(Aria’s POV)I stood in front of Alexander, a light breeze brushing against my silver hair as the sunlight barely peeked through the clouds above. He looked at me like a wolf cornered, his golden eyes shimmering with desperation. That same desperation had followed me since the moment we left Derek's estate, and now I had to face it again."Why are you doing this, Alex?" I asked, exhaustion bleeding into my voice. I didn't want to have this conversation, but Sarah had insisted. She'd all but scolded me for not giving him the closure he apparently needed. But the truth was painful. For him. For me. For both of us.Alexander didn’t flinch. His gaze locked with mine, unyielding. His usual aura of confidence as an alpha was gone, replaced by something raw and unguarded. "You know why," he said softly, though his tone carried the weight of broken promises and years lost to distance. "You can’t ask me to walk away, Aria. I won’t. Not now."I tightened my grip on the edge of my coat agains
(Alexander's POV)"I fell in love with him."Her confession hit like a silver blade, slicing through every shred of hope I had clung to.My wolf howled so loudly inside me, I felt like my chest might collapse from the sound of its anguish. I couldn’t believe it, couldn’t accept it. The Aria I had known, the Aria who had been my everything from the orphanage to now, had told me she loved another alpha.Derek Silverstone.The name curdled in my chest like venom. The man had already taken so much, and now he had her heart too?I stared at her, my golden eyes blurring with the moisture building behind them. “What am I supposed to do?” I choked on the words as they left my mouth. My voice wavered, broken—just like the bond I felt slipping away. "What... What am I supposed to do without you, Aria?"I didn’t even care how pathetic I sounded. My pride as an alpha no longer mattered. The ache in my chest was too much, my wolf whimpering louder with each passing moment.Her head fell sli
(Alexander's POV)The world felt distorted, like the rain wasn't the only thing weighing me down. My thoughts swirled uncontrollably as I supported Aria into the backseat of my car, ignoring everything else around me.Her violet eyes briefly glanced at mine before darting away, and it stung worse than any wound ever could. I wanted to say something, anything, but the lump in my throat made forming words almost impossible.Her body slouched in exhaustion, and I retrieved a freshly cleaned healing cloth from the glove compartment. As I sat beside her, the delicate tremble of her silver hair caught my attention under the dim interior light. I gently pressed the cloth to her drenched strands, trying to dry them without causing her further discomfort.“It’s alright,” I murmured, my voice low enough that I wasn’t sure she heard me. My grip on the cloth tightened as my gaze unconsciously drifted to her neck.Derek’s marks stared back at me like silent reminders of everything I had failed
(Aria's POV)I stood rooted in place, my pulse hammering hard in my chest as I faced Derek. I had rehearsed this moment in my mind countless times, yet standing there, with his ice-blue eyes boring into me, I felt my resolve falter. But I couldn’t back away now. If I hesitated, I’d never find the courage to say the words that needed to be said.“Derek…” My voice came out soft, barely above a whisper. His gaze stayed locked on me, cold and steady, his expression unreadable. I swallowed the lump in my throat and tried again, raising my voice this time. “I need to thank you… for protecting me. For everything, truly.”A flicker of something passed over Derek’s sharp features. His hands, clenched at his sides, trembled slightly. Though his face remained stoic, I knew him well enough to catch the small tells of restraint he so carefully guarded.I forced myself to continue, even as my lips quivered. “You’ve done so much for me during my most vulnerable moments, and I’ll always be gratefu
(Aria's POV)Derek’s arms were like iron bands, holding me against the unforgiving edge of his chest. His cedar scent, usually sharp but bearable, now seemed suffocating.It felt as though the air around me thickened, heavy with his controlled yet freezing fury. His silence was deafening, a storm waiting to break, and my pulse hammered erratically.I glanced at Alexander, still kneeling in the rain-slicked courtyard beyond the estate’s grand doors, his golden eyes blazing through the downpour. He was drenched, weakened, yet the raw desperation in his gaze pierced through me.How long had he been standing out there before Samuel finally opened the gates? How much more had he endured—and for me?“Derek,” I murmured, my voice trembling as I forced myself to address the simmering rage I felt pouring from him. “Let me go.”But Derek didn’t release me. If anything, his arm tightened, pulling me closer to his unyielding form. His ice-blue eyes locked onto Alexander like a predator stalk
(Alexander's POV)The rain clung to me like despair, soaking through to my core. I stood there in front of her, completely exposed, my golden eyes locking onto her violet ones. She looked fragile. Her silver hair stuck to her face from the downpour outside, and the fresh marks on her neck screamed claims that didn’t belong to me.My vision blurred for a second, silver poisoning burning in my veins, but I didn’t care. All I could see was her—the Aria I had loved, the Aria I still loved—and the weight of everything I had lost.She stood still, hesitant, as if the space between us was no longer easy to cross. I took a shaky breath. Every word I was about to say was drowning in guilt and pain, but I needed her to hear it.“Aria,” I started, my voice cracking as I spoke her name. The name I hadn’t allowed myself to call for years.She stiffened, but didn’t look away.“I need you to know…” My throat felt dry despite the rain. “I wasn’t myself back then. What I did to you…” My words fal