Chapter 17

[ 1,446 words ]

Shopping trip

17: 17.

Shopping trip Aria

A wolf broke into the house.

Not a human.

Not some drugged-up traveler looking to score a few bucks before moving on from our little town.

A shifter.

And then my mother died trying to hide…what?

Those two facts circle each other endlessly in my head like predators stalking the same piece of ground.

They refuse to settle.

They refuse to make sense.

Why was the wolf there?

What was my mother trying to burn?

Why did the police decide it was a burglary?

The questions pile on top of each other until it feels like my brain might collapse under the weight of them.

I sit in Ronan’s office trying not to look like my entire world has been tipped sideways.

The room is large and dark, filled with heavy wooden furniture and tall shelves packed with books.

The windows behind Ronan’s desk overlook the forest stretching beyond the compound.

It should feel peaceful.

It doesn’t.

Nothing about wolves and a secret supernatural world existing beside our own feels peaceful.

Liam sits beside me in one of the leather chairs, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees while he recounts everything he discovered at the house.

His voice is tight, controlled.

But I know my brother.

He’s barely holding it together.

“After the fire place, we found a few things in the study,” Liam says, sliding a folded paper across Ronan’s desk.

“Names. Accounts. Some records that look like investments.”

Ronan picks up the paper.

His dark eyes scan the list.

The room falls silent.

His expression doesn’t change, but something in his posture shifts.

A subtle tension settles across his shoulders.

He goes very still.

Like a predator catching a scent.

My stomach tightens.

“Do these mean something to you?” Liam asks.

Ronan doesn’t answer immediately.

His gaze stays on the paper for several seconds longer than necessary.

Then he sets it down carefully.

“I’ll have Marcus start looking into this.”

That’s it.

No explanation.

No reaction.

Just a calm statement like we didn’t just drop a pile of strange financial records on his desk.

My eyes narrow slightly.

Something about that response feels… off.

Liam notices it too.

“You think it’s connected?” he presses.

Ronan folds his hands together on the desk.

“It might be. I want to be sure before we make any moves.”

That’s not an answer.

That’s a politician’s dodge.

My suspicion grows stronger.

There’s something they aren’t telling me.

Maybe they think they’re protecting me.

Maybe they think I’m fragile.

Which is funny considering I’ve been chased by wolves in a forest, almost kidnapped, and watched them turn into wolves in a hidden prison cell underneath the house within the last seventy-two hours.

I’m pretty sure my tolerance for weird is higher than they think.

Liam exhales slowly and pushes himself to his feet.

“Well,” he says.

“That’s all we found.”

I stand with him.

“Guess we’ll—”

“Aria.”

Ronan’s voice stops me before I reach the door.

I turn.

His eyes are on me.

“Stay a moment.”

Liam pauses beside me.

Ronan shifts his gaze to him.

“I’m going to have a word with Aria alone.”

Liam hesitates.

I can see the protective instinct battling with his trust in Ronan.

Finally Ronan adds, “Why don’t you go get Barric. Meet back here so we can work on perimeter checks.”

That seems to settle it.

Liam nods once.

“Alright.”

He gives me a quick look—half reassurance, half apology—then opens the door and steps out.

The door closes behind him with a quiet click.

Silence settles across the office.

I stand there awkwardly for a second.

Ronan remains seated behind his desk, watching me with that intense focus he always seems to have.

I decide to break the tension.

“So—”

“Did you get everything you needed on your shopping trip?”

The question hits me like a curveball.

I blink.

“…what?”

His expression stays calm.

“Your shopping trip.”

Oh.

Right.

Yesterday, Kade took me into town so I could buy clothes and a few essentials since apparently I’m living in a secret wolf compound now.

“Yes,” I answer slowly.

“I did.”

I’m not entirely sure why that matters right now.

I settle back into the chair, getting the sense that this isn’t all he has to say.

“And you still want to stay with Barric?” he asks.

The question throws me again.

“Yes?” Then I quickly add, “Not if she doesn’t want me to. I don’t want to intrude on anyone’s space.”

Ronan studies me.

Really studies me.

Those dark eyes search my face like he’s looking for something hidden beneath my skin.

It makes me self-conscious.

“I’m sure Barric will be fine with that,” he says finally.

The silence stretches again.

I cross my arms.

“Listen,” I say carefully.

“I get that you’re the…” I pause, searching for the right word.

“Alpha,” he supplies with that same irritating confidence that colors his voice.

“Right, Alpha.” I tilt my head at him.” But does that mean we’re going to be playing telephone through you?”

His brow furrows slightly.

“I’m pretty sure the others still have mouths,” I add obnoxiously.

