Chapter 26

[ 1,034 words ]

New capabilities

26: 26.

New capabilities Aria

I let out a short, shaky laugh.

“Oh, I am freaking out.

But I’m also… I don’t know.

Calm too.

In a weird way.” I hesitate, then admit, “I think… It’s not so scary because you’re all with me.”

Something in his expression shifts.

Softens.

His scent shifts, gaining downy notes of freshness.

Is this what they mean when they say they can smell someone’s mood change?

Mate, she whispers again, smug.

I ignore her.

“Also,” I add quickly, “I think I got most of the fear out during the attempted abduction and, you know, the three days of feeling like I was dying.”

“That’ll do it,” he mutters.

“Yeah.”

“Come on,” he says, holding out his hand.

“Let’s get you fed, and I’ll explain what I can.”

I stare at his hand for a second too long.

When did he get so… tactile?

I place mine in his.

The moment our skin touches, it’s like something snaps into place.

Heat surges through me—fast, electric, curling low in my belly and spreading outward.

My breath catches.

The wolf surges forward.

Mine.

Mate.

I stiffen.

What is happening?

Barric’s eyes flicker—just for a second—his wolf flashing gold beneath the surface.

He knows something.

He has to.

But he says nothing.

Just leads me downstairs.

Theo is already in the kitchen.

The second I look at him, I freeze again because I can see it.

Not just his usual placid expression or the easygoing nature he usually wears around people.

No.

The way he’s looking at me is different.

Too intense.

Too focused.

And it’s not imagined.

I know it’s not.

Not with the way my senses are working right now.

It’s like his presence is getting thicker.

What the heck is going on?

“How are you feeling?” Theo asks, watching me carefully.

“I’m okay,” I say, even though that feels like a gross oversimplification.

Barric ushers me into a chair, his hand lingering on my shoulder a second longer than necessary.

Theo sets a plate in front of me.

Protein-heavy, I should have guessed.

Meat.

Eggs.

Wait… “Can you eat vegetables?”

Theo snort into his coffee cup.

“Yeah. Why?”

I gesture down at the plate.

“You don’t seem to eat much of it.

I just thought maybe it was a thing.”

“Yes and no.

A carnivore diet is what most choose because our bodies need more protein than normal to function, but we can eat anything we like.

It’s not a restrictive thing.”

“And when we’re recovering, the protein helps to speed up the process,” Barric adds.

Hum.

Good to know.

My stomach growls immediately.

I dig in.

The wolf rumbles contentedly.

Satisfied.

Almost… smug.

Weird.

Theo leans against the counter.

“Barric and I will be helping you today. You can ask any questions you have, and we’ll start teaching you about your new capabilities.”

Capabilities.

Right.

“Actually,” I say between bites, “I want to go outside.”

Both of them go still.

“No,” Barric says immediately.

I frown.

“Why not?”

Theo pushes off the counter, expression tightening.

“It’s not safe. The Assembly has the house under watch.”

My fork pauses halfway to my mouth.

“The Assembly?”

“They’re watching for you.

Ronan thinks it’s to get something on you they could use to force us to take you to headquarters if they can prove you to be of interest.

Which now,” he looks at me, pointedly, “You are.

Barric adds.

“Until you learn control, you stay inside.”

I lean back slightly, processing.

“What am I missing here?” I ask again, quieter this time.

It didn’t escape me that the word prove, means they were never really satisfied with their shitty interview.

They’re trying to accuse me of …well, I dont know what, but of something.

My wolf paws and snaps her teeth, irritated and a bit defensive.

Theo and Barric exchange a look.

Then Theo says, “You’re a Sypher, Aria. Something the Assembly would be very interested in and were not sure that’s a good thing.”

The word lands heavily.

“What does that mean?”

“It means,” Barric says carefully, “you have an elemental ability.”

“From what we saw,” Theo adds, “it’s fire.”

Fire.

I blink.

Huh.

That… actually tracks weirdly.

I look down at my hands, turning them over slowly.

Nothing looks different.

But something feels different.

Alive.

Energy buzzes under my skin, restless and building.

“So… what. They aren’t going to like it?” I guess.

“You could say that,” he says.

I think about that for a moment.

“I need to move.”

My skin was itching, like it was too tight.

Barric nods.

“Good. Let’s take you downstairs.”

They led me to a door I hadn’t noticed before.

It opens into a staircase that descends into a massive underground space.

A training room.

Huge.

Reinforced.

Open.

Safe.

Smart.

“Okay,” Theo says, stepping in front of me.

“First lesson—your senses.”

I grimace.

“They’re… a lot.”

“Yeah,” Barric says dryly.

“That’s normal.”

They start walking me through it—how to focus, how to isolate sounds, how to dampen the overwhelming flood of information.

It’s harder than it sounds.

Everything fights for attention.

But slowly—very slowly—I start to separate things.

One sound at a time.

One scent at a time.

The wolf helps.

She nudges.

Guides.

Listen.

Focus.

Mine.

I stumble a little when she says that again, my attention snapping to Barric, then Theo.

They’re watching me.

Closely.

Too closely.

There’s something in their gazes.

Something charged.

Almost disbelieving.

And the way they touch me—

Barric’s hand brushes my elbow when I lose balance.

Theo’s fingers steadying my wrist.

They linger.

Just a second too long.

Like they don’t want to let go.

Heat curls low in my stomach again, sharper this time.

The wolf surges forward eagerly.

Both, she purrs.

I choke on a breath.

“Nope,” I mutter under my breath.

Theo tilts his head.

“What?”

“Nothing,” I say quickly.

But it’s not nothing.

Because the feeling is growing.

Not just attraction.

Need.

A pull.

Toward them.

Both of them.

And the more time passes, the harder it is to ignore.

My skin feels too tight.

My body is too aware.

Their scents—God, their scents—

Barric is warm and grounding, like earth after rain.

Theo is sharper, electric, like ozone before a storm.

Together, it’s intoxicating.

Overwhelming.

I step back, putting a little distance between us.

Bad idea.

The absence hits immediately.

The wolf growls.

Closer.

I swallow hard.

“I think,” I say, my voice a little shaky, “I need a minute.”

Barric’s eyes narrow slightly.

“What’s going on?”

I hesitate.

Because how do I even explain this?

“I—” I stop, exhaling.

“Everything just feels… intense.”

“That’s expected,” Theo says.

“We can give you time and take a moment to slow things down.”

“No,” I shake my head.

“Not just that.”

I glance between them.

God, this is insane.

“My wolf,” I admit slowly, “she keeps… reacting to you.”

Silence.

Heavy.

Charged.

Barric’s jaw tightens.

Theo’s eyes darken.

“Reacting how?” Barric asks, voice lower now.

I hesitate.

Then, because there’s no graceful way to say it: “She keeps calling you… hers.”

Another beat of silence.

Then—

Barric’s eyes flash.

Theo exhales slowly, like he’s been holding his breath for a long time.

And suddenly, the tension I’ve been feeling makes a terrifying kind of sense.

Oh.

Oh no.

My wolf rises, pleased.

Mate, she says with such satisfaction and longing that it almost makes me rear back.

Because this time—

She doesn’t mean just one of them.

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