Chapter 717: ARIA
Aria remained stunned by the lake.
The baby cried again and something deep within her again.
Something primal called out to her.
Her breasts suddenly ached painfully again and warmth spread beneath the front bodice of her dress.
Milk.
Aria’s breathing became uneven.
She pressed a trembling hand against herself as though she could force her body to stop reacting.
The crying continued.
A sharp frustrated sound escaped her throat.
“Stop it…” she muttered to herself. “It’s not your child.”
Maybe this was just her neighbors playing tricks on her.
Making fun of her, taunting her because at the young age of twenty one she had lost her own baby whilst they had a huge family.
The crying only grew louder.
Then suddenly, a branch snapped somewhere deeper in the forest.
Aria’s head jerked up.
At first she saw nothing except shadows moving between trees.
Then a figure stumbled through the darkness.
A man.
He wore dark clothes stained heavily with blood and mud.
His hood partially covered his face as he hurried forward clutching a bundle tightly against his chest.
The baby cried again.
Aria’s stomach twisted violently.
The man looked around frantically before continuing toward the lower path near the lake.
Something felt wrong.
Terribly wrong.
Aria slowly stood from the rock.
Maybe she should leave.
This had nothing to do with her.
She had already suffered enough.
Her husband was dead.
Her child was dead.
Her life was ruined.
She did not need more trouble.
So why couldn’t she move?
The baby suddenly wailed louder.
And Aria physically doubled over.
Pain shot through her chest so suddenly she gasped in horror.
Fear crawled up her spine.
Her body was reacting as though her own baby was nearby.
The stranger adjusted the crying child roughly and hissed,
“Shut up.”
He was so fixated on his race he barely noticed her.
Aria’s eyes narrowed instantly.
Something is wrong.
No one would hold their own child or speak to it in such a cruel way.
The realization slammed into her all at once.
Before she could think better of it, Aria stepped forward.
“Hey!”
The man froze.
Slowly, he turned toward her.
Even in the darkness she could see the irritation on his face.
“Mind your business,” he snapped and his eyes glowed bright yellow.
The baby cried harder.
The sound tore through Aria like claws.
Without realizing it, she took another step forward.
“That baby shouldn’t be out here,” she said carefully. “What are you doing with that child?”
The wolf’s eyes darkened instantly.
“Walk away.”
Fear flickered through Aria.
Real fear.
But then the baby cried again,
small, helpless, desperate.
“No.”
The word surprised even her.
The man frowned. “What?”
Aria swallowed hard though her heart pounded violently.
“I said no.”
The wolf cursed under his breath and tried to continue past her.
The moment he brushed by, the baby let out another broken cry.
Aria reacted instinctively.
She grabbed the man’s arm.
“Give me the baby!”
The wolf snarled viciously and shoved her backward hard enough that she crashed against the rocks near the lake.
Pain exploded through her shoulder.
“Stupid whore!”
The baby screamed in terror.
Aria looked up and saw the baby slipping dangerously in the man’s grip during the struggle.
Pure panic hit her.
She scrambled blindly for the nearest thing her fingers could touch, a rock.
And threw it.
The wolf cursed as it slammed into the side of his head.
He staggered.
Aria launched herself at him before she could think.
She was a weak wolf.
She could shift, but she had less experience changing to her form.
She had better chances remaining in her human form.
She clawed at his face wildly.
Bit down hard on his wrist.
Kicked his leg.
Pulled at the bundle in his arms with frantic strength.
“LET GO OF HIM!”
The wolf roared furiously and backhanded her across the face.
Aria crashed to the ground again.
Her lip split instantly.
Tears filled her eyes from the pain but the baby’s cries only became more frantic.
The wolf grabbed her by the throat and lifted her in the air
“You little bitch fucking bitch.
Aria’s fingers closed around a broken branch beside her.
And she jammed it straight into his shoulder.
The wolf howled.
The baby nearly slipped from his arms completely.
Aria lunged for the baby immediately.
The man grabbed her hair viciously but he barely had the chance to.
Thank the goddess she had short hair.
She used the opportunity to deep her teeth into his hand again hard enough to draw blood.
He finally lost his grip on the child.
Aria caught the baby against her chest seconds before he hit the ground.
The moment she held him, everything topped.
Warmth flooded violently through her body.
So fierce it nearly knocked the breath from her lungs.
Something flashed within her.
Something familiar.
It reminded her of her own baby and yet not him.
She couldn’t explain.
The wolf snarled behind her.
“You fucking stupid bitch.” The wolf snapped.
She looked up and saw that he had now shifted to a wolf times four her size, towering over her.
Aria set the baby’s head against her chest as she trembled.
“I’ve had it with these fucking games.” He replied coldly.
A savage roar suddenly ripped through the forest and that had them both looking to the forest.
The attacker barely had time to turn before another wolf slammed into him from the darkness with terrifying force.
They crashed violently into the trees.
Aria stumbled backward clutching the baby tightly against her chest.
Her entire body shook.
The newcomer tore into the thief mercilessly despite the blood already covering his own body.
Aria realized in horror that he was badly wounded.
Very badly wounded.
The fight ended quickly.
The stranger drove his claws into the other wolf’s throat and the body collapsed heavily into the dirt.
Silence fell.
Aria stared in horror.
The wounded wolf staggered once before dropping to one knee.
Blood poured from his side rapidly.
The baby whimpered softly against Aria’s chest.
The stranger lifted his head weakly toward the sound and then shifted into his human form.
She remembered him.
It was the man from this afternoon!