Ex-lover

(Aria's POV)

The cold wind clawed at my face as I stumbled through the night, away from everything I had known for the past three years. Each step felt impossible, as though my feet were encased in stone. My chest ached. My lungs burned. But none of it compared to the pain deep inside me.

My wolf howled violently, an unrelenting sound that echoed in the hollow corners of my soul. She didn’t want to run away. She wanted to go back, to fight for Derek, to hold onto him.

But I couldn’t.

He didn’t want me.

I pressed a hand to my chest, trying to steady my breathing as I reached the outer limits of the Silver Moon Pack. My legs shook so badly I thought I would collapse. The bond between us, the mate bond, was unraveling with every passing second.

It felt like he was tearing pieces of my heart from me and leaving them scattered in the dirt.

“No…” I whispered, my voice broken. Tears blurred my vision as I fell to my knees. My fingers dug into the soil beneath me, the earth cold and unforgiving.

My wolf whimpered, the sound raw and desperate. She didn’t understand how we could leave our mate. She didn’t understand how he could abandon us like this.

I forced myself to my feet, swallowing hard. Each breath felt like fire in my chest, but I kept moving. A small spark of determination lit within me.

I wouldn’t let him see me completely broken.

When I reached the familiar building in Windsor, the sight of it warmed me slightly. Sarah's apartment. Sarah, who had always told me, "*If he ever lets you go, you come straight to me.*"

My hand trembled as I pressed the doorbell. The sound echoed in the quiet hallway, loud and jarring against the silence.

Inside, I heard hurried footsteps. Sarah called out, sounding cheerful, "*Coming!*"

The door opened. Her bright smile froze the moment she saw me. Her sharp, brown eyes scanned me quickly, taking in my hollow expression, the paleness of my skin, the way my silvery-white hair hung limp and lifeless around my face.

"Oh my goddess, Aria…" Her voice broke as she grabbed my shoulders. "What happened? Are you hurt? Are you okay?"

I opened my mouth, but no words came out. My lips trembled, and I swallowed hard. Finally, I whispered, "He… he ended it, Sarah."

Her gasp was loud, sharp. Her hands tightened on my shoulders as though willing me to stay upright. But I couldn’t. My knees gave out beneath me, and she caught me, pulling me into her arms.

"This bastard," she hissed under her breath. "I knew it. I knew this would happen."

She held me tightly, her warmth cutting through the icy ache in my chest. My tears soaked into her shirt, and she didn’t let go.

"Come inside," she murmured, guiding me into her apartment. Her arm wrapped securely around my waist as she half-carried me to the couch.

I collapsed onto the cushions, my body heavy with grief. Every inch of me felt weighed down, like I was sinking into a dark abyss.

Sarah crouched in front of me, brushing strands of hair from my face. "Stay here, okay? I’ll get you some water, maybe something to eat."

I nodded weakly, unable to speak.

The sounds of her rummaging in the kitchen filled the silence. Pots clanged together. The fridge door slammed shut. I heard her muttering, her words gaining volume as her anger grew.

"That bastard!" she spat, the venom in her tone startling even me. "I knew it—I told you he wasn’t worth it! How dare he! After everything you’ve done for him, Aria!"

Her voice cracked slightly before gaining strength. "Not just Derek, but Alexander too! Goddess, you’ve had the worst luck with men. If I ever see either of them—"

Hearing Alexander’s name made my heart lurch painfully. The memory washed over me, unbidden.

It had been three years ago, but it felt like yesterday. The cold stage beneath my bare feet. The hungry stares of the alphas in the room. The humiliation as I stood there, knowing exactly what I had to do.

Alexander had been my childhood sweetheart. My rock. My home. We had grown up together in the Windsor Pack Orphanage, relying on each other when there was no one else.

He had always been sickly—something about his wolf not fully forming. A rare toxin had struck him down at eighteen, leaving him bedridden and barely alive. The Silver Moon Pack's hospital had the cure, but the price was beyond anything we could afford.

Unless…

I clenched my fists. I’ll never forget the price. An omega virgin at a werewolf auction. My virginity, my dignity, sold to the highest bidder.

On that stage, I hadn’t cared who bought me. All I wanted was to save Alexander. But then… Derek.

His icy blue eyes locked onto mine from the moment I stepped out. My wolf stirred restlessly inside me, recognizing him instantly.

*"Mate."*

It echoed through my mind with every beat of my heart. But recognition wasn’t enough. Not for him. He hadn’t stood for me. Hadn’t claimed me. Derek had just raised his hand, cold and calculating, offering the highest bid.

I blinked, pulling myself from the memory as the couch shifted beneath me.

Sarah was back, placing a steaming bowl of pasta on the table in front of me. Her brown eyes were filled with concern as she knelt beside me. "Eat something," she urged.

I picked up the fork, my fingers barely able to hold it. The warmth of the food should have been comforting, but it felt like ash in my mouth.

Sarah’s hand covered mine as she sat beside me. Her touch was steady. Firm.

"You’re staying here tonight," she said, her tone brooking no argument. "We’ll figure everything out tomorrow. Right now, you’re not doing anything except resting."

Tears burned my eyes as I nodded. "Thank you," I whispered.

She kissed my temple softly before standing to prepare the guest room. I watched her retreating figure, my chest tightening all over again.

She didn’t know the full truth.

I hadn’t told her about the doctor. About the terminal diagnosis. About the six months I had left to live.

The guest room was warm and safe, but sleep refused to come. I tossed and turned, the mate bond's fracture a constant, agonizing reminder that my true mate had let me go.

The pain in my chest worsened with every hour. I curled into myself, clutching the blanket as though it could shield me from the inevitable.

Morning came too soon, its pale light creeping through the window. I forced myself to get up. Each movement felt sluggish, my body weak beneath the weight of my breaking heart.

I dressed quietly, taking care not to wake Sarah. Slipping out the door, I made my way to the treatment center. I couldn’t stay. Not here. Not where he could find me.

The lobby hummed with early morning chatter as I walked through. My wolf’s heightened senses picked up every conversation.

"She’s hosting a banquet," Vivian Stone’s all-too-familiar voice said excitedly. "Natalie Windsor herself. It’s going to be huge."

"Did you see what she looked like in Europe?" another voice chimed in. "She’s gorgeous."

Jason’s deep voice carried over the others. "They say she’s Derek’s true mate. Predestined since they were kids."

My heart cracked.

My steps faltered slightly, but I forced myself to keep walking. My fingers curled tightly at my sides.

I had known about Natalie, about her place in Derek’s world. But hearing it now, like this—so casually, as though I was nothing, as though our three years together had meant *nothing*—it shattered whatever was left of me.

My wolf writhed inside me, her mournful cry echoing in my mind. She wanted to scream, to let the world know the depth of our pain.

But I wouldn’t let her.

I straightened my spine, holding my head high even as tears burned the backs of my eyes.

I was just an omega.

I knew that it was impossible for the Alpha to choose an Omega as the future Luna.