Chapter 3

ARIA’S POV

For a moment, I was numb.

I blinked.

I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think.

The sight in front of me was heartbreaking.

Mario—my Mario—was in bed with someone else.

And not just anyone. Lira. One of the maids

They didn’t hear the door open. Or maybe they did and didn’t care. Maybe they wanted me to see. I don't even know which would hurt more.

It was the sound that broke me from my paralysis—their moans fading into silence. Lira gasped and pulled the sheets over herself. Mario’s eyes widened in shock.

Shock.

He had the nerve to look shocked.

I stared at him. My throat burned as if I had swallowed acid. My chest felt like it had cracked open, like my heart had been torn out, and yet I stood there, not moving. Not crying. Just... staring.

I whispered, “Why?”

He sat up slowly, like he was trying to think of something to say, but then his expression changed into something harder, colder.

“I won’t lie,” he said “It’s been going on for a while.”

My breath caught.

“I tried with you, Aria. I did. But Lira... she knows what I need. She gives me things you never could. You were too distant. Too... proper. You were never really mine, not the way she is.”

His words slashed at me like claws.

Not really his?

After everything I gave up? After everything I sacrificed?

He wasn’t remorseful. He wasn’t even apologizing.

My hands clenched at my sides. My wolf stirred, snarling and pacing, aching to tear Mario limb from limb but I forced her back. Barely.

I felt heat on my cheeks and realized it wasn’t tears. It was rage. But I didn’t cry.

I didn’t scream.

I turned around.

And walked away.

If I stayed a second longer, I wouldn’t be able to control the emotions inside me.

I moved towards my room and shut the door behind me.

I pressed my palms flat to the wall and screamed. Then I punched the wall—once, twice, three times—until my knuckles bled and the plaster cracked.

My wolf howled inside me. she felt wounded and betrayed. She had loved him too. Trusted him. She raged and begged to be let out, but I refused. I wouldn't lose myself to her not now.

He wasn’t worth it.

He was never worth it.

A knock at my door interrupted me.

I ignored it, wiping the blood from my hands and trying to breathe.

The knock came again. Then the door opened without my permission.

“Aria.”

It was Rielle.

My head snapped toward her. She was the last person I expected to see. Mario’s beta. His best friend. My... friend too. Or so I thought.

She walked in without hesitation, arms folded across her chest. She didn’t look sad or sympathetic. She didn’t look surprised either.

She looked... smug.

“I figured you’d find out eventually,” she said coldly.

“What?” I stood, blinking away the tears.

“Mario and Lira,” she said, waving a hand like it was common knowledge. “It’s not exactly a secret. At least, not to anyone who matters.”

My heart skipped. “You knew?”

She laughed. “Of course, I did.”

My stomach twisted. “And you didn’t tell me?”

“No,” she said, stepping closer. “Because I’m tired of pretending with you. You don’t belong here, Aria. You never did. You were always just a symbol. A means to an end. You were never his mate. Not really.”

I reeled back as if she’d slapped me.

“I was his wife,” I snapped.

She shrugged. “A political one. You were chosen. Not fated. There’s a difference. You were too blind to see it.”

“You’re supposed to be my friend.” My voice broke.

She tilted her head, and her smile twisted cruelly. “I’m his lover, Aria. I’ve always been. Long before you ever came into the picture.”

My knees almost buckled.

“No,” I whispered. “You’re lying.”

“I’m not.” She stepped closer. “I’ve been in his bed more nights than you can count. You thought you were his Luna? You’re just a placeholder.”

Rage spread through me. “You traitorous—”

“I’m not the traitor here,” she hissed. “You came here thinking you could win hearts and take a place that wasn’t yours. But your time is over. You’re not wanted.”

I stepped back, breathing hard. It felt like fury and heartbreak were choking me.

I had loved them both in different ways. Trusted them.

My wolf howled again, louder now, trying to claw free.

But I swallowed the pain.

“your time is up now” she said.

She waved with an evil smile and left the room.

When Rielle left, slamming the door behind her like she had won, I stood in the silence.

The pain. The betrayal. The humiliation. These emotions al burned in me. But I welcomed it now. I let it fuel me. Let it take out the naive girl who believed in loyalty, in love, in Mario.

