Chapter 175

Darren

Aria’s scream tore through the air, and time slowed to an excruciating crawl. I saw the chief’s finger squeeze the trigger, saw the flash as the gun fired, saw the bullet begin its deadly journey toward us.

Toward Aria.

In that moment between life and death, my mind flew backward, tumbling through time to a memory I’d kept close to my heart for years. A memory of the first time I’d protected her—and the day I’d first known, somewhere deep in my soul, that I would do anything for this girl.

The sun streamed through the broken slats of the barn roof, casting golden shafts across the dirt floor. I’d been living here for three months, trapped in my pup form after surviving the rogue attack that had nearly killed me. The wound in my side had finally healed, but the trauma had locked my shift. I couldn’t return to human form no matter how hard I tried..

But I had Aria.

She’d found me half-dead by the roadside, my fur matted with blood, whimpering and afraid. Just as I thought I might die, this small human girl had scooped me up and taken me to safety.

To her, I was just a stray puppy she’d rescued. But to me, she was everything—my savior, the light that broke through the darkness, the guardian angel who brought me food and cleaned my wounds and talked to me like I could understand every word.

Which I could.

I didn’t know then what I would learn years later, after fate had torn us apart and then brought us back together—that the instant connection between us, the pull I felt toward her even as a child, was because she was my fated mate. My other half. The only soul that could ever truly complete mine.

That early summer day was particularly sweltering. The drone of cicadas filled the hot, stagnant air. I laid in the small wooden house Aria had built for me, its roof a bit crooked, its walls painted with childish stars and moons. She’d been so proud of it.

I lifted my head at the familiar sound of footsteps approaching. My tail thumped against the floor involuntarily. Aria was back, and the lonely hours of waiting were over.

She appeared in the doorway, her silhouette backlit by the afternoon sun, haloing her brown hair with gold. My heart leapt as it always did at the sight of her. She was smiling, her face lighting up when she saw me.

“Hey, puppy,” she called softly, kneeling beside me. The nickname always made me want to roll my eyes, but I could hardly correct her. “Sorry I’m late. Ms. Jenkins kept us in because Tommy wouldn’t stop talking. But today was my last day before summer, so we can play every day now.”

She scratched behind my ears, finding that perfect spot. I nuzzled into her hand, breathing in her scent, and lapped my tongue against her palm in greeting.

But then my ears perked up, catching the sound of other footsteps approaching. Multiple sets. My body tensed as I turned toward the barn entrance.

Aria noticed my change in demeanor. “What’s wrong?”

Before she could turn around, four figures appeared at the barn door. I recognized Aria’s sister immediately—Sarah, a little younger and infinitely more cruel, with three of her friends trailing behind her. My hackles raised instinctively.

Sarah’s face twisted into a smirk as she spotted Aria. “There you are. You know Mom and Dad said you’re not allowed to have any pets.”

Aria rose to her feet, her body shifting subtly to stand between me and them. “He’s not a pet,” she said. “He’s my friend, and besides, he’s not in the house so it’s okay.”

The group of girls laughed.

“Your friend?” one of them sneered. “It’s a mangy mutt. Look at it—it’s probably diseased.”

“What a loser,” another added. “No real friends so you have to make one up.”

Sarah stepped forward, and I growled low in my throat. She ignored me, focusing on her sister. “Mom’s going to be so mad when I tell her.”

“Don’t,” Aria pleaded. “Please, Sarah.”

Sarah’s eyes glinted with malice. “Maybe I won’t tell… if you do my chores for a week.”

“I already do most of them anyway,” Aria mumbled.

Sarah’s face darkened. “What did you say?”

“Nothing.” Aria stepped backward.

One of Sarah’s friends moved forward suddenly, aiming a kick at me. I darted away, but Aria moved faster, putting her body in front of mine.

“Leave him alone!” she cried out.

Something shifted in the atmosphere then, the girls’ expressions changing from casual cruelty to downright rage. They began to circle Aria.

“Trying to be brave?” Sarah taunted. “Trying to protect your little dog? Maybe you need to learn a lesson.”

The first shove came from behind, sending Aria stumbling forward. Then another from the side. And another. They were pushing her between them like some cruel game, laughing as she tried to keep her balance.

“Stop it!” Aria cried.

But they didn’t stop. A hard push sent Aria to her knees in the center of their circle, the skin of her bare legs beneath her school uniform skirt scraping against the hard ground. The smell of blood instantly reached my heightened senses. She raised her arms to shield herself as they began slapping at her, pulling her hair, landing small punches on her shoulders and back.

I stood frozen, my pup form trembling with rage and fear. I wanted to help, but I was small—what could I do against four human girls?

Then Sarah grabbed Aria by her school uniform collar, yanking her up. “Maybe you should sleep in the doghouse since you worked so hard on it!” She pulled her fist back, preparing to punch her own sister in the face.

Something snapped inside of me then.

My fear instantly dissolved into fury. The months of frustration at being trapped in this form, at being helpless, at watching Aria cry over the subtle cruelties of her family day after day—it all converged in that moment.

My eyes burned, and I knew they were glowing with an otherworldly light, something that no human should ever see, but I didn’t care. With a snarl that should have been impossible for a normal puppy, I launched myself at Sarah. My teeth found her arm and I bit down.

Sarah screamed, falling backward onto her backside. I stood over her, growling, fur bristling, making myself look as fierce as a puppy could.

“It bit me!” she wailed. “It bit me!”

Her friends backed away, suddenly uncertain without their leader’s bravado.

I turned to Aria, who was still on her knees, watching with wide eyes. I nuzzled against her, licking away a tear that had fallen down her cheek. She wrapped her arms around me, burying her face in my fur.

“Thank you,” she whispered, so quietly only I could hear.

In that moment, I made a promise to myself. I would protect this girl until my dying breath. No matter what form I took, no matter where life took us, I would always be there to stand between her and harm.

I didn’t know then that my father’s people would find me just days later, tracking my scent to this very barn. Didn’t know they would whisk me away in the middle of the night, leaving no trace. Didn’t know I would be taken back to the pack lands, unable to say goodbye, unable to explain.

Didn’t know it would be ten long years before I saw her again.

The memory flashed through my mind in that fraction of a second as the bullet continued its path.

Aria. My Aria. Who had saved me when I was broken and alone. Who had tended my wounds and shared her lunch with me and told me her secrets. Who had grown into a woman of breathtaking courage and compassion. Who had found me again against impossible odds.

Who was now trying to sacrifice herself for me.

All this time, I’d been trying to repay what she’d done for me. But nothing ever felt like enough. Not even that day in the barn when I’d finally found the courage to protect her from her sister had felt like enough to balance the scales between us.

And now, here she was again, putting herself between me and danger. Always saving me.

But not this time.

Before the bullet could reach her, I shoved forward, pushing her roughly out of the way. I felt the impact as the metal tore through my chest. I staggered, my legs giving way beneath me.

I heard Aria’s scream. Her arms caught me as I fell, cradling me against her body as we sank to the ground together.

“No!” she sobbed, pressing her hand against my wound. “No, no, no!”

I could feel the warmth of my blood seeping between her fingers. The pain was already beginning to dull, which I knew wasn’t a good sign. Darkness edged my vision.

I reached up, my hand shaking as I touched her face, smearing red across her cheek.

“I love you,” I whispered. “I always have.”

Her tears fell on my face as the world began to blur. The last thing I saw before everything went black was her green eyes shining down at me, the sun turning her brown hair into a halo.

My guardian angel.