The Wolf’s dilemma

Aeron’s POV

I sat up, dragging a hand through my hair. The clock read past seven. Damn.

Tonight was Princess Aliya’s eighteenth birthday. Weeks ago, she had asked me to be her escort. She had always been fond of me, too fond. More than once she had confessed feelings I could never return. She was a princess. She deserved a prince, not a soldier carved from blood and battle.

Still, duty called. I pulled on my uniform, buckled my leather, and reached for the blade I kept hidden. Its edge was dull, worn by years, but it carried the curse of my line—the last gift from my father before they hanged him on the castle walls for treason.

A true Alpha protects his blood, even if it burns the world.

I had been eight when they killed him. Eleazar had brought me to watch. The High Priest wanted loyalty forged in fear, gratitude, obedience. I gave him what he wanted. Loyal soldier. Loyal guard. Loyal dog.

But my blood was never his. It belonged to the old ways—the wolves who ran free before men bowed to false gods.

My boots struck stone as I made my way to the ballroom.

Candles blazed in crystal holders, perfume and laughter thick in the air. At the far end, the King and Queen presided in regal silence.

And there she was—Aliya. A gown of summer sky, eyes brighter still. Her smile belonged to me alone.

I bowed. “My Princess. Forgive my lateness.”

“It’s enough that you’re here,” she said softly.

The celebration began. Music swelled. She asked me to dance. I declined.

And then—I smelled it.

Wolf.

My gaze found her: a woman in silver, hair flowing like moonlight, standing beside Eleazar. Her lips curved in a knowing smile.

“She is Alpha blood,” she whispered.

Eleazar’s eyes cut to mine, cold and thin as steel.

I started forward, instinct driving me, but Aliya’s voice cut through.

“Aeron, could you please come with me?” Her tone was light, almost playful, but the look in her eyes was something else entirely.

I forced myself to bow. “Of course, Princess.”

She tugged at my arm, leading me down the corridor. I glanced back once. Eleazar and the silver-haired woman were still watching. A chill threaded through my spine. Why would a wolf be here, inside the palace? What game is Eleazar playing?

Aliya stopped before her chambers. She pushed the door open and gestured inside. “Come.”

I obeyed, though unease curled in my gut. The moment I stepped in, she shut the door and turned the lock.

“Princess—”

Before I could finish, she pressed me back against the door, her palms hot against my chest. Her lips parted, eyes bright with desire.

“Aeron,” she whispered, “I’m of age now. You don’t have to hold back anymore.” Her fingers traced the line of my throat, sending sparks down my skin.

Shock rooted me in place. “Aliya what are you doing? “

“Take me tonight, Aeron. I’m ready to give you my virginity.”

Her gown slipped from her shoulders, pooling at her arms before sliding lower.

“Stop, Aliya.” My voice was strained, half command, half plea. I caught the fabric and tried to draw it back over her skin. “You don’t need to do this. I’m not worthy of you. Let the prince—”

“I don’t care about the prince,” she cut in fiercely. Her eyes blazed as she pushed my hands away. “I want you.”

The gown fell the rest of the way, silk whispering against her skin until it crumpled at her feet. Only her undergarments remained, thin as breath. Pale skin gleamed in the lantern light, the soft rise and fall of her chest pulling at me with every curve revealed.

I couldn’t look away. My ass urged within me.

“Now you’ve seen me,” she whispered, stepping closer. “You can’t deny it anymore. I know you want me too.”

Her hand pressed against my chest, fingers spreading as though she could feel the wild rhythm of my heart. She rose onto her toes, lips brushing near mine, her breath warm, sweet, and maddening. One fingertip traced the line of my mouth, sending fire racing through me.

“Aliya…” I groaned, torn between shoving her away and pulling her closer. She was too near, her body radiating heat, her nearness burning against every shred of restraint I had left.

The scent of her perfume clung to the air, roses and heat, wrapping around me, coaxing me closer. My hand hovered at her waist, my pulse thundering as though each beat pushed me toward surrender.

For a heartbeat I imagined it—my mouth against the hollow of her throat, tasting the quickening of her pulse, tracing the lines of her body until she trembled not with fear but with need.

I kissed her hard, our mouths colliding in a hungry rhythm. My lips played against hers until I trailed lower, licking slowly along her neck, down to the swell of her breast.

“Can we go… to my chamber?” she whispered with a breathless groan.

“Yeah,” I muttered, my body burning like fire against hers.

I lifted her easily and carried her inside. She leaned against the bed, breath ragged, body trembling with want. I bent her forward, pressing close, but before I lost control, I tore off my upper garments, needing nothing between us.

My lips claimed hers again, then moved lower, tasting her throat, her collarbone, lingering at every shiver of skin. My hand traced the curve of her body, caressing the lines that made my control unravel with every touch.

But then my wolf roared inside me.

The sound wasn’t in my ears but in my skull, splitting me open. Pain tore through my head like claws raking against bone. My vision swam, the room tilting, every heartbeat thundering until I thought I might shatter apart.

I ripped myself away from her, stumbling back, clutching at my temples as if I could cage the beast clawing to be free.

“Aeron? Are you alright?” Aliya’s voice cracked, confusion and fear tangling together.

“I… I need to leave,” I gasped, forcing the words through clenched teeth. My body trembled as I dragged myself toward the door.

“Aeron, wait!” she cried, her voice sharp with disappointment, trembling with something like desperation. “What’s wrong with you?”

I fumbled for my discarded clothes, pulling them on with shaking hands. Her eyes followed every motion—hurt, bewildered, hungry still—but I couldn’t meet her gaze.

By the time she stepped toward me, I had already wrenched the lock free and shoved the door open. My only thought was escape. Escape before the wolf inside me destroyed us both.

The scent had found me again.

Not Aliya’s perfume. Not the cloying roses of the ballroom. Something rawer, sharper, alive. It coiled through my veins like lightning, pulling me forward.

My wolf demanded it.

I staggered into the hall, breathing hard, sniffing the air, following the invisible thread. My head still ached, but the need was stronger than the pain. The scent was salvation, temptation, and destruction all at once. With a certainty that chilled me to the bone, that it was leading me to her.