The Arrival

Aria’s POV

The morning sunlight felt harsh against my skin, but not harsher than the ache between my thighs. Damon had taken me last night, rough and demanding, the way he always does when he needs to remind himself that I’m still his. He’d called it make-up sex, as if that made it gentler. But deep down, I knew better, it was never about love. It was control.

I told myself to stop thinking about it, but the soreness was a cruel reminder.

Ever since I found out Alpha Damon Black was my mate, my life had been one endless storm. Three years of cold nights and distant eyes. Three years of silence that screamed louder than words.

I still remember the first day I met him, at my gym house. The air had gone still the moment he walked in. His scent rolled through the room, thick and powerful. My wolf went wild instantly, whispering, Mate.

He was the most striking man I’d ever seen, tall, broad shoulders, veins tracing down his muscled arms, his dark hair neatly shaved. He looked like power carved into flesh.

“What’s your name?” he asked, eyes locked on mine.

“Aria,” I said, my voice small but steady.

“Who are you?”

“I’m… an omega. And the gym instructor.”

He scoffed, his lip curling slightly. “You’re not up to my standard. Mind how you look at me.”

That was the first time my heart broke.

Months later, his father forced him into accepting the mate bond. I became Luna by title, not by heart. I worked hard, served the pack, trained the warriors, handled their disputes, and kept the territory stable, all while pretending his indifference didn’t kill me slowly.

Damon was a man of duty. He fulfilled every one of his Alpha responsibilities, except the one to his mate.

The shrill ring of his phone snapped me from my thoughts. Damon groaned beside me, reaching for it lazily.

“What is it?” he barked into the phone, his tone all authority.

He paused for a second, then stood up abruptly. “You’re joking,” he said, and for the first time in years, I saw something strange on his face, a smile.

A smile.

My chest tightened. I hadn’t seen him smile since the day we got married, and even then, it wasn’t for me.

“What happened?” I asked softly, sitting up.

He was already half-dressed, buttoning his black shirt. “Nothing you need to worry about,” he said curtly.

But I followed him anyway. If something could make him smile like that, maybe it was something I could do too, maybe that was my chance to be seen.

When I reached the living room, I froze.

A woman stood in the middle of the room, tall, beautiful, perfectly put together. Her hair was golden, her dress clung to her curves, and her lips carried the kind of confidence only someone who once belonged could have.

“Selene,” Damon breathed out.

The name hit my ears like thunder. I had heard whispers of that name before, quiet gossip among the pack, the woman Damon once loved before me. But he never confirmed it, and I never asked.

Now she was standing right in front of him, smiling like she never left.

“I’m sorry, Dam,” she said softly, her voice smooth as silk. “I shouldn’t have walked away. I missed you.”

My heart clenched.

She stepped closer, her fingers brushing against his beard like she’d done it a thousand times before. He didn’t pull away.

“Selene…” Damon said again, this time lower, almost breathless.

Every inch of my body burned with disbelief. I had to look away to stop my tears from falling.

Selene’s eyes flicked toward me, and for the first time, she seemed to notice I was there. Her expression didn’t falter.

“And who’s this?” she asked, her tone casual, almost bored.

Damon hesitated. “That’s….”

“Aria,” I cut in, my voice sharp. “His Luna.”

Her eyes widened slightly, then her lips curved into a slow smile. “Luna?” she repeated, like the word was a joke. “Oh you're the  omega Luna?.”

I felt my wolf stir inside me. Let me out, she growled.

Damon stepped between us, his tone firm. “Selene, enough.”

Selene ignored him. “Did you tell her, Damon? That she was just a replacement? That you never wanted….”

“Enough!” he roared this time, his Alpha voice filling the room.

The silence that followed was suffocating.

I stared at him, my chest heaving. “A replacement?” I whispered.

He looked at me, then looked away.

That one second,that hesitation, was all the answer I needed.

I felt something inside me break quietly, like a glass shattering in my chest. I swallowed hard, forcing my tears back. “I see,” I said finally.

Without another word, I turned around and walked out. Damon didn’t stop me. Not a word. Not a glance.

The moment the door shut behind me, my knees nearly gave out.

I stood outside in the cold morning air, hugging myself, feeling the sting of betrayal deeper than any wound. The bond between us still burned, but it felt weaker, thinner, like a thread about to snap.

I walked aimlessly until my feet took me where I always felt safe, my gym house.

The scent of sweat, leather, and metal hit me as soon as I entered. It was my space. My escape. The place I built with my own hands when the world turned its back on me.

I dropped to the floor, my back against the wall, trying to catch my breath. My hands trembled. I’d taken enough from Damon, but this… this was different. Seeing the woman who made him smile? That broke me.

I didn’t even realize when the tears began to fall.

Maybe it was time to stop pretending. Maybe it was time to remember who I was before him, before the pain.

I stayed there for hours, lost in thought. The world outside didn’t exist.

When I finally stood, my body ached again, but this time not from his touch, from the weight I’d been carrying for too long.

I looked at myself in the mirror across the room. My reflection stared back,strong but tired, beautiful but broken.

“Enough,” I whispered.

My wolf stirred softly. We’ve been saying that for years.

I smiled faintly. “But this time, I mean it.”

Just as I reached for my water bottle, my phone buzzed. It was a message from an unknown number.

I hesitated before opening it.

The message read:

“You deserve better than him. Soon, you’ll see why.”

I froze. My heart pounded. Who would send me that?

Before I could reply, another message came in, just one word this time:

“Aren't you tired of being a replacement?”