7. Thick With Secrets

Aria was beyond horrified—she was utterly petrified now that the fog of intoxication had lifted. 

Ravenhold Bastille wasn’t just a prison—it was a nightmare located near the border of their country, buried deep in the forsaken wilderness of Brawley County. It was popularly known as a wretched wasteland.

However, there was a rumor before that a certain pack had bought it, but she never had any interest in knowing which pack. Who would even want a desolate and dangerous place like that?

An abandoned scar on the map where only the worst criminals were sent to rot, where shadows walked freely, and where the desperate and the damned hid from the world. Very few dared to venture there, and even fewer returned.

Without sparing a single glance behind her, driven by pure panic, Aria fumbled for her phone with shaking fingers and dove into Cecil’s car. 

Mason was left baffled by what was going on. The only thing he could do was watch her leave in an almost hysterical state.

Aria's heart thundered as she dialed her mother’s number, clinging to the last thread of hope. She had just spoken to her mother earlier today. She sounded fine, alive, normal. She had said she was only out with friends!

How could everything have gone so horribly, so monstrously wrong in just a few short hours?

The call rang and rang… but no answer. On the fourth attempt, desperation tore out of her in a raw, furious cry. “Damnit!” she screamed, her voice cracking.

Cecil, gripping the steering wheel, stole a glance at her, feeling her own heart twist painfully.

She had seen Aria endure cruelty behind the golden walls of the Riggs Mansion — especially from Elliot — but Aria had always borne it with a dignified silence, a quiet, tragic strength.

But not today… Today, Cecil was witnessing the collapse of her Luna — her childhood friend, her sister in every way but blood. And it was agony.

Agony to watch and be unable to stop it, sitting powerless just a few feet away.

The memories flooded back: The day Aria first came into their lives. A small, shy girl with wide, wary eyes, clinging to the hem of Emily Harper’s dress.

The Harpers, who are generous and kind, had tried for years to have a child of their own. Endless rounds of IVF, millions of dollars spent... And still, the Goddess had not blessed them.

So they chose adoption. And fate, perhaps in a rare act of mercy, gave them Aria.

Alexander Harper, the Beta of Ironhide’s Alpha, welcomed her into their world of wealth and power.

Cecil’s own parents served the Harpers loyally, which meant Cecil grew up in that sprawling mansion too — there when Aria arrived, a lonely girl with a brilliant mind and a guarded heart.

But when Aria met Cecil, the bond was instant. It was unbreakable, almost sacred.

Cecil had sworn that day, as a wide-eyed ten-year-old, that she would protect Aria no matter what.

Now, watching Aria trembling and shattered beside her, Cecil felt that promise brand itself deeper into her soul.

Aria, wiping her tears angrily, tried her father's number next.

No answer. And it felt like the walls closed in.

“Cecil… what exactly did your parents tell you?” Aria’s voice trembled, barely keeping steady. “Why were my parents taken like criminals in the middle of the day? What could they have possibly done? What crime… what crime are they even being accused of?”

Cecil exhaled shakily, tilting her head as she tried to summon the exact words her parents had told her. “That’s what I asked them, too, Aria. They didn’t know anything either. They just said the arrest happened fast, no warning, no explanation. They told me to call you immediately.”

She paused. “Your mom wasn’t home. Only your dad was there when it happened… but the authorities were asking for her too.”

Then a heavy, cold thought gripped her—one she hadn’t voiced yet. It wasn’t just Aria’s parents who were powerful.

Their entire bloodline was threaded with influence, with names that echoed in high places.

Aria started calling every relative she could think of. Her mother’s younger brother—"I’m sorry, Aria, I can’t get involved…”

Another cousin—“It’s best we stay out of this.” One after another, they all turned their backs just like that.

Just as she was about to dial another number, her screen lit up with a name she hoped for.

'Aunt Katarina.' Her father’s only sister.

Aria snatched up the call with lightning speed, breath catching with hope. “Auntie?”

[My dear, I’ve been trying to reach you all afternoon,] Katarina’s voice came through, urgent and heavy with concern. [I couldn’t get through.]

