Aria’s POV
My wolf pricked its ears at the question. Countless possibilities flashed through my mind.
“May I ask who you are?” I said carefully.
“You don’t know our identities, yet why are you treating us so thoughtfully?” she asked, her tone teasing, almost feline in its playfulness.
“Yes, and that is because you three have an extraordinary presence,” I answered honestly, feeling my wolf nod in approval. “And my friend brought you here.”
The word friend drew the middle aged woman’s attention imdiately. I watched her sharp eyes flick toward Rowland. I could sense a hint of disappointnt in her scent.
“I see...” she murmured. “You treat your friends very well.” Her smile narrowed slightly.
Rowland’s lips twitched, caught in the subtlest flicker of emotion. I sensed it, but I didn’t press. My focus stayed on the harmony of presence around .
Alia broke the montary current of tension. “You said you wanted to accompany Aria to the Darvin family earlier? What does that an?”
Ah...Practical. My wolf appreciated her clarity.
The middle aged woman spoke, warm and soft energy radiating off her like a calm pack mate. “We’re invited as well. Rowland suggested we follow along. Since we’re headed in the sa direction... why not go together? Besides...” She paused, and I could feel her honesty, her pull, the magnetic weight of her curiosity. “I feel drawn to you.”
I had never believed in fate.
Wolves believed in instincts, in bloodlines, in the pull of the moon. And yet, the mont I faced these people, I couldn’t deny the warmth spreading quietly through my chest. It wasn’t attraction or admiration. It was familiarity, like the comfort of standing near one’s own pack without realizing it.
My wolf stirred, her tail flicking lazily.
“Dear,” the elderly woman said gently, “we’re strangers here. If you guide us, it would truly put our minds at ease.”
She even winked at , a playful glint flashing in her sharp eyes, utterly unbefitting of her age. The man, far more restrained, simply tapped his cane once against the floor in agreent.
I hesitated.
From the mont they appeared, they had deliberately avoided revealing their identities. That alone told their backgrounds were anything but simple. Even if I asked directly, I doubted they would give a straight answer.
And I didn’t know who they were.
Bringing unknown wolves, powerful ones, at that, into my carefully laid plans could easily throw everything off balance. My wolf lifted her head, alert now, warning not to be careless.
Rowland noticed the slight crease forming between my brows.
While everyone’s attention stayed on , he moved quietly closer. I didn’t even hear his footsteps, only sensed the shift in the air behind .
“Taking them along might actually help you,” he murmured.
I was startled when his warm breath brushed my ear. Turning my head, I t that infuriatingly handso face with sharp, arrogant features softened by eyes as calm and reassuring as still water.
“Patrick wouldn’t dare touch them,” Rowland continued casually. His hand lifted and gently pressed against my shoulder, a grounding gesture. “Relax. I’ll escort all of you personally. If anything happens, just text , I’ll rush in.”
The low timbre of his voice settled sothing restless inside . My wolf, who had been circling warily, finally lay down.
I could already sense that these people were extraordinary. And Rowland, reckless as he seed, wasn’t soone who made careless arrangents. The fact that he brought them here ant this wasn’t an impulse.
For reasons I couldn’t fully explain, I trusted him.
“Alright,” I said finally. “Co to the company lobby tomorrow.”
The mont I nodded, the three exchanged glances, satisfaction flashing unmistakably between them.
“Kid.”
The elderly woman suddenly stood up.
Before I could react, she grabbed my wrist. Her movents were swift and decisive, far too sharp for an ordinary elderly woman. In one smooth motion, she slipped a bracelet onto my arm, as if it had appeared out of thin air.
The mont it touched my skin, my wolf jolted upright.
The bracelet pulsed faintly with a strange warmth, ancient and powerful.
I instinctively tried to pull my hand back. “What are you doing?”
Despite her gray hair, her grip was ironclad. She smiled, refusing to let go. “This is paynt for letting us co with you.”
Her tone was light, almost flippant.
When the middle aged woman saw the bracelet clearly, her eyebrow twitched, just once, before she carefully smoothed her expression.
“No,” I said firmly. “This is too precious. I can’t accept it.”
I tried to push it back toward her, but she patted her chest and waved off. “What’s the big deal? My family runs a jewelry business. We’ve got tons of these at ho. I don’t have anything else on , just take it.”
The middle aged woman studied more closely now. I couldn’t tell what was going through her mind.
The elderly man watched the woman’s theatrics and pressed a hand to his forehead, sighing quietly. But he didn’t stop her.
The cool weight around my wrist finally registered, a faint chill seeping into my skin like moonlight touching silver.
I lowered my hand and instinctively looked to Rowland. He was the one who had brought these people into my path, strangers who didn’t quite feel like strangers, so if anyone should explain this, it should be him.
Rowland rely shrugged, all lazy confidence, as if to say your call.
The sight made my molars grind together. I lifted my foot and placed the heel of my shoe squarely on his, pressing down slowly, deliberately.
Not hard enough to break bone unfortunately, but enough to make a point.
His smug expression froze instantly. Even the corner of his mouth twitched, just barely, like he was fighting the urge to bare his fangs.
He looked down at my beige high heel shoe.
The faint tension humming through the air wasn’t just embarrassnt or irritation. It was the subtle pull between wolves, the instinctive awareness of closeness.
Rowland’s dazed look told his senses had gone a little haywire. His pupils darkened, his posture slackening as if the pressure at his foot had traveled straight up his spine.
He licked his canine tooth slowly and squinted down at .
“How about this,” he said lightly, though his voice had dipped into sothing rougher. “Leave the bracelet with for safekeeping. I’ll return it when you leave.”
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