Shadows Of The Pack (Aria and Knox)

Chapter Twenty Six: Between Denial and Desire

She let out a loud moan when his fingers dug deeper into her skin drawing blood.

Knox groaned into her mouth as her hands went to his hair, gripping it tightly and pushing herself

upwards to deepen the kiss.

His hands left her waist. With his claws extracted, he tore off her shirt revealing her breasts.

"Fuck." He cussed before his lips latched to one of her nipples.

She let out a cry when his teeth bit down on it.

Knox's wolf growled in approval when his hands wrapped around her neglected breast. His fingers

picked at her other nipple. Aria let out an even louder cry when he pinched it.

He released her for a moment.

Aria almost came on the spot from the look on his face. His eyes were dilated and he looked like he

was in pain, the hunger evident. They stared at each other for a few seconds, panting.

"Shit." Aria said as she pulled him towards her, connecting her lips with his again. His hand went to her

legs and they wrapped around his waist as he lifted her off the ground.

A soft sigh escaped her lips as he placed her on the bed, his lips still roughly assaulting hers.

"Knox." She moaned out when his hands met her wet flesh.

The scent of her arousal surrounded his wolf making him hazy with lust and need.

One of his fingers her and she arched her back pushing herself up, wanting more.

A sharp gasp flew out when another finger entered her. He moved them in and out if her. Aria's moans

became louder. She moved her hips, trying to get more than what he was giving.

"Knox please."

He stopped immediately. Their eyes clashed for a second before his claws dug into her thighs. He

pulled her towards himself roughly. Spreading her legs wider, her buried his face between them.

Her eyes widened at the first stroke of his tongue against her wet flesh.

Her claws extracted and she sang them into the bed.

The moment he tasted her, he knew. Nothing else in his life would ever taste as good to him again.

He ate her out as she rode his face.

With an ear piercing scream, his name flew out of her lips as she came all over his tongue.

Knox pushed himself away from her staring.

Her eyes were falling close, her lips red and swollen, her beautiful long hair was falling everywhere, the

moonlight seeping through the window casting a glow on it.

Aria blushed as she tried to adjust her top. It was of no use. His claws had shredded the material.

She opened her mouth to say something but without a single word, he turned around and left her room.

A swirl of emotions ran through her. She didn't know how to feel. Her wolf on the other hand had only

emotion, satisfaction. She stretched and purred in her head, urging get to go to their mate.

Her wolf wanted more and as much as it scared her to admit, so did she.

The next morning, the atmosphere during breakfast was unusually somber, with the only sounds filling

the air being the clattering of cutlery against plates. Each wolf seemed lost in their own thoughts, their

expressions distant and introspective. Aria, keeping her head bowed, picked at her food

absentmindedly, her mind weighed down by a whirlwind of emotions. Though the wolves of Nightshade

Pack functioned as a tightly knit family, Knox valued their privacy and had taken measures to ensure

each wolf had their own soundproofed room. After all, wolves were known to be highly sexual

creatures, and Knox wanted to maintain a sense of discretion.

So she wasn't worried that anyone had heard her last night.

Even as Aria picked at her food, she could feel Knox's intense gaze fixed upon her. Last night, after he

had left her room, she had done something she had never done before, not even when she was with

Liam. She had touched herself, crying out Knox's name as her own fingers brought her to another

orgasm. The memory sent a jolt of pleasure through her.

Finally, she raised her eyes, meeting Knox's gaze as he abruptly stood up from his seat. She glanced

down at his plate, noticing that he had barely touched his food. The tension in the room grew palpable

as he called out her name, causing everyone's eyes to turn in her direction. Aria's heart raced,

anticipating what Knox had to say.

"Aria," he said firmly, his voice cutting through the silence. She blinked, snapping out of her thoughts as

she focused her attention on him.

"Yes?" Her voice was soft, filled with curiosity and a hint of trepidation.

"When you are done eating, see me in my study," he commanded, his tone leaving no room for

negotiation. Aria felt the weight of everyone's gaze upon her, adding to the pressure of the situation.

She nodded silently, her voice caught in her throat. Knox's stern glare spoke volumes, conveying his

expectation that she finish her meal before addressing his request. Aria sucked in a deep breath,

feeling a mixture of nervousness and uncertainty as she watched him leave the room.

Minutes later, Aria found herself standing outside Knox's study, her hand poised to knock on the door.

She hesitated for a brief moment, her mind racing with thoughts and emotions. She took another deep

breath and finally tapped her knuckles against the wood. She heard Knox's voice from inside, granting

her permission to enter.

"Alpha," she greeted him respectfully, bowing her head as she stepped into the room.

Knox didn't wait for her to sit down, immediately cutting to the chase. "What happened yesterday can

never happen again," he stated firmly. Aria felt her wolf freeze at his words, confusion and hurt

flickering across her face. Before she could utter a response, Knox continued, not giving her a chance

to say anything. "I should never have done that, and I apologize. But it was a mistake, and it will never

repeat itself again. Do you understand?"

Her gaze met his, searching for any hint of the passion and desire she had witnessed the previous

night. However, the man standing before her seemed different now. Something had changed over the

course of the night, whatever it was, it had made him pull up a wall between them. Straightening her

back, Aria nodded, her expression composed despite the storm of emotions brewing inside her.

"You can go," Knox dismissed her abruptly, not offering any further explanation or room for discussion.

Aria turned around, feeling a mixture of disappointment, frustration, and a growing sense of anger.

As she reached for the door handle, Knox's voice stopped her in her tracks. "I have postponed the trip

to the Moonlight Pack," he informed her.