His mouth twitches.

I can’t tell if he’s suppressing a smile or a sigh.

“Being Alpha doesn’t mean I control them,” he settles on.

“But it does give me authority over my pack.”

He leans back in his chair slightly, and his chest seems to expand with the angle.

That dark T-shirt has to work alot harder to hide the impressive physique beneath.

I force my attention back to his face.

“I’m responsible for their safety.

For making sure everyone is taken care of.”His voice softens a little.“We’re kind of like a family.”He pauses.“But with a hierarchy.”

I tilt my head.“Based on what?”

“Strength,” he answers simply.

“Nature.”

I stare at him.

“…okay. You’re going to have to slow that down because I am not following.”

A faint chuckle escapes him.

“It’s not easy to explain when you can’t feel the instincts our wolves give us, but I will try,” he admits.

Something about him has changed.

This is the calmest I’ve ever seen Ronan.

There’s no sharp edge to his voice.

No sarcasm.

No irritation.

He looks… comfortable.

Like this is the version of himself he normally hides from the world.

And it makes me rethink every interaction we’ve had before.

Was he a jerk because that’s who he is?

Or because he was trying to function in a world that wasn’t built for him?

“All wolves fall into two natural designations,” he continues.

“Dominant or submissive.”

My eyebrows shoot up.

“Okay, that sounds… vaguely kinky.”

His lips twitch again.

“Not like that.”

“Sure,” I mutter.

He ignores me.

“Those designations are then divided into three classifications.”He holds up one finger.“Grims. These wolves are always dominant. They’re the warrior class. Physical fighters. Strength and combat are their specialties.” His gaze sharpens slightly.

This is the class all Alphas fall under.”

So he is a Grimm… makes sense.

He holds up a second finger.

“Faints. Both dominants and submissives can be Faints. These wolves are shadow walkers, spies, and in certain cases, assassins.”

My stomach flips.

“Faints can also possess rare cognitive abilities that give them an edge in mental warfare.”

I sit up straighter.

“Like Jasper. What he tried to do inside my head.”

Ronan nods once.

“Exactly.”

I shudder slightly at the memory.

He raises a third finger.

“The final classification is Sypher.”His voice shifts slightly when he says the word.

The ease of his tone begins to freeze, sharpens like running water caught in the banks of winter.“Syphers were rare elemental wolves tied to ancient magic.”

“Magic?” I echo.

“Yes. They could transmute and manipulate the world around them.”

My brain struggles to keep up.

“Most were submissives, with a few dominants here and there,” he continues.

Then I catch something.

“Wait.

Why did you say that?

A heavy silence fills the room.

Ronan’s gaze darkens.

“Because Syphers no longer exist. The hunters drove them to extinction.”

The weight of his words settles over me slowly.

Hunters.

People who kill wolves.

People who would kill Liam.

Who would kill Marcus.

Who would kill Eliza.

My mind flashes to Marcus’s bright smile.

To Eliza’s gentle voice.

To the children running through the compound earlier today.

Laughing.

Playing.

The idea of someone hunting them down makes my stomach twist violently.

Pain suddenly spikes through my temple.

Sharp and blinding.

I gasp and grab my head.

“Aria?”

The next thing I know, Ronan is beside me.

I didn’t even see him move.

His hands hover near my shoulders.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I mumble, squeezing my eyes shut.

“Just a migraine.”

He frowns.

“You get those often?”

“Recently,” I admit.

The pain throbs behind my eyes.

Then his hands gently cradle my face.

His thumbs press lightly against my temples.

Warm.

Firm.

He begins rubbing slow circles.

The pressure is perfect.

Relief spreads through my head almost immediately.

My eyes slowly open.

And suddenly I realize how close he is.

From this angle, I can see every sharp line of his face.

The dark stubble along his jaw.

The intensity in his eyes.

He’s… unfairly handsome.

Our gazes lock.

Then his eyes change.

The dark brown fades into molten gold.

My breath catches.

I don’t know how I know it, but I’m sure his wolf is looking at me.

The air between us shifts.

Something warm and electric builds in the space between our bodies.

His nostrils flare slightly.

My heart begins beating faster.

And for a moment, the world narrows to just the two of us standing there.

Then—

The office door swings open.

The moment shatters instantly.

Kade steps inside.

“Sorry to inter—”

He stops when he sees us.

I expect Ronan to jump back.

To create distance.

But he doesn’t.

Instead, he slowly lowers his hands and straightens, his gaze staying locked on mine for one heartbeat longer.

Then he turns to Kade.

“What is it?”

Kade’s expression turns serious.

“The Assembly envoy has arrived.”

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