Aria’s Plan

The Silverfang Pack that had once been home for Aria.

Once, the very air here had carried her laughter.

She used to walk the grounds with her head held high, her long dark hair catching the sun, her eyes bright with pride. As Alpha Mason’s only daughter, she had been adored, respected, and envied in equal measure. Every wolf in the pack had bowed to her presence, the Alpha’s jewel, the pride of her father.

But those golden days were gone swallowed whole by whispers and cold stares that followed her everywhere she went.

Now, every step felt heavy, poisoned by murmurs that slithered through the halls like venomous snakes. Once friendly smiles had hardened into sneers, and every corner of the Silverfang estate carried the sting of judgment. The same walls that once echoed her joy now pressed in like a cage.

No torment cut deeper than Jessica’s the Beta’s daughter, her father’s favorite’s child, and Aria’s worst tormentor. Jessica made it her life’s mission to shred what little dignity Aria had left.

“Oh, the poor princess,” Jessica sneered one afternoon, her voice loud enough for everyone to hear. “Turns out she’s no princess at all. Just a mistake the Alpha pitied.”

The words sliced like a blade. Laughter followed cruel, sharp, and echoing in Aria’s chest long after the others had walked away.

Her fists clenched until her nails bit into her palms. Her wolf stirred beneath her skin, low growls rumbling in her mind.

“Ignore them, Aria,” her wolf murmured. “They are nothing. You carry a life inside you. That makes you stronger than all of them.”

Her breath hitched. Aria’s hand trembled as it drifted to her stomach. Beneath her palm, she felt only stillness, but she knew, knew that a tiny spark of life pulsed there. Her child. Her secret. Her only light in this darkening world.

But even that fragile spark was in danger if she stayed.

Her wolf’s tone hardened, sharp and fierce. “We cannot remain here. They will crush you, and they will crush the pup. We must go. We must find where we truly belong.”

Fear knotted in Aria’s chest. “But the world beyond the borders… it’s unknown. Dangerous.”

“Better the unknown than chains,” her wolf whispered back.

The truth of those words burned deep inside her.

Every insult, every sneer, every false smile became one more weight pressing her toward that choice.

The more she endured, the more her heart screamed what she already knew she had to leave. For herself. For her child.

That night, when the pack slept and the moon hung low and mournful, Aria began to pack. Her hands trembled as she folded her few remaining clothes, her mind racing. Every soft fabric carried a memory her mother’s laughter, her father’s pride, the home she once believed would always protect her.

Now it was a place of ghosts.

Tears blurred her vision as she placed the last of her things in the worn leather bag. She wasn’t just leaving her pack she was leaving behind the illusion of family she had once clung to with blind faith.

The faint creak of a door froze her in place. Her heart leapt to her throat.

“Elora?” she whispered.

Her best friend stood in the doorway, eyes wide with disbelief.

“Aria…” Elora’s voice cracked. “What are you doing? Why is your bag packed?”

Aria’s mouth opened, but no words came. Lies burned on her tongue, but her voice betrayed her.

Elora stepped inside, her expression sharp and knowing. “You’re leaving, aren’t you?”

Aria looked away, guilt twisting her stomach. Silence said everything.

“Talk to me!” Elora demanded, her voice breaking through Aria’s fragile defenses. “Don’t shut me out. Not now.”

The dam broke. Tears spilled freely down Aria’s cheeks as she sank onto the edge of her bed, clutching her stomach as if shielding the life within.

“I can’t stay here, Elora. Not anymore. The whispers, the hatred… Jessica and the others they’ll never let me live in peace.”

Elora’s face softened, though her tone stayed firm.

“So you think running will fix it? Where will you even go?”

Aria hesitated, her voice a whisper. “My birthplace, anywhere but here. My wolf keeps urging me. She says it’s the only way forward. And for the sake of my pup… I have to try.”

Elora froze, breath catching. “Aria, you are pregnant remember. How do you want to cope by yourself?”

Aria nodded, her sob escaping before she could hold it in. “Yes. And that’s why I can’t stay. My child deserves better than this. Safety. Love. Not scorn and cruelty.”

Silence filled the room. Only the night breeze whispered through the cracked window.

Elora took a shaky step forward, her eyes glistening. “Aria… you should have told me.”

“I didn’t want to drag you into my mess,” Aria murmured, her voice trembling.

Elora’s eyes flashed with determination. “You don’t get to decide that. If you’re leaving, then I’m coming with you.”

Aria’s eyes widened in shock. “No, Elora, you can’t. It’s too dangerous. Beyond the borders—”

“I don’t care,” Elora interrupted. “You’re my best friend. My sister in every way that matters. Do you really think I’d let you face forests, rogues, and strange packs on your own? Never.”

Emotion swelled so fierce in Aria’s chest she could barely breathe. Her wolf stirred again, a warm pulse of approval in her mind. “She is true. She will protect us, as we will protect her.”

Aria reached for Elora’s hands, squeezing them tightly. “You don’t know what you’re giving up.”

Elora’s smile trembled but stayed steady. “This place isn’t home anymore. Not when they treat you like this. If they hate you, they hate me too. So we leave. Together.”

Tears streamed down Aria’s face again, but this time they were mixed with something fragile hope.

“Thank you, Elora. I don’t deserve you.”

“You deserve so much more,” Elora whispered, brushing a tear from Aria’s cheek. “And we’ll find it.

Together.”

That night, they stayed up long into the dark hours, whispering plans between pounding hearts. Every detail mattered when to slip away, which path to take, how to avoid the night guards, what supplies to bring. The air between them vibrated with fear and courage in equal measure.

Outside, the forest loomed dark, ancient, alive with unseen eyes but to Aria, it no longer looked like danger. It looked like freedom.

Her wolf’s voice hummed low and strong. “Once we cross, I cannot guarantee safety. But I will fight for you. For our child.”

Aria pressed a trembling hand over her belly. “That’s all I need,” she whispered back.

Their minds were set. they would leave everything behind, the pack, the past, the pain and step into uncertainty with nothing but courage and each other.

Aria takes a final look around with the help of the faint silver light filtering through her window, her heart heavy with everything she was losing. Her father’s smile haunted her. Her mother’s laughter echoed faintly in her memory. She had imagined growing old here, raising her child surrounded by kin. But that dream had turned to ash long ago.

Her hand drifted again to her stomach. The gentle curve beneath her palm felt both fragile and fierce.

“I’ll protect you,” she whispered into the stillness. “No matter what it takes.”

Doubt clawed at her edges. What if she didn’t make it? What if rogues found them? What if her child never saw the world she dreamed of? But each time fear rose, her wolf’s voice steadied her, warm and sure.

“You are not tainted. You are not forsaken. You are the beginning of something new.”

The words wrapped around her like a promise.

Aria Moonclaw would no longer be the fallen princess of Silverfang. She would be a mother, a fighter, a survivor.

And though the path ahead was uncertain, she felt the faintest flicker of strength deep inside the strength of a wolf who had lost everything, yet still dared to rise.

Aria exhaled slowly, her lips brushing against the promise she carried in her heart. “We will make it,” she whispered into the quiet. “We must.”

Outside, the world beyond Silverfang’s borders waited wild, untamed, and full of destiny.