LOGINAria’s POV The silence after Lilith’s words was suffocating. The servants froze, their eyes darting nervously between the King and Queen. Damon’s hand tightened around mine, his wolf growling low, vibrating through the floor. The King leaned back in his chair, his gaze heavy. “You wish to live here? In the palace?” Lilith lowered her lashes, her voice trembling just enough to sound convincing. “Yes, Your Majesty. Not as Luna, of course. I would never dishonor Damon’s mate. I only wish to serve, to learn, to be close to the family I have always loved.” I snorted softly, unable to help myself. “Loved? That’s a funny word for someone who’s been plotting her grand return since the day she left.” Lilith’s eyes flicked to me, sharp as a blade, but her smile didn’t falter. “I only want peace, Aria. Surely you understand.” “Peace?” I leaned back, swirling my goblet lazily. “You walk in here like you own the place, and now you want to move in? That doesn’t sound like peace. That sounds
Lilith POV My fingers trembled as i broke the royal seal,my eyes gleamed with triumph as i read the Queen Luna's words aloud. “You are summoned to the pack house,” i whispered, my smile curling. “The Queen herself has called me.” My mother gasped, tears filling her eyes. “At last! They see your worth. All those years of training, all the sacrifices… it wasn’t in vain.” My father’s chest swelled with pride. “You were born to be Luna. Damon may have found his mate, but the King and Queen know who you are. They cannot deny you.” My smile sharpened, my tone dripping with arrogance. “Aria is nothing compared to me. She stumbled into Damon’s bond by accident. I was chosen, prepared, molded. This letter proves it. They want me back.” My wolf stirred inside me, sly and eager. They will bow to Us. “Yes,” I breathed, clutching the parchment. “They will.” The next evening, the pack house buzzed with anticipation. Word had spread quickly — Lilith was returning. She arrived draped in ele
---The Queen’s gaze lingered on the garden where Aria had walked only hours before. She could still feel the strange ripple in the air, the shift that had unsettled even her seasoned senses.“She carries something inside her,” the Queen murmured, her voice low, almost reluctant. “I saw it in her eyes. Pain. Power. And yet… she doesn’t even know what it is.”The King leaned against the window frame, his expression grave. “Aria is his mate. That bond cannot be denied. Damon has already chosen her, whether he understands the consequences or not.”The Queen’s lips pressed together. “And what of Lilith? She was trained for this life. Raised to be Luna. Every lesson, every expectation, every sacrifice… all for nothing.”The King’s jaw tightened. “Do you suggest we ask our son to reject his mate? To break the bond?”Her eyes flickered with sorrow. “No. That would destroy him. But Lilith… she will feel betrayed. She will feel discarded. And that is dangerous.”The King began to pace, his boo
The Queen’s garden had been a place of impossible beauty. Flowers bloomed in colors that didn’t exist anywhere else, the air shimmered with magic, and yet all I carried back with me was her voice.“You are not ordinary, child. You are awakening.”Awakening. The word clung to me like thorns.By the time I reached my room, my chest was tight, my head spinning. I slammed the door shut and locked it, pressing my back against the wood. Damon’s footsteps followed, his voice calling my name, steady and patient. But I couldn’t face him. Not now. Not after what the Queen had seen in me.I slid down to the floor, hugging my knees. My wolf stirred inside me, restless. Mate is worried.“I know.”Mate will not leave.“That’s what I’m afraid of.”Because only I remembered.I remembered the way my family looked at me before they killed me. The disgust in their eyes. The whispers behind my back. Useless. Worthless. Better gone.I remembered the nights they left me hungry, the days they ignored me, th
Damon — POVThe door didn’t just close.It shut me out.The soft click of the lock echoed down the hallway like a gunshot. It was ridiculous how such a tiny sound could hit me so hard, but it did. It punched straight into my chest, sharp and unexpected, leaving me standing there like an idiot staring at a piece of wood.She locked me out.Again.My wolf reacted instantly, claws scraping against the inside of my skin.Mate is hurting.“I know.”Mate needs us.“I know.”Open the door.“No.”Break it.“Absolutely not.”He growled, pacing inside me like a storm trapped in a cage. He hated distance. He hated barriers. He hated anything that separated us from her. And right now, that thin wooden door felt like a mountain.I pressed my palm against it, feeling the faint warmth of her presence on the other side. Her heartbeat was fast — too fast. Her breathing uneven. She was trying to hide it, but I could hear everything.“Aria,” I said quietly, “I’m not leaving.”Silence.Not even a sarcast
Aria — POVI left the garden with Luna Selene’s words echoing in my head like a heartbeat I didn’t know how to quiet.You are not a mistake.You are chosen.Your power is awakening.It should have made me feel strong.It should have made me feel hopeful.It should have made me feel… something good.Instead, I felt heavy.Like someone had placed a stone on my chest.I wasn’t used to kindness.I wasn’t used to being seen.I wasn’t used to being told I mattered.My parents never said things like that.They said the opposite.Every day.So hearing Luna Selene speak to me like I was worth something…It hurt in a way I didn’t know how to explain.I walked back into the pack house quietly, my steps slow, my mind spinning.And that’s when Damon appeared.He stepped out from behind a pillar like he’d been waiting for me — which, knowing him, he probably had.His eyes scanned my face immediately, sharp and searching.“You’re quiet,” he said.I kept walking.He followed.“You’re never quiet.”I







