Chapter 39

Chapter 39
|| ARIA's POV ||

The tension in the air was palpable as Ares’s piercing gaze locked onto me. The weight of his question hung heavily between us, its implications sinking into my chest like a stone. I tried to keep my breathing even, but my racing heart betrayed me.

“How did you do it, Aria?” he asked, his voice low and firm, like a predator closing in on its prey. “The cursed dragon calmed to your touch. That’s not something anyone can do.”

I froze, my mind scrambling for an answer that wouldn’t reveal too much. My palms were damp, and I clasped them tightly to keep from trembling. I wanted to look away from him, but his gaze held me captive, searching for the truth I wasn’t ready to share.

“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I stammered, forcing myself to meet his eyes. “It wasn’t me. The dragon must have… just stopped on its own.”

Ares tilted his head slightly, his sharp features shadowed by the flickering light of the fire between us. “Dragons don’t just stop on their own,” he said evenly, his tone laced with suspicion. “Especially not cursed ones. They’re relentless, uncontrollable. But the moment you touched it, it stopped fighting. It bowed its head to you, Aria.”

His words cut through my denial like a blade. My chest tightened, and I bit the inside of my cheek to keep my face neutral. He couldn’t know—he couldn’t. I had spent my entire life hiding this part of myself, the power that had always made me feel like an outcast. If Ares discovered the truth, I wasn’t sure what he’d do. Would he see me as an ally? Or a threat?

“It was a coincidence,” I said quickly, my voice steadier now. “I don’t have any power over dragons, Ares. You’re imagining things.”

“Am I?” he pressed, stepping closer. The firelight caught the intensity in his eyes, making them seem like molten gold. “Because I don’t think I am. I think there’s something you’re not telling me.”

I stepped back instinctively, my boots crunching against the dry leaves scattered on the forest floor. My pulse thundered in my ears, and I clenched my fists at my sides. “I don’t know what you expect me to say,” I snapped, hoping a hint of frustration would divert his suspicion. “I touched the dragon, and it stopped. That’s all I know.”

Ares studied me in silence, his expression unreadable. He was like a wolf, circling its prey, waiting for the slightest misstep. I could feel his doubt, his relentless need for answers. But I wasn’t going to give them to him—not now, not ever.

Before he could press further, a sharp, haunting howl echoed through the night, cutting through the tension like a blade. My head whipped toward the sound, my breath catching in my throat. The howl was close, too close, and it carried a note of urgency that sent a shiver down my spine.

Ares’s posture stiffened immediately, his hand instinctively moving to the hilt of his blade. His eyes darted toward the forest, scanning the shadows for any sign of movement. “Stay here,” he ordered, his voice low and commanding.

“Are you insane?” I shot back, my fear momentarily overriding my caution. “I’m not staying here while you go running off toward that!”

“I can handle it,” he said firmly, his gaze briefly flicking back to me. “Stay by the fire and wait for me to come back.”

I crossed my arms, glaring at him. “You don’t get to tell me what to do, Ares. If you’re going into the forest, I’m coming with you.”

His jaw tightened, and for a moment, I thought he might argue. But then he let out a frustrated sigh, clearly realizing I wasn’t going to back down. “Fine,” he muttered. “But stay behind me.”

“Deal,” I said, grabbing the small dagger I kept strapped to my belt. It wasn’t much, but it made me feel less helpless.

The forest was eerily quiet as we ventured into the trees, the darkness pressing in around us like a living thing. The faint glow of the fire faded behind us, leaving only the moonlight to guide our way. Every rustle of leaves, every crack of a twig beneath our boots, set my nerves on edge.

“What do you think it was?” I whispered, my voice barely audible.

“Could be anything,” Ares replied, his tone clipped. “A rogue wolf, a scout from another pack… or something worse.”

“Worse?” I echoed, my stomach twisting.

He didn’t answer, his focus locked on the shadows ahead. I tried to steady my breathing, gripping the hilt of my dagger tightly. The silence was oppressive, broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves or the distant call of an owl.

And then we heard it—a low, guttural growl that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Ares stopped abruptly, holding up a hand to signal me to stay still. I obeyed, my heart hammering in my chest as I scanned the darkness.

The growl came again, closer this time, and a pair of glowing eyes appeared in the shadows. My breath caught as the creature stepped into the moonlight—a massive wolf, its fur matted and its eyes filled with an unnatural hunger. It wasn’t just any wolf; it was cursed, its body twisted and deformed by dark magic.

“Ares,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “That thing… it’s not normal.”

“I know,” he muttered, drawing his blade slowly. “Stay behind me, Aria.”

The wolf snarled, its teeth bared, and then it lunged. Ares moved like lightning, his blade slicing through the air to intercept the creature. The clash of metal against flesh rang out, and I stumbled back, my eyes wide as I watched the battle unfold.

Ares was skilled, his movements precise and calculated, but the wolf was relentless. It fought with a feral intensity, its claws swiping dangerously close to him. My heart pounded as I watched, torn between fear and the instinct to help.

Then, without thinking, I acted. I stepped forward, my voice trembling but firm. “Stop!”

The wolf froze mid-lunge, its glowing eyes snapping to me. For a moment, everything was still, the air thick with tension. I could feel its gaze boring into me, a strange, almost sentient recognition in its eyes.

“Aria, what are you doing?” Ares hissed, his blade still raised.

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. Something inside me had taken over, a quiet, commanding force I didn’t fully understand. I stepped closer to the wolf, my heart pounding, and extended a hand.

The wolf growled softly, its muscles tensing, but it didn’t attack. Instead, it lowered its head slightly, as if acknowledging my presence. The wild, frenzied look in its eyes began to fade, replaced by something calmer, more subdued.

“Aria,” Ares said again, his voice sharper this time. “What the hell is going on?”

I turned to him, my hand still outstretched toward the wolf. “I… I don’t know,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. “It’s like it understands me.”

His eyes narrowed, suspicion flickering across his face. “This isn’t normal, Aria. No one can calm a cursed wolf like that.”

I swallowed hard, my mind racing. I didn’t have an explanation for what had just happened, but I knew one thing for certain—I couldn’t let Ares dig any deeper. Not yet.

“We need to get out of here,” I said, my voice steadier now. “Before anything else shows up.”

He hesitated, clearly torn between pressing me for answers and focusing on the immediate danger. Finally, he nodded, lowering his blade. “Fine. But this conversation isn’t over.”

I nodded, relief washing over me as we turned back toward the camp. But deep down, I knew that this was only the beginning. My secret was slipping throug
h the cracks, and it was only a matter of time before Ares uncovered the truth.