CHAPTER ONE: THE BETRAYAL

Aria's POV 

“I really can't wait for tomorrow to come,” I chuckled, rolling onto my back. The faint scent of lavender from my pillow calmed my nerves, but my heart raced thinking about Jax, our Beta's son.

I stretched out on my soft bed, the cool cotton sheets brushing my skin as I clutched my phone tight. A sleepy smile tugged at my lips. Jax’s voice always woke me up better than the morning sun streaming through my window.

“Me too, baby,” he replied, his voice light but warm. “I miss your pretty face.”

“Mm..hnn.. Do you really?” I teased, hopping up to adjust the window blind. Moonlight spilled into my room, casting shadows on the tiled floor. “Because you don’t sound like you mean it.”

“I do, baby,” he said softly. “Your father has just had me tied up with pack matters. Not that I’m complaining. I need to prove I’m worthy of an Alpha’s daughter, don’t I?”

“That's a fair point,” I hummed, sinking back onto my bed. “But you always say that. You should just admit I miss you more than you miss me.”

Jax chuckled. “Confident, aren’t you?”

“Always.” I smirked into the phone, picturing the boyish grin that usually followed his laugh. “Besides, tomorrow I’ll prove it. You won’t want to let me go.”

“Tomorrow,” he repeated softly, almost distracted. Then he cleared his throat. “Actually, baby, I should let you rest. And—uh—I need to take care of something before it gets too late.”

I frowned, twirling a strand of my blonde hair between my fingers. “Now? But we’ve barely talked.”

“I know, Aria, I know.” His voice was smooth, almost rehearsed. “But it’s important. Can we talk tomorrow instead?”

I shook my head even though he couldn’t see me. “No. Just a little longer. I don’t care if you’re busy. I like hearing your voice—it helps me sleep.”

He sighed, low and hesitant, like he wanted to argue but couldn’t bring himself to. “You’re stubborn.”

“You knew that before you asked me out. And I'm quite sure that's why you love me,” I teased. “Just five more minutes,” I whispered, clutching the phone closer.

Jax’s sigh brushed through the speaker. “Aria, you’re impossible. I really need to—”

“I’ll hang up in a second, I promise.” I grinned, even though my eyelids were heavy. “I just want to fall asleep with your voice still in my ear.”

He chuckled softly, a sound that usually melted me. “You’re trouble, you know that?”

“Your trouble,” I murmured back.

Silence stretched, his breathing steady in my ear. My thumb brushed over the screen, and I thought I’d hit the red button to end the call. The screen went dark, and I tossed the phone aside, curling into my pillow with a sleepy smile.

God. Jax was finally going to propose to me tomorrow. I could feel it, like a spark in my chest, a pull deep inside like the pack bond we shared, humming faintly under my skin. Our forever starts tomorrow.

But the line hadn’t actually disconnected.

Through the quiet of my room, voices leaked from the speaker—muffled at first, then clear.

“Jax,” a woman’s voice said firmly, almost impatient. “We need to talk. I can’t keep this a secret anymore.”

My eyes snapped open. That voice. It was familiar, too familiar. Lyra. My half-sister. My stomach twisted, remembering the way she’d glared at me this evening, her eyes cold as she stormed out of the pack house.

“I’m pregnant,” she continued, without hesitation. “And it’s yours.”

For a moment, my heart stopped. The room seemed to close in, airless and suffocating. I fumbled for the phone, my chest so tight I could barely breathe. 

Instead of denial, instead of anger, Jax’s voice came through—low but filled with something I never heard when he spoke to me. Warmth. Excitement.

“Are you sure you're pregnant, Lyra?” he repeated, almost disbelieving. 

“Yes.”

A soft laugh escaped him. “You don’t know how happy that makes me, Lyra.”

Happy. My half-sister was pregnant with his child, and he was happy. 

I pressed the phone harder to my ear, desperate to believe I had heard wrong. But the sound of his laughter—his joy—was unmistakable.

Lyra’s sigh was relieved, tender. “So… you really want this? You’re not scared?”

“Scared?” Jax’s voice brimmed with certainty. “No. This is the best news I’ve had in a long time. I want this, Lyra. I want us.”

The call went dead with a faint click. I didn’t know if Jax hung up or if my trembling fingers finally managed to end it. Either way, the silence in my room was deafening.

My chest burned like something inside me was tearing apart. This couldn’t be real. Jax wouldn’t do this. Not to me. Not when tomorrow was supposed to be our forever.

But the truth sat heavy, undeniable. Tomorrow was supposed to be ours. Now it felt like a cruel joke.

Without thinking, I shoved the blankets aside and stumbled to my feet. My legs carried me before my mind could catch up, down the stairs, through the long hallway that led to Father’s study. 

The air smelled faintly of pine from the pack house’s polished floors. A distant howl echoed outside, sharp and wild, making the bond in my chest hum uneasily.

I reached the study, where light spilled from the cracked oak door. I pushed it open without knocking.

Father looked up from behind his desk, startled. His reading glasses sat low on his nose, papers scattered in front of him, the soft glow of the lamp highlighting the silver strands in his dark hair.

“Aria?” His brow furrowed. “What’s wrong? It’s late.”

“Father…” My voice broke, trembling with rage and pain. I gripped my phone so tight my knuckles turned white. “Jax—” I swallowed hard, my throat dry. “He has been lying to us. To me. To you.”

Father slowly removed his glasses, setting them on the desk. His gaze sharpened, every trace of weariness gone. “What do you mean?”

“He—” I swallowed, my mouth dry. “I thought I ended the call, but I didn’t. I heard him. With Lyra.” The words cracked as they spilled out. “She told him she’s pregnant. With his child. And he—he was happy, Father. He wants her.”

For a long moment, none of us spoke a word. My father leaned back in his chair, studying me like he was weighing every word I just said. His presence filled the study, the faint power rolling off him making my skin prickle.

“Pregnant?” he repeated, his voice low and dangerous.

Tears stung my eyes, but I blinked them back . “Yes. And you told me he plans to propose tomorrow. To me. Was that a lie?”

My father’s fists tightened at his sides. Slowly, he exhaled, steadying himself. His voice, when it came, was calm—too calm. 

“No. It wasn't. I did not expect such treachery from him. But if what you say is true…” His gaze hardened, a storm gathering behind his eyes. “…then Jax has made a grave mistake. Leave this to me, Aria. I will confront him.”

My throat burned, but I nodded, forcing myself to believe him. To believe that Father would protect me. That I hadn’t lost everything tonight.

I turned and walked out of the study, the night air cold against my damp cheeks. But just as I reached the hall, his voice followed—lower now, sharp and clipped, like the edge of a blade.

“Make sure everything is ready for tomorrow. She doesn’t suspect a thing.”

I froze, my hand tightening on the doorknob.

She? Me? No one was in the room with him. So who was he talking to?