I wiped the last of my tears away with the back of my bloodied hand.

They thought they broke me.

They thought I was finished.

They had no idea what they had unleashed.

I moved without hesitation, walking through the palace halls. Past the portraits of Alphas before him. I turned into the west wing.

I reached the farthest end of the corridor, where the old painting of the Moon Goddess still hung. I slid the tapestry aside and pressed my palm against the stone wall behind it. A faint pulse responded to my touch and a door clicked open.

The wall groaned and shifted, revealing narrow stairs. I took a deep breath and descended.

This place had been sealed since my mother’s death. A secret even Mario didn’t know.

When I reached the bottom, I saw my trunk in the center.

My mother’s trunk.

I dropped to my knees, hands trembling slightly as I wiped the dust off the surface.

“I need you now,” I whispered, not even knowing who I was talking to—my mother? The Moon Goddess? Myself?

I opened the trunk.

Inside, I saw it all. Her armor was folded neatly beneath.

I reached in and pulled out the chest plate. My reflection stared back at me in its polished surface. Not a Luna. Not a wife. A warrior.

I smiled.

And for the first time in years, it was real.

-

That evening, the ballroom was in full swing. The whole place was decorated and nobles laughed as the music played. .The pack’s nobility had gathered for the annual Moonlight Ball. The chandeliers sparkled like stars, and the orchestra played the familiar waltz that usually marked the Luna’s grand entrance.

They were waiting for me.

Servants glanced at the empty dais. Whispers grew. Mario stood tall in his custom-tailored suit, wine glass in hand, surrounded by his guards and council. He had a smug smile as he spoke to a group of Elders, laughing like he hadn’t betrayed me.

He was enjoying his moment. Until the music cut.

The whispers silenced as I made my entrance.

The gasps were instant.

I wasn’t in a gown. I wasn’t even wearing my crown.

I wore the armor of the Queen-Warrior of Eldran.

The silver and black plates hugged my form. My sword was sheathed at my back, strapped over my shoulder. My boots echoed with power on every step I took. My hair was braided back and my chin was held high.  I walked down the grand staircase.

I wasn’t their Luna anymore. I was something far more dangerous.

Tara stood in a corner. She grinned at me as she whispered, “Damn right, sister.”

Mario choked on his drink.

Literally choked. He coughed into his sleeve. His eyes went wide with disbelief.

“Aria. What the hell is this?!” he shrieked.

I stepped down the last stair and looked him dead in the eye.

“This,” I said calmly, “is me. Something you clearly never had the courage to see.”

He sneered. “You’re making a fool of yourself. This is a formal event, and you show up dressed like—like—”

“Like a warrior?” I cut him off, stepping into his space. “You’d rather I smiled pretty and stood silently on your arm, wouldn’t you? You want a trophy. Something shiny and silent. But I am not yours, Mario. Not anymore.”

The color drained from his face. “You’re my Luna.”

“Wrong again.” I leaned in close, close enough to see the fear in his eyes. “I’d rather be a warrior with a blade in my hand than a queen in a cage. You’re not an Alpha. You’re a little man with a big crown.”

He stiffened. Everyone gasped.

“I’m done” I said.

And then I turned.

He barked after me, “ARIA! Don’t you dare walk away from me!”

But I didn’t stop.

I didn’t even pause.

I walked straight past his guards toward the main doors. Two of them stepped in front of me, hands on their weapons.

“I won’t say it twice,” I said without stopping. “Move.”

They didn’t.

So, I did what I was born to do.

I moved fast—steel flashing. One step, two strikes. One man’s dagger was kicked from his hand before he even blinked. The other reached for me and I twisted his arm behind his back, flipping him onto the floor with a loud crack. They groaned and backed off.

The entire ballroom erupted in shouts and awe.

“Stand down!” Mario roared. “Stop her! That’s an order!”

But no one moved. No one dared.

They all stared, not at a Luna—but at a legend reborn.

I pushed open the doors. The wind kissed my face. The moon shone bright above.

I didn’t look back.

Let him scream. Let him rage.

I was done playing by their rules.

The warrior was back.

And this time, she would not be silenced.