“I guess we are both calling each other, that’s why I can’t connect to yours as well. I’m sorry… I’ve been calling everyone, too,” Aria said, her voice cracking. “Begging for help. But no one wants to lift a finger. After everything my parents have done for them. 

This is how they repay them? With silence? With abandonment?” Her voice was now on the verge of breaking, rage and heartbreak tangling together.

[Aria, sweetheart… I understand how it feels. But you can’t blame them. I was with your mother when it happened. We were attending a charity gala outside our pack’s territory… in Frostveil Pack. 

And after your dad arrived, your mom and dad decided to leave, saying that they still had another appointment to go to, then I suddenly got a call from our friend driving behind their car. She said she saw the authorities come out of nowhere as they entered the highway. Your mother didn’t even have time to call you.

They arrested them so quickly. Our friend tried to help, ask more questions why they are being arrested, they just heard the arrest announcement as they handcuffed them, and then the federal police told them to move along unless they wanted to get arrested too.]

Aria’s body went cold. “What were they accused of?”

[Fraud and money laundering,] Katarina said, her tone dropping, as if the words themselves were too heavy to carry. [They’re saying your parents used their charities, the orphanages, and the hospitals to funnel illegal funds.]

Aria’s breath caught in her chest. Her vision blurred with fresh tears.

“No. That’s not… that can’t be enough to throw them into Ravenhold. That place is for monsters. They aren’t murderers! They don't belong there!”

She buried her face in her hands and sobbed, the image of her kind, noble parents locked behind bars with killers and war criminals ripping through her mind like a blade.

[It’s not just petty fraud, Aria,] her aunt said gently but gravely. [They’re being accused of laundering over $230 million. The charges claim it happened over the course of a decade, through multiple charity fronts. They’re also being accused of falsifying donation reports and embezzling emergency funds meant for disaster relief.]

Aria gasped and covered her mouth. It felt like someone had just told her the sky was green and the ocean was on fire. This wasn’t her mother and father.

This wasn’t the couple who had raised her with compassion, who spent holidays feeding the homeless and building homes for the poor.

“That’s a lie,” she whispered. Then louder, “That’s a damned lie! My parents wouldn’t even dream of such betrayal, not in a million years, not even in their darkest dreams!”

[I believe you, Aria,] Katarina said, her voice faltering. [But belief alone won’t save them. This case… It’s massive. Political. Dangerous. My husband and I we can’t help, not without endangering ourselves.]

Katarina paused and sighed.

[But there is one person who might… Alpha Hugo. If there’s anyone left with enough influence and power to help you now, it’s him. Please… call him.]

Aria sat frozen, the phone still pressed to her ear long after the call ended.

Her heart was breaking, not just because her parents were gone, not just because the world had turned its back on them. But because for the first time in her life, she realized she was truly, terrifyingly alone.

“Fuck! Fuck this! Fuck everything!” Aria screamed, her voice raw with anguish, before collapsing into sobs, burying her face in her hands.

Cecil immediately pulled a box of tissues from the center console and thrust it toward her, blinking back her own tears.

Aria snatched them, her entire body trembling. “I don’t know what to do!” she choked out between gasps.

“Let’s go to the Harper mansion first,” Cecil said gently but firmly. “We’ll talk to my mom and dad and find a lawyer. It’s almost nightfall anyway. No prison’s going to let us in this late.”

Aria drew in a ragged breath — and for the first time since the earth had been ripped out from under her feet, Cecil’s words pierced through the chaos clouding her mind.

It was a plan.... A tiny, flickering light in the darkness.

“You’re right...” she whispered hoarsely. “Tomorrow, ask for your Mom’s help to hire the best lawyer, while your Dad will talk to the executives to get to the bottom of this.”

Cecil nodded with determination and the will to fight, telling herself to do everything that she could to help her best friend.

Aria stared out the window, her mind racing, her heart breaking, but deep inside, there was a flicker of hope that Alpha Hugo would help them and would surely not let her parents down.