RESTLESS NIGHT
By the time Aria finished her work in the kitchen, the celebration outside had finally begun to quiet down.
Most of the pack members had returned to their homes to rest before the busy day ahead. Tomorrow night would be the Moon Ceremony, and everyone wanted to be prepared.
Aria wiped the last table clean and stacked the wooden cups neatly beside the sink.
The fire in the cooking pit had grown smaller, its orange glow casting long shadows across the walls of the kitchen.
She stretched her sore arms.
It had been a long day.
Longer than usual.
And yet… her mind refused to feel calm.
The strange presence from the forest continued to linger in her thoughts.
Those golden eyes.
The heavy pressure in the air.
Even Kael had felt it during training.
Aria let out a slow breath and untied the cloth around her waist.
“Maybe I just need sleep,” she murmured softly.
She stepped outside through the back door of the pack house.
The night had grown quiet.
A few lanterns still flickered around the clearing, but most of the territory was now peaceful.
Above her, the nearly full moon hung high in the sky.
It looked larger tonight.
Brighter.
Almost as if it was watching over the pack.
Aria walked slowly along the narrow path that led toward the small cabin where she stayed.
It wasn’t really a home.
Just a simple wooden structure at the edge of the territory where servants and workers sometimes rested.
But it was quiet.
And for Aria, quiet places were the only places where she felt comfortable.
The soft sound of crickets filled the air as she reached the door.
She pushed it open gently and stepped inside.
The room was small.
A simple bed stood near the wall, along with a wooden chair and a small table beside the window.
Aria lit a candle before sitting down on the edge of the bed.
For a moment, she simply stared at the flickering flame.
Tomorrow night.
The Moon Ceremony.
Her fingers tightened slightly in her lap.
She knew she shouldn’t think about it.
Nothing would change for her.
She would help prepare the food, serve the drinks, clean the area… and watch as everyone else discovered their mates.
That was all.
Yet the small voice inside her heart refused to stay quiet.
What if…
Aria sighed softly and stood up.
She walked toward the small window and pushed it open.
Cool night air drifted into the room.
From where she stood, she could see the dark outline of the forest beyond the pack territory.
The same forest where she had seen those glowing eyes earlier.
Her gaze lingered there for several seconds.
The trees stood tall and silent beneath the moonlight.
Nothing moved.
Still, an uneasy feeling crept through her chest again.
Like someone was watching.
Aria quickly closed the window and stepped away.
“You’re imagining things,” she whispered.
She blew out the candle and lay down on the bed.
The room fell into darkness.
For a while, she simply listened to the quiet sounds of the night.
The wind brushing against the trees.
The distant rustling of leaves.
Her breathing slowly became steady.
But sleep didn’t come easily.
Every time she closed her eyes, the same images appeared.
Golden eyes glowing in the darkness.
A deep voice whispering from the forest.
And the strange tension she had felt earlier when Kael looked at her.
None of it made sense.
Eventually, exhaustion finally pulled her into sleep.
But the night was far from peaceful.
In her dream, Aria found herself standing in the middle of the forest.
The moonlight filtered through the tall trees, painting the ground in pale silver.
She looked around, confused.
“How did I get here…?”
A low growl echoed somewhere nearby.
Aria’s heart began to race.
Slow footsteps approached through the darkness.
Heavy.
Powerful.
She turned toward the sound—
And suddenly a massive black wolf stepped out from between the trees.
Its golden eyes locked onto hers.
The same eyes she had seen earlier.
The wolf was enormous.
Larger than any wolf she had ever seen before.
Its dark fur shimmered under the moonlight as it slowly walked toward her.
Aria couldn’t move.
Fear and something else—something unfamiliar—held her frozen in place.
The wolf stopped only a few steps away.
For a moment, the two of them simply stared at each other.
Then the massive wolf lowered its head slightly… as if studying her.
A deep voice echoed in her mind.
Low.
Dominant.
“You finally appeared.”
Aria’s breath caught.
Before she could react—
She woke up suddenly.
Her eyes flew open as she sat up in bed, breathing quickly.
The room was still dark.
The faint light of dawn had only just begun to touch the sky outside.
Aria pressed a hand against her chest.
Her heart was still racing.
“It was just a dream…” she whispered.
But somehow…
It didn’t feel like one.