Aria turned back to face him, her eyes narrowing with curiosity and defiance. "We?" she questioned,

her voice laced with skepticism.

"Yes, we, Aria. You are coming with me," Knox stated firmly, his gaze unwavering.

"Why?" Aria's voice held a mixture of confusion and frustration.

"Because I said so," Knox replied, his tone brooking no argument. His words hung in the air, fueling

Aria's growing anger.

A surge of anger coursed through her, overpowering any inhibitions or reservations she might have

had. She couldn't believe that Knox had the audacity to waltz into her room, ignite a fire within her, and

then dismiss it all as a mistake. The pent-up emotions erupted from deep within her, and she

completely lost control.

"You said so? Really, Knox?" Aria's voice rose with each word, her tone laced with anger and hurt. "You

come into my room and kiss me, then you proceed to give me the best orgasm of my life. You didn't

say a single word to me, and now you call me to your office to tell me it was a mistake. And now you

think you can just order me around like I'm some kind of puppet?"

The room fell into a stunned silence, the weight of Aria's words hanging heavily in the air. Knox's

expression wavered between surprise and guilt, his usually composed demeanor momentarily

shattered by Aria's outburst.

"Aria, I—" Knox began.

But Aria wasn't finished. She cut him off, her words pouring forth with an unyielding force. "Who the

fuck do you think you are? Just because you're a powerful Alpha, you think that gives you the right to

be a dick? That's exactly how you're acting now. You know what? I'm just wasting my time. I'm not

going anywhere with you. If you have a problem with it, take it and stick it up your ass."

With those final words, Aria grabbed the door handle, fueled by a mix of anger and hurt, and pulled at it

with all her might. To her surprise, the entire door came off its hinges, crashing to the ground. A gasp

escaped Lydia's eyes who stood at the other side of the door, her eyes widening in shock.

For a brief moment, Aria stood frozen, a mix of astonishment and embarrassment washing over her.

However, her resolve quickly returned, and with a defiant stomp, she turned away from the shattered

doorway and stormed out of the room, her anger propelling her forward.

Her footsteps echoed loudly in the empty corridor as she made her way back to her room, her mind

racing with a flurry of emotions. Tears welled up in her eyes, a mix of frustration, desire, and confusion

blurring her vision. She couldn't understand the intense pull she felt towards Knox, the conflicting

emotions that had consumed her since the moment she laid eyes on him.

As Aria reached her room, she slammed the door shut behind her, the resounding thud echoing

through the otherwise silent space. She paced back and forth, her emotions roiling within her like a

storm. The memories of their shared passion, the way Knox had ignited a fire within her, clashed with

the coldness and rejection she had experienced in his study.

Her eyes went to the picture she kept on her dressing table. She picked it up, "Why can't anything just

be easy for me Mum?"

She closed her eyes. She took in a deep breath and she did the best thing she could do.

Aria walked over to the closet, the one that had housed the few clothes she brought.

Her clothes hung neatly, their colors blending with the darkness of the closet. They seemed to belong,

to merge with the surroundings, just like she had tried to do.

For a brief moment, as her fingertips grazed the fabric, she felt a fleeting sense of belonging. But deep

down, she knew it was an illusion she couldn't sustain any longer.

The pain she had felt when Liam rejected her paled in comparison to what she experienced now. She

had been trying to ignore it, to deny the truth that her wolf had been whispering to her all along. She

loved Liam but maybe that was what clouded and made her feel the bond, but as soon as Knox uttered

those words, calling their connection a mistake, she felt it deep within her core. The ultimate rejection,

one from her true mate.

Aria's gaze wandered, her eyes fixating on the window overlooking the pack grounds. She walked over

to the small wooden drawer placed by her bed, its contents neatly organized. She retrieved an inkwell

and a stack of parchment. Sitting down on the edge of her bed, she placed the inkwell and parchment

in front of her.

Taking a deep breath, she dipped the quill into the ink, its black liquid glistening under the soft light that

filtered through the window. She began to write, the words flowing from her heart onto the page.

"I would have written different letters but I think that would take an awful amount of ink and I like to

conserve my resources. Yes Shana, that was me making a joke. I never had friends in my former pack,

when I tried, Seraphina would ruin it for me telling them that I was just going to suck all the attention

away from them until no one ever saw them again. It's ironic because I have never liked the attention.

For the first time in my life, I actually felt like I belonged and it hurts me more than anything but I have

to leave. I'm really going to miss you guys, even Sophia, who would have thought right? I'm really sorry

but there is only so much my heart can take. Don't worry about the mark Mel, I will figure it out. I don't

exactly know how but I will.Tell Kira I said I wish I could be there when she shifts for the first time but

we can't all be winners. Also-"

Shana wiped the tears from her eyes as she read the last part of the letter, "Tell Lydia and Ryder thank

you for everything and if you can, please tell Sarah that she is an old bitch that needs to get a life, Love

Aria."

Shana folded the letter as the anger coursed through her. She stomped angrily past Melody and

Sophia.

"Shana, where are you going?" Melody asked but she ignored her as she stormed out of the room, her ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

footsteps heavy with purpose.

Knox, Ryder and Jacob were gathered in a circle when Shana stomped in. Her eyes went to the now

empty door post before they fixed angrily on Knox.

He mirrored her glare, "Shana what do you-"

Shana stopped him before he could finish, "What the fuck did you do to her?"

Knox blinked, "What?"

Shana waved the letter in the hair, "Aria left Knox.. She's gone."