chapter five- vow renewal

Kieran’s POV

I froze.. No, I was stunned. Dumb founded. Aria had stepped into the room, and my entire plan to be angry, to assert authority, to make her feel even a fraction of the awkward tension I had been harboring… evaporated the moment I saw her.

She was wearing the dress, Selene’s dress. The one Selene had always hated. The one she had refused to touch no matter how much I begged, pleaded, or even threatened with that smoldering alpha glare I thought I mastered. And now… here she was bold, unapologetic and radiant.

Aria? My substitute Luna?

And she owned every bit of it.

It shouldn’t have been beautiful on her. It shouldn’t have worked. Mixed colors, frilly patterns, something Selene would have worn with effortless elegance. Aria had always been the opposite…simple, understated, cautious. Yet somehow, she had taken the impossible and made it… undeniable.

I opened my mouth with the aim to scold her. To remind her of rules, expectations, propriety. But every word caught in my throat the moment I saw my parents’ expressions. My mother’s eyes sparkled with genuine delight, my father’s brows lifted in surprise. They weren’t critiquing, they weren’t judging…they were enchanted.

Irony is a cruel joke, I thought bitterly. Aria, of all people, wearing the one dress Selene hated, and somehow making it perfect. My parents adored her in it., and I was supposed to be angry. Supposed to feel some sense of dominance, control, authority.

Instead, my chest tightened, a strange warmth settling low in my stomach. My hands curled into fists at my sides. I wanted to look away, to scold her, to reclaim some shred of control. But I couldn’t. My eyes followed every small movement…how she straightened her back, the way her hair caught the light, the confident tilt of her chin.

How is this happening? I thought, heart thudding. The girl I’ve been trying to dominate, manipulate, and… annoy? She’s doing exactly what I never expected. She’s walking into my house, into my family, and… she’s winning.

“Let’s eat,” my mother said suddenly, breaking the silence, her voice warm. “The food’s getting cold.”

I was about to sigh in relief…thankfully, back to order, back to business, when my father’s deep voice stopped us all.

“Hold up,” he said, calm, deliberate, and somehow heavier than usual. Every head in the room froze, including mine.

Aria glanced between us, poised and unbothered, but I could see the flicker of tension in her eyes…tiny, fleeting, like she knew something had shifted.

“Kieran.” My father’s voice cut through the room, calm but heavy. The kind of calm that meant there was no escaping what came next.

“Why haven’t you marked Selene yet?” The words landed hard. Too hard.

Every sound in the room died. Chairs stopped scraping. Cutlery froze midair. Slowly…painfully, every head turned toward me.

I felt it instantly. The weight. The scrutiny.

“That’s true,” my mother added, eyes narrowing slightly as she studied Aria. “I don’t see any mark. And you two are already married.”

Her gaze sharpened. “Or do you want another wolf to take her away from you?

Before I could respond, my mother was already moving. Too fast. Her hands reached for Aria, gently but insistently turning her neck to the left, then the right, scanning for something that wasn’t there.

Something that definitely didn’t and will never exist.

My instincts snapped. I grabbed my mother’s wrist and pulled her hand away, then stepped closer to Aria, drawing her firmly to my side. Protective. Possessive and Unapologetic.

“That’s not going to happen,” I said, my voice low but solid. “Selene is mine and no soul on this earth is taking her away from me.”

The words echoed through the room…stronger than I intended, truer than I was ready to admit.

I inhaled slowly. “I haven’t marked her because I was waiting for the right time.”

Silence followed.

Aria looked up at me then, her eyes wide, searching my face like she was trying to read a language she didn’t understand. There was shock there. And something sharper…almost accusation.

“The right time?” my father repeated, stepping forward. “She’s your wife. Don’t tell me you haven’t even consummated this marriage.”

The room went deathly still.I opened my mouth—but before I could speak, Aria moved.

She stepped forward, calm, graceful, and reached for my mother’s hands, holding them gently. The shift was so unexpected it stunned everyone…including me.

“Dad, mom” she said softly, but with surprising firmness, “as my husband has said, we were simply waiting for the right time.”

She smiled—small, polite, controlled. “We’re not rushing. We’re young. We still have time to figure things out… properly.”

Her voice never wavered.

I stared at her.

Quiet Aria. Reserved Aria. The girl everyone underestimated—standing her ground in a room full of elders, using nothing but composure and words.

My mother blinked, visibly disarmed. My father studied her for a long moment, unreadable.

And me? I felt something shift deep in my chest.

Who would have thought that Aria…soft-spoken, observant Aria…would be the one to steady the room when it threatened to turn on us?

I tightened my arm slightly around her waist, just got the show. Yes she looks azing in the dress but she is still a lowky omega, a substitute.. giving me more time to search for my true Luna.

“Time?” my mother echoed, disbelief sharpening her tone. “There isn’t much time, Kieran. I want to carry your pups while I still can.”

The words landed like a strike.

The room stiffened again, the air thick with expectation. I felt Aria’s breath hitch beside me, subtle but unmistakable. Every instinct in me flared.

“And you will,” I said firmly, before anyone else could speak. My voice was calm, controlled, final. “But for now, can we concentrate on breakfast?”

