The Snow Wolf's Mate

Above the Heart:

[POV: Hayden]

When Aria stepped forward and quietly said, “My chest. Here. Above my heart,” something in me snapped.

It was quiet—internal—but sharp. Like a spark catching dry tinder.

Her voice had been steady, confident, but it was her eyes that got me. Vulnerable and bold all at once. She tilted her chin slightly, baring the space just above her heart.

Offering it to me without hesitation.

And all I could think about was how close I would be to her. How my hand would press against bare skin. How the steady thrum of her heartbeat would echo beneath my palm.

I clenched my jaw. Control yourself.

The celebration wasn’t the time—or the place—for this kind of hunger. Especially not toward her.

She was newly shifted. Newly marked. And mine in no way that mattered. But the craving pulsing inside me didn’t give a damn about rules or timing.

My wolf stirred, impatient and alert, pushing closer to the surface. Sirius had already made his opinion clear—he wanted her. Had claimed her in his own way. But I couldn’t let him take over now.

I breathed in slowly and lifted my hand. Her breath hitched the moment my palm touched her skin.

So did mine.

Her skin was warm—too warm—and so soft, it made my fingers twitch. I forced my hand to stay steady, though I felt the subtle tremble crawling along my bones.

No one around us noticed. But I did. I always noticed when it came to her.

Focusing hard, I called on the Alpha power that lived deep in my blood. The mark responded instantly, pulsing beneath my hand like something alive. Energy surged through my palm and into her chest, and I watched, transfixed, as the dark lines of the Trinity of Claws appeared.

Three vertical slashes, rising clean and sharp from her skin—bold and unyielding. They glowed faintly before settling, as if they’d always been there.

Endurance. Wisdom. Strength.

Our core values. And she had all three.

Aria stared down at the mark, eyes wide, lips parted, as if she couldn’t believe it was real. A slow smile began to spread across her face—soft, luminous—and then I saw it: a single tear trailing down her cheek.

My fingers twitched again with the overwhelming urge to brush it away.

I didn’t. Couldn’t.

But Goddess, I wanted to.

Our eyes met—hers shining with hope, with gratitude. And just like that, my heart—my heart, which had been silent and still for years—slammed against my ribs.

I froze.

She looked at me like I was something more than just her Alpha. And I looked back like I had no right to.

What the hell was happening to me?

I forced myself to look away, straightening sharply.

"Congratulations," I said, my tone clipped and serious again. "All of you. You’ve completed the tournament with honor. You're now part of this pack. Be proud of what you’ve earned."

They bowed their heads with respect, and the moment passed. But I felt it long after.

By sundown, the celebration was in full swing.

The courtyard had been transformed—strings of lanterns casting a golden glow across the open space, long tables covered with food and drink, and the air humming with laughter, music, and the buzz of victory.

I stood near the head of the space with the visiting Alphas and Betas from the allied packs—Stormhowl and Moonveil.

They raised their glasses to me, congratulating the success of the trials, offering their praise for the strength of the young wolves. I nodded, offered polite responses, kept my mask in place.

But my eyes kept drifting. Always to her.

Aria stood near the fire, surrounded by Noelle, Emmett, and Russell. She was laughing—truly laughing—and it did something to me.

She moved differently now. Freer. Like the heavy shadows that had clung to her since the day she arrived had finally been burned away.

The mark on her chest peeked just barely through the neckline of her dress, bold and dark against her pale skin.

Every time she glanced my way—and she did, more than once—I felt the pull. Stronger than before. Not just physical, though that was certainly there.

“Claim her,” Sirius growled in my mind, restless and bold. “She’s ours.”

I growled quietly under my breath, silencing him.

Not now. Not yet.

But then I saw it. One of the visiting wolves—a tall, smug bastard from Moonveil—was laughing a little too closely beside her. Aria smiled politely, but the man leaned in, eyes clearly lingering on more than just her mark.

Jealousy flared hot and fast in my chest, irrational and impossible to ignore.

I stiffened.

No. That wasn’t mine to feel. I had no claim over her.

She was a member of my pack now. Nothing more. The mark on her chest was a symbol of belonging—not possession.

Still, my fists clenched at my sides.

I wanted to go over there. Wanted to drag that wolf away from her. Wanted to remind everyone in this damn courtyard exactly who she was standing beside during her first run. Exactly whose power had touched her skin earlier that day.

But I didn’t.