(Gianna's POV)
The room was too quiet, save for the sounds of Aaron's steady breathing. He was close, but his presence felt like a distant mountain I could never reach.
I turned slowly, setting my eyes on him. He was the Alpha of our pack, the man every wolf respected and feared, the partner I had been tied to for years.
His broad shoulders and powerful figure symbolized everything an Alpha stood for. Dominance. Strength. Leadership. And to everyone else, love and loyalty to his Luna. To me.
Yet, staring at him now, I felt none of that security. His golden eyes met mine briefly before he looked away, as if he couldn't bear to hold the connection too long, as if... there was something heavy between us.
"Gianna," his deep voice finally broke the silence, pulling me from my thoughts.
I should have been completely intoxicated by him, drowning in the mate bond that drew us together with an almost primal need. But instead, my body trembled, and not from the kind of exhilaration I had once felt when he touched me.
"You're distant again." He stepped closer, his presence overwhelming as he towered over me. His fingers brushed against my arm, sending a familiar shiver through me. "Talk to me."
I wanted to. Goddess knows, I wanted to tell him everything. The doubts, the fears, the hurt that had been suffocating me slowly. But the words stayed locked in my throat. How could I tell him when I wasn't even sure where we stood anymore?
"I'm... here," I whispered, my voice barely audible.
His jaw tightened, and his hand moved to cup my chin. He turned my face toward him firmly, golden eyes searching mine as if daring me to say more.
"You're not here." His words punched through what little strength I had left. "No matter how much I try, no matter how much I..." He trailed off, his expression hardening as if he couldn't finish the sentence. As if he didn't want me to know what it was he was feeling.
Instead, his lips crashed against mine, his touch dominating, demanding. My heart screamed at me to pull away, to push him back and demand the truth, but my body reacted instinctively.
His scent surrounded me, the mate bond pushing me to respond, to surrender to him.
I hated it.
When his hand moved around my waist, pulling me closer, I froze. "Aaron..." I murmured, breaking the kiss and meeting his sharp gaze. There was an ache in my chest, a need to beg him to tell me what he truly felt. But before I could, his hands gripped my hips tightly.
"You're mine, Gianna," he growled softly near my ear, his breath hot against my skin. "No matter what happens, you'll always be mine."
His words were possessive, but where once they would have filled me with joy, tonight they only created more confusion.
(Earlier That Day)
The sunlight peeking through the leaves overhead did little to warm the chill crawling down my spine.