5

A breath of movement. A shift in the air.

Instinct screamed at me too late.

A force crashed into me, sending me stumbling backward. My hip slammed into a wooden desk, pain jolting through my body as I barely managed to stay upright. The dim light filtering through the cracked window wasn’t enough to see who—or what—was attacking me.

Think, Aria.

I forced myself to move, ducking as a dark shape lunged toward me. The stale scent of dust mixed with something sharper—male, strong, familiar. Whoever this was, they were wolf.

I twisted, barely avoiding another strike, my hands fumbling for a weapon. Anything. But I wasn’t fast enough.

A rough hand clamped over my mouth, silencing my startled gasp. Another arm locked around my waist, pinning me against something solid—a body, muscular, hot, powerful. My heart pounded against my ribs as the grip tightened.

"You shouldn't be here."

The voice was low, a rasp of warning against my ear.

I struggled, but my attacker didn’t loosen their hold. My mind raced. If they had wanted to kill me, I’d already be dead.

"Let me go," I growled, my voice muffled against the hand covering my lips.

A pause. Then, slowly, the grip eased.

As soon as I was free, I spun, my fist flying toward my attacker’s face.

They caught my wrist mid-air.

The moonlight shifted, revealing a face that sent a shock through my system.

Dante.

He held my wrist easily, as if my attempt to hit him had been an amusement rather than a threat. His silver-streaked hair caught the faint light, his blue eyes gleaming with something unreadable.

I yanked my hand free, stepping back. My pulse was still racing, but this time from anger.

"You followed me?" I accused.

Dante didn’t deny it. He simply crossed his arms, his gaze flicking toward the old scroll still clutched in my hand.

"I knew you'd use the key," he said. "I just didn’t think you’d be stupid enough to do it alone."

"Stupid?" My jaw clenched. "I found my name in these records, Dante. What the hell does that mean?"

His expression didn’t change, but I saw the slightest tightening of his shoulders.

He knew.

"Dante," I pushed, taking a step closer. "What aren't you telling me?"

He exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair before glancing toward the door. "This isn't the place for this conversation."

I glanced down at the scroll in my hands, my stomach tightening. Genetic experimentation. Subject Name: Aria Lockhart.

This was about me. About my blood. About why I was here.

But before I could demand more answers, heavy footsteps echoed from the hallway.

Shit.

Dante moved fast. He grabbed my wrist and yanked me toward a darkened corner just as the door creaked open.

I pressed against the stone wall, heart hammering, as two figures entered the archive room.

Not guards.

I recognized their scents—two warriors from earlier in the training grounds. Low-ranking wolves, but dangerous enough.

They sniffed the air, their gazes sweeping the room.

“Someone’s been here,” one of them muttered.

“We need to report this. If the Alphas find out—”

Dante moved. Fast.

One second, we were hidden. The next, he was behind the closest warrior, his hand locking around the man’s throat. With a silent, brutal efficiency, Dante twisted—cutting off his air supply just long enough for him to collapse unconscious.

The second warrior turned, eyes widening.

Before he could react, Dante slammed him into the nearest bookshelf, knocking him out cold.

I gawked.

Dante turned to me, completely unfazed. “Now we go.”

I didn’t argue.

By the time we reached my room, I was seething.

The moment the door shut behind us, I rounded on Dante.

"You knew," I snapped. "You knew there was something about my past—about me—and you kept it from me."

Dante exhaled, his expression carefully blank. “It’s not that simple.”

"Like hell it isn’t!" I shoved the scroll against his chest. "This is my name on a genetic experiment file. My life. And I want the truth—now."

The tension between us crackled like fire.

Dante hesitated for a long moment, then finally said, "I suspected."

I stilled. "Suspected what?"

Before he could answer, the door burst open.

Sebastian and Kai.

And they looked furious.

Kai’s amber eyes flicked between Dante and me, his sharp gaze catching the tension in the air. “Someone want to tell me why the hell warriors are being found unconscious in the archives?”

Dante didn’t answer.

Sebastian, however, wasn’t interested in explanations. His green eyes burned with authority as he turned his glare on me.

"You disobeyed my orders," he said coldly. "You went into restricted territory."

I lifted my chin. "And found my own name on a classified document. Tell me, Alpha, do you think that was just a coincidence?"

His expression flickered. Just for a second. But I saw it.

Sebastian knew something too.

A sharp knock sounded from the hallway before the Beta from before—the woman with silver streaks in her dark hair—stepped inside.

She glanced between the triplets and me before speaking.

“We have a problem.”

Sebastian’s gaze darkened. “What problem?”

The Beta hesitated. “The attacks on our borders—” She swallowed. “It’s not rogues. It’s a coordinated effort.”

I frowned. “By who?”

She glanced at me before shifting her focus back to the Alphas. “We have reason to believe they’re after her.”

Silence.

A cold, creeping sensation curled around my ribs.

Me.

Someone was attacking the Moonstone Pack because of me.

Kai cursed under his breath. Dante’s expression remained unreadable.

Sebastian didn’t react at all.

He simply turned to me, his green eyes unreadable. “It seems,” he murmured, “you are more valuable than we thought.”

I swallowed hard.

I didn’t know what was more terrifying—the fact that someone was hunting me…

Or the fact that the Alphas were finally starting to see me as something worth keeping.