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169. The Cost

Author: Medara
last update publish date: 2026-09-27 04:57:25

🩊 Melanie POV

Three hours earlier

I knocked on the door.

“Come in,” Fenrir’s voice came from inside.

I stepped through and followed the short corridor into the living room.

Fenrir was sitting on the sofa, already looking in my direction.

“It took you long enough,” he said instead of greeting me.

“I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this.”

He inclined his head toward the chair across from him, inviting me to sit.

I took my place without hesitation.

“You waited for Arria to leave.”

Not a question,
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  • Born to shine   169. The Cost

    🩊 Melanie POVThree hours earlierI knocked on the door.“Come in,” Fenrir’s voice came from inside.I stepped through and followed the short corridor into the living room.Fenrir was sitting on the sofa, already looking in my direction.“It took you long enough,” he said instead of greeting me.“I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this.”He inclined his head toward the chair across from him, inviting me to sit.I took my place without hesitation.“You waited for Arria to leave.”Not a question, but a statement.Sometimes I found his ability to see through people deeply irritating, but right now it made things easier.“Yes.”There was no point in lying to him.“I’m not going to act behind her back.”A small smile found its way onto my face even though his answer wasn’t exactly in my favor.I had expected it.And no matter how inconvenient it was at the moment, seeing how fiercely the two of them stood by each other was still touching.“I know.”I had thought this through enough times to

  • Born to shine   168. Alone

    đŸ”„ Aron POVI knew pain.I knew what it felt like to be beaten almost to death.Broken bones.A broken spine.Torture.Vaerion forcing his way into my mind.So for one foolish moment, I had assumed I knew what Melanie’s pain would feel like.I was wrong.Terribly wrong.The pain was white-hot.Blistering.Excruciating.But I could have borne it.Somehow.If enduring it meant protecting her.The fact that she was suffering through it too...That was devastating in a way I had never suspected existed.The feeling brought me to my knees before I even realized it had hit.No breath.No thought.No voice.No sound.No vision.Nothing existed beyond her pain tearing through the other end of our bond and the absolute certainty that I had been the reason for it.Then it vanished.Suddenly.All at once.Exactly the way it had come.What remained was her desperation and exhaustion.My hand reached for hers before a sensible thought could form.Not because I needed her.Or because she needed me.

  • Born to shine   167. The Reins

    đŸ”„ Aron POV “Do you admit that you intentionally undermined Arria Crestwood as a person by being cold, distant, disrespectful, and condescending toward her?”“Yes.”Elder Madoc moved to the next question.“Do you admit that you restricted Arria Crestwood from training, working, and shopping, and even dismissed the staff from the house you shared in order to isolate her from the pack?”“Yes.”“Do you admit that you ordered every member of Oakcrest not to speak to her or even look at her, and that you deliberately kept that order from her so she would believe everyone had abandoned her and eventually stop searching for answers?”“Yes.”“Do you admit that you sentenced Arria Crestwood to thirty lashes and imprisonment for a crime she had not been convicted of?”“Yes.”“Do you admit that you imprisoned other members of this pack without trial or formal sentencing?”“Yes.”“Do you admit that you abused the authority entrusted to you by Oakcrest?”“Yes.”“Do you admit that you worked for V

  • Born to shine   166. Oakcrest

    🍃 Arria POVThe moment we reached the border premises, a guard stepped forward.His gaze found Aron first.His eyes widened in surprise, and he bowed immediately.

  • Born to shine   165. Legacy

    🍃 Arria POVThe way Melanie’s entire behavior changed the moment Aron appeared felt like a slap.I knew she had chosen to go to him on her own, but I could have tried harder to convince her otherwise.Instead, I had let Fenrir’s opinion make me hesitate.And today, I had helped him bring Aron back.But the straight-backed, detached woman who stepped away from me wasn’t the Melanie I knew.This was someone who had been hurt far more deeply than either Fenrir or I had realized.“Will you or Fenrir take charge?” Mel asked.Her voice was so official.So polished.So unfamiliar that for a moment, I didn’t even realize she was speaking to me.“Mel—”“You’re doing perfectly,” Fenrir interrupted, answering her before I could. “Keep going. We’re ready to leave whenever the group is.”Melanie simply nodded.Then she turned away and started giving instructions.I watched her move through the group with absolute composure, seemingly unaffected by the fact that her mate, already back in human for

  • Born to shine   164. Perfect

    🩊 Melanie POVTwo days on the road should have been exhausting.For some of us, it probably was.But no one complained.No one caused trouble.And somehow, despite the size of the group, we had managed to stop for another break without turning it into chaos.Oakcrest was still about four hours away.Close enough to feel real.Far enough that I had no desire to start counting every remaining minute.I was sitting near the edge of the resting group when I heard it.A distant rumble.Heavy.Fast.Approaching.My head lifted immediately.Alaric.Relief came first.Fenrir was back and on time, which could only mean one thing—Aron had been safe and sound wherever he had chosen to hide.So when the massive black wolf appeared in the distance, carrying Arria on his back, some of the tension I hadn’t realized I was holding finally eased.Then I heard another set of paws following not far behind.For one ridiculous second, I thought someone was chasing them.Then I almost laughed at myself.Ch

  • Born to shine   6. Pain

    Chapter 6 The whip lay coiled on the stone bench beside Aron. For a moment, no one moved. The evening air felt colder than it should have been. The courtyard walls trapped the silence, pressing it down over all of us. I wanted to scream. To tell them how unfair it all was. How none of it had ev

  • Born to shine   5. Accusations

    5 days later When I arrived, the yard was empty. The laughter that usually greeted me was gone. Inside, the children were sitting in rows behind desks while an instructor stood in front of the room. “Extra lessons,” one of the caretakers explained when she noticed me standing by the door. “The

  • Born to shine   2. The Wolf

    A year later. Sixteen. The age when a wolf answers. The clearing was filled once again. Torches circled the altar. Warriors lined the perimeter. Children were lifted onto shoulders. My father’s voice carried across the gathering. “Tonight, our future steps fully into her power.” Cheers erupte

  • Born to shine   1. The Mark

    The moment my feet left the edge, the world fell silent. There was only wind. And peace. For one fragile heartbeat, I was free. Like a bird. Then something slammed into me from behind. Arms. Hard. Unforgiving. The impact hurled me sideways instead of down. Wood splintered. Something inside m

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