Ashton
The image wouldn't leave him alone.
It followed him into sleep.
It waited for him when he woke.
It haunted every quiet second in between.
Katie.
The way she had looked at Liam.
The way Liam had touched her.
The way she had kissed him back.
Ashton clenched his jaw as he paced his room, boots heavy against the wooden floor. The late-night silence of the pack house should have calmed him. Usually it did. Usually the quiet meant control.
Tonight, there was none.
Because every time he closed his eyes, he saw her again.
Her caramel skin glowing under the moonlight.
Her long, thick curls falling around her face.
The soft parting of her lips before Liam's mouth covered hers.
His chest tightened.
He stopped pacing.
"This is ridiculous," he muttered.
His wolf stirred, but not with desire. Not with instinct.
With irritation.
She is not ours.
Ashton dragged a hand down his face.
"I know."
Then stop.
The voice in his mind was cold and steady. Logical. The opposite of the chaos tearing through him.
Because his wolf was right.
Katie was nothing to them.
Marissa was his mate.
Fate had already decided that.
Strong. Beautiful. Powerful Marissa. The future Luna. The perfect choice.
So why did Ashton feel like he was suffocating?
He turned toward the window, staring out into the dark forest beyond the pack grounds. The same forest where he had seen them. Where Liam had touched her like she was the most precious thing in the world.
His hands curled into fists.
Jealousy burned through him, sharp and ugly.
He hated it.
He hated himself for it.
And worst of all… he didn't understand it.
Because there was no pull. No bond. No instinct. No supernatural force pushing him toward Katie.
It was just him.
Just his stupid, human emotions.
And that made it worse.
The next morning came too quickly.
Ashton barely slept.
He walked into the dining hall with shadows under his eyes and tension in every step. Wolves filled the space, laughing, eating, talking. The normal rhythm of pack life.
His gaze scanned the room automatically.
He found her immediately.
Katie sat at the far end, alone as always.
She was eating slowly, quietly. Guarded. Like she was used to being invisible. Like she expected the world to ignore her.
But Ashton couldn't.
Not anymore.
Something in his chest twisted.
Marissa slid into the seat beside him, her presence sharp and commanding. The room subtly shifted around her, wolves lowering their eyes in respect.
She leaned against him.
"You look awful," she said lightly.
"I didn't sleep."
Her eyes narrowed. "Why?"
He shrugged. "Training tomorrow."
It wasn't a lie. But it wasn't the truth either.
Marissa followed his gaze.
Straight to Katie.
Her lips pressed together.
Suspicion flickered in her expression.
"Ashton," she said slowly, "why are you looking at her?"
He looked away instantly. "I'm not."
Marissa hummed, unconvinced.
Across the room, Katie suddenly stiffened.
As if she felt their attention.
Her eyes lifted.
For one brief second, they met Ashton's.
And everything else disappeared.
The noise. The room. The world.
It was just her.
Warm. Dark. Deep.
Then she looked away.
As if she hadn't seen anything.
As if he didn't matter.
The rejection hit harder than it should have.
Days passed.
And nothing got better.
If anything, Ashton's obsession grew.
He noticed everything.
The way Katie avoided conflict.
The way she moved silently through the halls.
The way she always kept her back to the walls.
The way she never smiled.
But sometimes…
Sometimes he caught glimpses of something else.
Strength.
Fire.
A quiet power that didn't match the word omega.
It drove him insane.
One evening, as the sun dipped low, Ashton saw her leaving the kitchen with a tray of dishes.
Without thinking, he followed.
She walked quickly, heading toward the back corridors of the pack house. The parts most wolves ignored. The parts meant for servants and lower ranks.
She turned a corner.
He caught up.
"Katie."
She froze.
Slowly, she turned around.
Her expression was guarded immediately. "What do you want?"
The bluntness surprised him.
"I just wanted to talk."
"Why?"
He opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
Because he didn't know.
She studied him carefully, eyes sharp.
"You rejected me," she said quietly. "So what is there to talk about?"
Guilt hit him.
"I didn't—"
"You did," she cut in. "You made it clear."
Her words were calm. Controlled. But something deeper moved beneath them.
Pain.
And that made his chest ache.
"I didn't mean to hurt you."
A small, humorless smile appeared. "But you did."
Silence stretched.
The hallway felt too small.
Too warm.
Too close.
Ashton swallowed. "Just… walk with me."
She hesitated.
Then, surprisingly, she agreed.
They moved side by side down the quiet corridor.
At first, neither spoke.
Then, slowly, the tension eased.
He asked about small things.
Training. Work. The pack.
She answered carefully, but as time passed, her voice softened.
She even laughed once.
The sound hit him like a punch.
Warm. Bright. Alive.
He had never heard it before.
And he wanted to hear it again.
And again.
And again.
They reached the end of the corridor.
The small door.
Her closet.
Ashton stopped.
"This is where you sleep?" he asked.
She stiffened.
"Yes."
Anger flared in his chest.
"You deserve better."
Her eyes flashed. "Don't."
"Don't what?"
"Don't pretend to care now."
"I'm not pretending."
"You didn't care before."
"I didn't know."
"You didn't want to know."
The truth of that hit him hard.
Silence fell again.
She turned toward the door.
"I should go."
"Katie, wait."
She paused.
He stepped closer.
Too close.
Her breath caught.
"What are you doing?" she whispered.
He didn't answer.
Because he didn't know.
All he knew was the way her lips looked.
Soft.
Warm.
And suddenly, he wasn't thinking.
He was just moving.
He kissed her.
For one second, she froze.
Then reality slammed back.
She shoved him hard.
"What is wrong with you?!"
Her eyes were blazing.
"You rejected me," she said, voice shaking. "And now you think you can just do this?"
"Katie—"
Before he could finish, her hand came out of nowhere.
The slap echoed down the hallway.
His head snapped to the side.
"I'm not your backup plan," she said.
Pain filled her eyes.
Then she turned and disappeared into the small room, slamming the door.
Ashton stood there, stunned.
His wolf spoke calmly.
Good.
He exhaled slowly.
Because his wolf was right.
This was a mistake.
So why did it feel like something inside him had just broken?
That night, Katie dreamed.
She stood in darkness.
Cold.
Silent.
Ancient.
A voice moved through the shadows.
Low. Smooth. Dangerous.
Little omega…
She turned.
A man stepped forward.
Pale skin. Dark hair. Eyes like midnight and power.
He smiled slowly.
You awaken me.
Her heart raced.
"Who are you?"
Lucian.
The name echoed through her bones.
"I don't know you."
You will.
He stepped closer.
You are not what you think you are.
Fear and curiosity tangled inside her.
"What am I?"
His smile deepened.
Mine.
She woke with a gasp.
Her heart was pounding.
Her skin was burning.
And somewhere, far away…
A vampire opened his eyes for the first time in centuries.
Marissa stood outside the small closet later that night.
Her fingers brushed the door.
Her eyes glowed faintly.
"I know something is wrong," she whispered.
Suspicion curled in her chest.
And for the first time…
She began to see Katie not as weak.
But as a threat.
And deep in the forest…
Caelum stopped walking.
A strange feeling twisted in his chest.
Danger.
He didn't know why.
He didn't know where.
But something powerful had just shifted.
And he intended to find it.
Soon.