Chapter 7: The Proposal

Aria’s POV

A stunned silence fell over the clearing, the air thick with hostility and confusion. Killian stood tall and unyielding, his dark eyes locked onto mine. His pack lingered in the shadows of the forest, their presence a silent threat.

Logan stepped forward, his body taut with rage. “You’ve got some nerve showing your face here, Killian. You won’t leave alive.”

Killian barely spared him a glance. “I didn’t come to fight.”

“Then why are you here?” Logan snarled, his wolf barely contained.

Killian’s gaze never wavered. “I’m here for her.”

The words sent a shockwave through the crowd, and every eye turned to me. My stomach twisted in knots as Logan’s glare bore into me, demanding an explanation I couldn’t give.

“What are you talking about?” Logan growled, stepping between us. “Aria has nothing to do with you.”

“She has everything to do with me,” Killian replied calmly, though his voice carried an undeniable edge. “You want peace? Then you’ll give her to me.”

The pack erupted in chaos. Accusations, threats, and curses flew through the air, but I couldn’t focus on any of it. All I could see was Killian’s face—cold, determined, and utterly unyielding.

Logan turned to me, his expression a mix of fury and betrayal. “What is this, Aria? Did you make some kind of deal with him?”

“No!” I said, my voice cracking. “I don’t know what he’s talking about!”

Killian raised a hand, and the commotion instantly ceased. The authority in his presence was terrifying. “I’ll make it simple. Aria comes with me, and I’ll call off my wolves. No bloodshed. No war.”

“You’re insane if you think we’d agree to that,” Logan spat.

Killian’s eyes darkened, his wolf rising to the surface. “Then you’re insane if you think you can win.”

A low growl rumbled through the crowd, the pack on the verge of shifting. My heart pounded as I took a step forward, my voice trembling.

“Stop!” I shouted, silencing the tension.

Killian’s gaze softened ever so slightly as he looked at me, but it only made my pulse race faster.

“Why me?” I demanded, my voice firmer this time. “What do you want from me, Killian?”

He hesitated, his lips pressing into a thin line. “Because you’re mine, Aria. Whether you accept it or not.”

My breath caught in my throat. The words hung in the air, heavy with meaning. The pack erupted once more, and Logan looked ready to tear Killian apart.

“Enough!” Logan roared, his voice shaking the trees. He turned to Killian, his jaw clenched. “You’re not taking her.”

Killian smirked, a dangerous glint in his eyes. “Then prepare for war.”

---

Killian’s POV

The fury in Logan’s eyes was almost amusing. Almost.

I could feel Aria’s confusion and fear from where I stood, but it wasn’t enough to deter me. The bond between us was stronger than her denial, and I wasn’t going to let her slip through my fingers again.

“Killian!” Marcus’s voice echoed through the mind-link, sharp and urgent. “What are you doing? This wasn’t part of the plan.”

“Plans change,” I replied coldly. “We need her.”

Marcus didn’t respond, but I felt his disapproval simmering through the link. I didn’t care. This was bigger than him, bigger than the pack.

“She deserves to know the truth,” I said aloud, my voice cutting through the uproar.

Logan scoffed. “The truth? Coming from the man who’s destroyed countless lives? Spare us.”

I ignored him, my focus solely on Aria. “Your family wasn’t killed by me, Aria. It was your own pack.”

Gasps rippled through the crowd, and Aria’s eyes widened in shock.

“What?” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

“They lied to you,” I continued, taking a step closer. “Everything you’ve been told about me, about my pack—it’s all been a lie to cover their betrayal.”

“Don’t listen to him, Aria!” Logan shouted, his voice shaking with fury.

But I could see the doubt creeping into her expression. The cracks in their lies were starting to show.

“Ask them,” I said, my voice low and dangerous. “Ask your beloved Alpha why the night of the attack doesn’t add up. Why your family’s killers were never found. And why I’ve spared you every chance I’ve had to destroy you.”

“Aria, don’t—” Logan began, but she turned to him, her eyes blazing.

“Is it true?” she demanded. “Did you lie to me?”

Logan hesitated, and in that moment, I knew I had won.

---

Aria’s POV

I felt like the ground had been ripped out from beneath me. Killian’s words echoed in my mind, each one piercing deeper than the last.

Could it be true? Could everything I believed, everything I’d fought for, have been a lie?

“Aria,” Logan said softly, his expression pained. “Don’t let him get into your head. He’s manipulating you.”

I shook my head, tears stinging my eyes. “Then prove it. Prove he’s lying.”

Logan opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

The silence was answer enough.

Killian extended a hand toward me, his expression softening. “Come with me, Aria. I’ll show you the truth.”

My heart raced, torn between the life I’d always known and the promise of answers I desperately needed.

Before I could make a decision, a piercing howl shattered the tense silence, followed by the sound of snapping branches and rustling leaves.

Everyone turned toward the forest as shadows emerged—rogues, their eyes glowing with malice.

Chaos erupted as the pack scrambled to defend itself. Logan shouted orders, but the wolves were already charging.

Killian grabbed my arm, pulling me close. “Stay with me.”

I should’ve resisted. I should’ve pulled away. But something in his eyes, something raw and unyielding, made me stay.

And as the battle raged around us, I realized my life would never be the same.

---

As the last rogue fell, Killian turned to me, blood staining his hands. “You’ll come with me now,” he said, his voice a command.

I looked around at the devastation, at the pack members who had risked their lives for me.

And I knew my choice would change everything.