I glanced around the table, letting my gaze linger just long enough to remind everyone who stood at its head. “I still have preparations to oversee for tomorrow.”

That seemed to do it.

My father nodded once, accepting the shift. My mother’s expression softened…only slightly, but then her eyes lit up with something else entirely.

“Oh, that’s right,” she said, clapping her hands together lightly. “Selene, you’re coming with me today.”

Aria turned toward her, surprised.

“We’re going shopping,” my mother continued brightly. “And it gives me plenty of time to bond with my daughter-in-law.”

Daughter-in-law.

I watched Aria process the words…how her shoulders straightened, how she smiled politely, how she nodded even though I could tell this wasn’t part of any plan she’d made for herself.

“Of course,” Aria said, soft but composed.

I should have felt relieved. Instead, something tight coiled in my chest.

As they moved away, my mother already chatting animatedly, I found myself watching Aria longer than necessary. The way she listened. The way she adjusted to every expectation placed on her without complaint. The way she was slipping…quietly, efficiently, into a role that was never meant to be hers.

This was supposed to be simple, I thought grimly. Temporary. Controlled.

But nothing about Aria felt temporary anymore.

We finally settled into our seats, the clinking of cutlery filling the space as breakfast was served. Just as I reached for my plate, a sharp jab hit my leg under the table.

I stiffened.

I looked up to find my father glaring at me, his jaw tight. He nodded his head toward Aria…once, then again, his lips moving furiously without a single sound coming out.

I frowned. “What is it, Dad?” I asked flatly. “You know I don’t know how to read mouths.”

That earned me a look from my mother.

My father cleared his throat, straightening in his chair like he’d been waiting for this moment. “Since we weren’t present at your wedding,” he said calmly, “I’d like to hear you both say your vows.”

The room froze. My mother leaned forward instantly, eyes soft but determined. “Yes,” she added, nodding. “It truly hurt me that I couldn’t witness it firsthand.”

I exhaled sharply. “I sent you the wedding video,” I said, irritation slipping through despite myself.

“Yes, you did, son,” my father replied without missing a beat. “But I’d still like to hear it from you.”

Then he turned to Aria, his gaze expectant. “Right, Selene? I’m sure my daughter-in-law doesn’t mind. Do you?”

Aria chose that exact moment to choke. I watched in mild horror as she coughed, her shoulders tensing while she tried to swallow the piece of food that had clearly gone down the wrong way. I couldn’t stop it, a laugh slipped out of me before I could catch myself.

“Of course,” she finally said, managing to push the food down, her voice calm despite the glare she shot in my direction. A glare sharp enough to promise revenge.

And then..just as quickly, her gaze softened. It drifted past me…. To Marcus. I noticed it. The slight easing of her shoulders. The faint warmth in her expression. And something ugly twisted in my chest before I could stop it.

Is that all she’s going to do? I thought bitterly. Glare at me all day…

I leaned back in my chair, watching her carefully now. Watching how effortlessly she adapted. How she survived every uncomfortable moment with quiet grace. How she was being pulled into this family, this role, this life—one expectation at a time.

And suddenly, my father’s request didn’t feel harmless anymore. With Aria they are just words; Because asking for vows wasn’t about romance. It was about claiming.

And I wasn’t sure Aria realized just how much of herself she was being asked to give.

I turned fully to face Aria, ignoring the way the room seemed to lean in with us, every breath suddenly too loud.

“Selene,” I began, my voice steady even though something tight pulled at my chest, “you walked into my life at a time when everything felt loud…expectations, duty, the weight of a crown I never asked for. And somehow, without trying, you became my calm. You ground me. You remind me that this title, this pack, this family… it means nothing if I don’t have someone beside me who sees me, not just the Alpha.”

I reached for her hand, my thumb brushing her knuckles. “If I am strong, it’s because you stand with me. If I lead well one day, it will be because you softened the parts of me that needed saving.”

The room went silent.

Aria blinked once. Then again.

Her lips parted slightly, eyes wide…not with panic, not with fear…but pure, unguarded surprise. Like she hadn’t expected the words… or the way they landed. For a heartbeat, she just stared at me, caught somewhere between disbelief and something dangerously close to emotion.

My mother clasped her hands to her chest. “Awwn,” she said softly, smiling like she’d just witnessed something sacred. “Look at her..she’s completely speechless.”

She chuckled warmly. “That’s how you know your words really softened her heart.”

That did it.

Aria inhaled sharply, as if those words snapped her back into herself. She straightened, lifting her chin, schooling her expression…but I caught it. The faint pink in her cheeks. The way her fingers tightened around mine before she spoke.

“Kieran,” she said, her voice gentle but clear, “you may be stubborn, frustrating, and entirely too serious for your own good… but you care deeply. And that matters.”

She gave a small smile. “If I am here, if I stay, it’s because I believe there’s something worth building..with you.” The applause came instantly, filling the room with warmth and approval.

But I noticed what no one else did. Even as the clapping echoed, even as she smiled politely…her eyes kept drifting.

To Marcus. Again. And again.

My mother wiped at the corner of her eye, beaming. “Now kiss,” she announced happily.

Aria and I froze.

“What?!” we both said at the same time.

The word hung in the air.