Chapter 96 Luca
I knew something was wrong with Aria the moment she didn’t look away. It wasn’t obvious at first. Anyone else would’ve missed it, brushed it off as adrenaline from the attack or the aftermath of everything we had just survived. But I felt it not just as Luca, but as something deeper and tied to her in a way I still hadn’t fully admitted out loud.
The bond.
Aria stood a few feet away from me in the clearing, her chest rising and falling as if she had just run miles. There was dirt smeared along her arms, a faint cut near her collarbone, and her hair was a mess from the fight, but that wasn’t what held my attention.
It was her eyes.
“Aria,” I called, my voice coming out quieter than I expected.
The world around us was still chaos, wolves shifting back, voices overlapping, the scent of blood thick in the air but it all faded into the background.
It was just her and me.
“You’re hurt,” she said.
I blinked. “I’m fine.”
That wasn’t entirely true. My ribs still ached from where one of the hunters had slammed me into the ground, and there was a dull throb behind my shoulder blade that told me I’d feel this for days. But compared to what almost happened, it was nothing.
Her gaze didn’t soften. “You almost died.”
I swallowed, forcing a small shrug. “Almost doesn’t count.”
Her jaw tightened like she didn’t like that answer and the bond pulled. Not gently but it yanked. I sucked in a breath, my hand instinctively curling into a fist at my side.
Aria noticed. Of course she did. “What is it?”
“Nothing,” I said too quickly.
It was a terrible lie.
Because whatever was happening between us was not nothing. It was growing and becoming something I couldn’t ignore anymore. And the worst part? I didn’t think she was completely human in it anymore either. That thought should have scared me instead, it made my chest flutter with something dangerously close to awe.
Before I could say anything else, a familiar voice cut through the noise behind us.
“Luca.”
I turned and spotted Elder Greta standing at the edge of the clearing. She looked exactly the same as always, calm and composed, like she hadn’t just witnessed a coordinated hunter attack on our territory. Her eyes flicked once toward Aria knowingly.
“Come,” she said. “We need to talk.”
I hesitated. Aria’s gaze lingered on me for a second longer before she nodded slightly, like she understood without me explaining.
“I’ll be right back,” I told her.
She didn’t argue. That was new too. I followed Elder Greta away from the others, deeper into the trees where the noise faded. The ground was still damp beneath my boots. She didn’t speak until we were far enough that no one could overhear.
“You feel it,” she said.
I exhaled slowly. “Yeah.”
Her gaze shifted to me. “Stronger than before?”
“Yes.”
“How strong?”
I hesitated, searching for the right word but there wasn’t one. “It’s constant,” I admitted. “Like it’s always there now and I don’t have to reach for it.”
Greta nodded once, as if confirming something she already suspected.
“And her?” she asked.
I glanced back toward the clearing, even though I couldn’t see Aria from here anymore.
“She’s changing,” I said softly.
Greta didn’t react immediately, which somehow made it worse. “How?” she pressed.
I ran a hand through my hair, frustration building gradually. “Her instincts. She notices things before anyone else does. Even during the attack, she reacted faster than some of the wolves.”
“That is not normal for a human,” Greta stated.
“I know.”
Silence stretched between us for a moment then she spoke again, softer this time. “And you have told no one.”
It wasn’t a question either.
“No,” I said. “I haven’t.”
“Why?”
I let out a short breath that almost sounded like a laugh. “Because the last time this pack heard the word HUNTER, they wanted Sienna dead within seconds. You really think they’ll react better to finding out my MATE is a human and the bond is changing?”
The word slipped out before I could stop it.
Greta’s eyes sharpened slightly at that. “So you do recognize it.”
I didn’t answer right away because recognizing it and accepting it were two very different things.
“I still don’t know what it is yet,” I said finally.
“That is not true,” Greta replied calmly. “You are simply not ready to say it aloud.”
That hit closer than I liked. I looked away, frowning. “Even if it is what you think it is, what does that mean for her? For Aria?”
Greta stepped closer. “It means the bond is not passive. It is not something that sits quietly between you. It shapes. It influences and in rare cases…”
She paused and I felt my stomach drop.
“In rare cases, it changes both parties.”
A cold wave moved through me. “You’re saying I’m doing this to her?”
“I am saying the bond is doing this,” Greta corrected. “But you are part of that bond.”
I shook my head slightly, trying to process it. “She didn’t ask for this.”
“No,” Greta agreed. “But neither did you.”
That didn’t make it better because now every look Aria gave me, every instinctive reaction seemed just a little more in sync with me felt heavier. Like it was my fault.
“Can it be stopped?” I asked.
Greta studied me carefully before answering. “Do you want it to be?”
The question caught me off guard. Did I?
I thought about Aria in the clearing. The way she had looked at me, like she could see right through me and how she had moved without hesitation during the fight, like something inside her already knew what to do and the way the bond felt.
Alive.
“I don’t know,” I admitted.
Greta nodded, as if that was the only honest answer I could give. “Then you must decide quickly. Because if the hunters are escalating their attacks, this bond will not stay subtle. It will grow stronger under pressure.”
“And if the pack finds out before I figure it out?”
Greta didn’t soften the truth. “Then you will not be the only one in danger.”
I exhaled slowly, trying to steady myself. “I’ll handle it.”
“You must because time is no longer on your side.”
We stood there in silence for a second before a distant howl echoed through the trees but it wasn’t one of ours. Greta turned toward the sound, her expression shifting just slightly.
“They’re not done,” I muttered.
“No,” she said quietly. “They are only beginning.”
I looked back toward the clearing, toward where Aria was. The bond pulsed again stronger and this time, it didn’t feel like a connection. Something was coming and whatever it was, it was coming for her.
AUTHOR’S NOTE:
Ok wait, something is definitely shifting here and not in a cute way. Is Aria changing because of Luca or is she becoming something else entirely? Choose your answers carefully, my lovelies 🌚🌚.