips. Not a threat. A warning. Or maybe a plea.
Kaelen stepped closer, slow, unflinching. The air between them pulsed, thick with tension, and the closer he got, the quieter her wolf became. Not submissive—but curious. Watching.
Her knees buckled, and she dropped forward, catching herself with trembling hands. Her breathing slowed, ragged and shallow. The transformation faded, but the beast didn't retreat. It stayed. Coiled beneath her skin, alert and aware.
"You could've killed me," Kaelen murmured.
"Do you wish I had?" she rasped, not looking up.
He crouched beside her, voice softer than she'd ever heard it. "No. I don't."
She finally met his gaze, her wolf still flickering in her eyes. "Why not?"
"Because you might be the only honest thing left in this place."
The words hit something deep. Her wolf quieted.
They sat in the stillness, their breaths mingling in the cool night air. Aurelia could hear the beat of his heart, steady but fast. She could smell the adrenaline in his blood—spiked with fear, yes, but something else too.
Desire.
And it wasn't one-sided.
Kaelen's eyes swept over her like he was seeing something sacred and terrifying all at once. His hand brushed against hers—light, tentative. But when she didn't pull away, he held on. Her wolf leaned into the touch with a possessive hum.
Then—
A violent pulse burst from the collar, sending a jolt through her body. She gasped and staggered back as the magic flared, bright and erratic. Kaelen reeled, catching himself on the wall.
"What the hell was that?" she coughed, gripping her throat.
"The bond," Kaelen said hoarsely. "It's… reacting."
"To what?" she asked, but deep down, she already knew.
He didn't answer. Not with words. His expression said enough.
Aurelia stood slowly, the echo of magic still buzzing under her skin. Her body thrummed with untamed energy, her wolf restless. Her hands curled into fists as she looked at him—really looked at him.
She shook her head. "This collar doesn't just bind me. It's binding us."
Kaelen didn't deny it.
She stepped toward the door, her limbs still shaking, heart hammering.
He opened his mouth like he wanted to stop her, say something meaningful—something real.
But silence won.
She left without another word, the sound of her footsteps fading into the dark corridor behind her. The only thing louder was the voice in her head.
He doesn't just want to control you.
He wants you.