Chapter 3: The Lost Sanctuary

POV: ARIA

The bustle of the pack house echoed through the halls as servants hung velvet banners for the Lycan King’s arrival. I couldn't stay in that cold guest room waiting to be hidden away. My chest felt tight, and I needed air.

I slipped out the rear doors and walked down the overgrown stone path toward the east garden, heading straight for the old glass greenhouse tucked behind the high stone walls. On my way towards the greenhouse, two servants passed behind me, whispering as they carried a stack of folded banners.

"Do you think the Lycan King will finally find her?"

"Keep your voice down," the older servant whispered. "Not here."

"I'm only asking. Everyone says the royal family has searched half the continent."

Their voices faded around the corner. I slowed for half a second.

The missing sister conversation Gavin mentioned earlier. Then I continued toward the greenhouse.

For fifteen years, that greenhouse had been my sanctuary. It was where Mother and I spent countless afternoons together. When I was young, she would sit in her armchair while I harvested medicinal herbs to brew for her weak lungs. That glasshouse held every warm memory of a mother who had once truly loved me. A small, foolish part of me hoped that even if my bedroom was gone, this one place had remained untouched.

I reached the wrought-iron doors and pushed them open.

The smell of rich soil and chamomile was gone. In its place was the thick scent of oil paint, fresh varnish, and cut roses.

I froze on the threshold. The wooden herb benches were gone. My drying racks, my soil pots, and the rare medicinal vines I had spent years cultivating had all been cleared away. In the center of the glass structure sat a polished grand piano. Canvases and easels were arranged near the tall windows, catching the light.

Every single trace of my existence had been erased.

Losing my bedroom had been a practical loss, but seeing this room destroyed cut far deeper. It represented the private bond I had shared with Mother. Now, it belonged entirely to Lyra.

"Aria?"

I turned slowly. Gavin was standing behind me on the stone path, accompanied by Lyra.

Gavin looked into the transformed greenhouse, then looked at my pale face. His eyes widened slightly as if seeing the space for the first time. For fifteen years, he had helped me carry herb baskets into this room. He knew what this place meant to me.

A sudden, visible flash of genuine guilt crossed Gavin’s face. He opened his mouth, his throat working as he realized he had allowed the space to be completely wiped clean without even thinking.

"I... I forgot we converted this..." Gavin stammered, stepping forward. "Aria, look, Lyra needed a bright space for her music and painting…"

"Oh no!" Lyra gasped, her hands flying to her mouth as tears instantly filled her eyes. She looked between Gavin and me, appearing thoroughly crushed and horrified. "Gavin, you didn't tell me this was Aria's garden! Oh gods, I'm so sorry! I didn't know!"

Lyra rushed to my side, her face painted with frantic remorse. "Aria, please! We can move the piano out today! I don't need an art room! I'll give it all back to you right now, I promise!"

She looked so fragile, trembling with guilt as if she had committed a terrible crime.

Gavin’s posture shifted immediately. Seeing Lyra on the verge of tears, his moment of guilt evaporated, replaced by his instinct to protect his biological sister. He stepped between us, placing a comforting hand on Lyra’s shoulder.

"Lyra, stop, it’s fine," Gavin said softly, soothing her. "You don't need to apologize. You didn't do anything wrong. You've been practicing for months, and the Lycan King’s delegation expects to hear you play tonight."

He looked back at me, his tone hardening to cover his lingering discomfort. "Aria, don't just stand there looking like that. Lyra didn't do this out of spite. The room was sitting empty for two years while you were gone."

I watched his guilt shift away from me, just as it always did. I felt no anger, only a cold, complete clarity.

"There is no need to move anything," I said, keeping my voice level and quiet. "I do not want the room, and I do not want compensation."

Lyra blinked through her tears. "But Aria... it was yours…"

"I did not return to reclaim my old life, my old room, or anything else in this house," I interrupted, looking directly at Gavin. "I only returned to check on Mother’s health. Once I know her condition is stable and she is taken care of, I am leaving."

Gavin scowled, waving his hand dismissively as if I were a child making a scene. "Stop talking nonsense, Aria. You're just angry. Where would you even go? You have no money and no pack backing you. You'll calm down in a few days and realize this is your home."

I looked at the grand piano standing where my mother’s favorite chamomile used to bloom.

"This is not my home anymore, Alpha," I said softly, stepping back onto the gravel path. "And I do not plan to stay in this family forever."

Gavin’s smile vanished, his eyes narrowing as he stared at me, but I turned and walked away into the shadows before he could answer.