CHAPTER 4

Kael’s POV

The silence that followed us out of the hall wasn’t just silence. It was a reckoning. Every step we took echoed behind us, not in sound, but in weight. Aria walked slightly ahead of me now, jaw set, spine straight, and I knew—despite everything—that she had no idea how strong she truly was.

I’d seen warriors break under less pressure than what she endured in there.

She didn’t say a word until we reached the garden courtyard, where the early morning dew still clung to the petals and the stone paths, glistened beneath the rising sun. She stopped near a low stone bench, finally letting her hand slip from mine.

“You didn’t have to do that,” she said, quietly.

“I know,” I replied.

“But you did.”

I took in her profile—stubborn, proud, raw—and felt that same tightness in my chest that had been building since the moment the bond snapped into place. It was more than just a tether. It was a truth I hadn’t been ready to face.

“I should’ve been there sooner,” I said.

Aria turned, brows raised. “What difference would it have made? They were already waiting to tear me apart.”

“And I let them.”

“No,” she said, voice suddenly sharp. “Don’t make this about you.”

That surprised me. “What?”

“You didn’t humiliate me in front of your entire pack. You didn’t call me a servant or parade me like some…some unworthy thing. That wasn’t you.”

“I didn’t stop it either.”

Aria exhaled, looking away. “You can’t fight all my battles for me.”

“But I want to,” I said, stepping closer. “You have no idea how hard it is not to. Seeing you there—back straight, voice shaking but still standing—I’ve never been more…”

“What?” she challenged. “Ashamed? Embarrassed?”

“Impressed,” I said. “Terrified. In awe.”

She blinked.

“I’ve led this pack since I was nineteen. I’ve fought wars. I Watched my brothers die. I’ve held the line when everything else crumbled—but nothing shakes me like the thought of you being hurt.”

She looked at me for a long time, searching. “Then why do I feel like I’m the one being punished for this bond?”

Because they blame her. Because I let them, and because I haven’t made it clear enough that her presence isn’t a disruption—it’s a salvation.

I ran a hand through my hair, frustration scraping at my edges. “They don’t understand the bond. They don’t understand you. And they fear what they don’t understand.”

“Lilith doesn’t fear me. She hates me.”

“She fears what you represent.” I met her gaze. “Change.”

Aria let out a hollow laugh. “I didn’t ask to be changed.”

“Neither did I,” I admitted. “But I think maybe that’s the point. The goddess doesn’t always choose what’s comfortable. She chooses what’s necessary.”

Silence settled between us again, but it wasn’t heavy this time. It was thoughtful.

She finally sat on the stone bench, the chill of it making her shiver. I shrugged off my jacket and placed it over her shoulders without a word.

“Thank you,” she said softly.

I sat beside her, not touching, just close enough that the warmth of her made the cold a little more bearable. After a moment, she asked, “Was there… ever a time you thought about rejecting the bond?”

It felt like she’d peeled open a wound.

“Yes,” I said truthfully. “Not because of you, but because of what it would mean.”

Her voice was a whisper. “And now?”

I looked at her. At the girl who had nothing and still stood in front of a room, full of wolves ready to tear her down. The girl who didn’t ask for power but had more of it than anyone I’d ever known.

“Now I’d burn the world before I’d let anyone take you from me.”

Her breath hitched, and I saw it again—that flicker of disbelief in her eyes. Like she didn’t quite know how to receive that kind of devotion.

“You say that,” she said after a moment, “but what happens when the elders call for a formal challenge? When your people demand a Luna who comes from lineage, not labor?”

“I don’t care.”

“You have to care. You’re Alpha.”

“I care about my pack, yes but they don’t get to dictate my heart.”

“They might not have to,” she whispered. “You’ll walk away on your own when the pressure’s high enough.”

I turned to her fully, leaning in so she couldn’t look anywhere else but at me. “You think I’m weak?”

“No,” she said quickly. “I think you’re tired. And I don’t want to be the reason you fall.”

“You’re not the reason I fall, Aria.” I took her hand again, this time slower, grounding. “You’re the reason I rise.”

For a long time, she didn’t speak. And then she leaned her head against my shoulder.

“I didn’t want this,” she said again, softer now. “But I don’t think I hate it anymore.”

It was the closest thing to acceptance she’d given me yet, and I clung to it like a lifeline. We sat there until the sun crested fully over the treetops, warming the courtyard, and banishing the shadows. It wasn’t peace—not yet but it was a start.

And for the first time in weeks, I allowed myself to believe that we might survive this storm.

Together.

As we sat there, I felt awfully at peace for some reason. I had no idea why but the idea that this girl beside me was my mate who brought me peace. 

Just then we heard someone clear his throat, I looked up to see my beta, Jake.

“Speak," I instructed.

“We have news that the Alpha King is on his way to our pack as we speak and he will be here in the next three days.”

It seemed like the entire world had stopped spinning, I took a deep breath, glancing at my beta, “Well then, we better get prepared.” 

“Yes, Alpha," Jake said and walked out. I turned to look at Aria who stared at me with confusion, “ I have to go now, Please make your way to your room and don't come out for any reason.”

Her face told me that she wasn't happy with that order.

“But……….” 

“No excuses, Yes, I know you can take care of yourself but for now, you are still an omega and according to the rules you can get punished, and I won't be able to do anything,” I told her. She exhaled and gave a slight nod, as I drew her close and placed a kiss on her forehead.

She froze, and I disentangled myself from her grip and moved to deal with the brewing problem at hand.

The fucking king is on his way here, shit.