Aria's POV
The cold was different in the dungeon.
It wasn't just the chill that crept into her bones—it was the kind that numbed hope, that made time blur into something shapeless and cruel. Aria didn't know how long she'd been down there. Three days? Four? Maybe more.
Sleep came in snatches. Hunger gnawed at her stomach. But she ignored it. She would not eat. Would not speak to the guards who stared at her like she was both prisoner and prize. Would not beg the Alpha for mercy he didn't deserve.
She would survive this.
Not because she was strong—but because she refused to let Kael Thorne win.
Even now, the scent of him clung to her skin like a brand. That intoxicating mix of pine, blood, and storm-wind. It made her wolf restless, confused, torn between rage and longing.
Aria pressed her forehead to the cool stone wall, her wrists raw from pulling at the ropes.
She hated him.
She hated how beautiful he was. How powerful. How the sight of him made her heart stutter and her skin burn. It wasn't real. It was the Goddess's curse. Nothing more.
She would find a way to break the bond.
She had to.
Because the part of her—the wild part, the part tied to fur and fang and fate—wanted to give in. To lean into the heat. To let the bond drag her down.
And if she surrendered… she'd lose more than her pride.
She'd lose herself.
---
That evening—though down here it could've been midnight or morning—the door opened again. For a moment, Aria didn't look up. She knew the sound of his steps now. Heavy, deliberate, quiet. The way a predator moves when it doesn't need to chase.
Kael stood in the doorway, watching her with that unreadable gaze. He didn't come closer.
"You're not eating," he said.
Her lips curled. "You must be terribly worried."
"I'm not heartless, Aria."
"Oh? Could've fooled me."
His jaw tightened. "You're going to get sick."
"Good," she said. "Then you can watch your mate wither and die."
Kael stepped into the room slowly, eyes narrowing. "You think I don't care, but I do. I didn't ask for this bond any more than you did."
"Yet you're not the one in chains."
"I could've let you die," he said darkly. "I almost did."
"You should have."
A flash of something raw crossed his face—something he quickly buried.
Aria forced herself to look away. She wouldn't let him see the crack in her armor. Wouldn't let him see how her hands trembled from more than hunger.
"You said you won't kill me," she murmured. "So what are you waiting for? What's the plan, Alpha? Keep me as a trophy? Breed your enemy? Break me until I obey?"
His silence was answer enough.
She looked up sharply. "Is that what this is?"
Kael's gaze was pure steel. "No. But if you push me, Aria…"
"What? You'll chain me tighter? Beat me? Ravish me?" she snapped. "I've seen what kind of man you are. You don't need a mate. You need a mirror to admire the monster you've become."
Kael crossed the room in two long strides, standing so close now she had to tilt her head back to meet his glare.
"I am not your father," he said, voice low and dangerous. "But I will do what I must to protect my pack."
"And I'll do what I must to avenge mine."
His hand slammed against the stone wall behind her, boxing her in. His breath was hot against her face, and her wolf reacted before her mind could—desire spiking through her blood so sharply it left her dizzy.
She hated herself for the way her body leaned, even as her soul recoiled.
His eyes darkened as he sensed it.
The bond stirred.
Kael leaned closer, and she thought—for one terrible second—that he might kiss her. That he might force the bond to pull them together like magnets crashing.
But he didn't.
He stepped back.
"You want to starve?" he said quietly. "Fine. But I won't bury you."
Then he turned and walked out, slamming the door shut behind him.
---
That night, Aria lay awake.
She couldn't stop shaking—not from cold, not from weakness.
From the bond.
It was getting stronger. The more she fought it, the more it seemed to grow.
She needed a plan.
She needed a way out of this hellhole before the bond took complete hold—before she started confusing attraction with fate, instinct with forgiveness.
The chains were enchanted, but weak at the joints. She'd tested them, subtly, methodically. The left shackle had a loose pin. The guard who delivered her water didn't lock the second gate properly when he was in a rush. She counted the pattern of the shifts by the way the torchlight flickered under her door—three long passes of silence, then one brief burst of clanking armor.
Every detail mattered.
Her wolf whispered constantly beneath her skin. "Run. Run. Run." But Aria had learned that the wolf didn't always know best. Not when the mate was the enemy.
Still… the wolf wanted Kael.
And Aria couldn't deny that when he was close, her senses heightened. Her heart beat faster. Her anger felt more alive.
It was terrifying.
And exhilarating.
But she wouldn't be another tragic story. Another bonded girl who let her fate drag her into submission.
She would break the bond first.
If the Moon Goddess thought she could be chained to the Alpha who destroyed her life… she was wrong.
---
A day later—at least she thought it was—her opportunity came.
The guard. The one with the lazy gait and the leering eyes. He came in earlier than usual, probably to catch her off guard.
Aria was ready.
She was slumped in the corner, limp, eyes half-closed like she was on the brink of collapse.
He smirked. "Still too proud to eat, princess?"
She didn't answer.
He stepped in. Closer.
Close enough to make a mistake.
"I could keep you company," he murmured. "Bet your Alpha wouldn't notice. Or maybe he'd watch."
That did it.
Aria's wolf surged to the surface.
She struck fast—snapping her chained wrists outward, swinging the chain tight around his neck and yanking him down. He choked, struggled, grabbed at her arms, but she sank her teeth into his shoulder hard enough to taste blood.
He collapsed.
She rolled him off and grabbed the dagger from his boot.
Then she ran.
---
The halls were darker than she remembered. Torches flickered low. She was barefoot, bloodied, exhausted—but she was moving. Fast.
Up the stairs. Past the cells. Heart pounding.
Every shadow felt like Kael. Every turn a trap.
She needed a horse. Or a window. Or a miracle.
She made it to the eastern wing—one of the older towers. The stones were cracked, parts of the wall ruined from past battles. She forced her way through a broken door and—
Stopped.
There was a figure waiting.
Not Kael.
A woman.
Tall, elegant, cloaked in velvet black with pale silver hair that shimmered like frost.
"Going somewhere?" the woman said, voice low and oddly melodic.
Aria raised the dagger. "Move."
The woman only smiled. "I wouldn't recommend the woods tonight. Not without allies. Not with Kael hunting."
"I'll take my chances."
"You're brave," she said, stepping forward. "Or stupid. Maybe both."
"Who are you?"
The woman tilted her head. "Someone who doesn't want to see the Alpha lose his mind over a she-wolf who hates him."
Aria stared. "So you're on his side?"
"I'm on the side of sanity," the woman replied. "If Kael breaks, the entire pack falls with him."
"And if he keeps me locked up, I break."
The woman's expression softened. "You're not weak, Aria Vale. But neither is he."
Aria's grip tightened on the dagger. "Tell him to let me go."
"I'll tell him," she said. "But I doubt he'll listen. You matter too much now."
The woman turned to leave—but paused.
"One last thing," she added, her voice almost kind. "You're not the only one who lost family. Don't assume you know the whole story."
Then she disappeared into the shadows.
Aria stood there, trembling.
She wanted to run.
She wanted to scream.
But instead, she turned around—
And there he was.
Kael.
In the doorway. Eyes burning. Chest heaving. Blood on his knuckles. As if he'd just fought through half the castle to get to her.
Their eyes locked.
Neither moved.
The bond roared between them like a storm.
And Aria knew—this was no longer about escape.
It was war.