All Chapters of Her Second Mate: Chapter 1 - Chapter 4

~Aria~My legs didn’t wait for my brain’s permission they just ran. The forest was quieter than it should have been. Every step I took felt heavier, like the earth wanted to pull me under.My wolf wasn’t speaking anymore. She lay curled in the corner of my mind, silent except for the occasional low growl whenever Darius’s face flashed in my thoughts.The rejection had left its mark an ache in my chest, a hollow in my gut but worse than the pain was the humiliation. Everyone had seen it.I pushed through the undergrowth, heading toward the small trail that led out of Blood Moon territory. I didn’t take anything with me. Not that I owned much worth taking.The cold air slapped against my face, but it was nothing compared to the fire tearing through my chest.That was the thing they never told you about rejection you didn’t just hear it. You felt it. A tearing, burning ache that crawled into your bones and refused to leave.I clutched at my shirt like it could hold the pieces of me

~ Aria~ I woke with a jolt, chest heaving, breath tearing through my lungs. My pulse thundered in my ears as the dream clung to me like damp shadows me, running. Feet pounding against unseen ground. The air thick, every breath a fight. I didn’t know who, or what, was behind me. I only knew I couldn’t stop. But it wasn’t just a dream. It felt like my life, painted in motion running without rest, without safety. And though I pretended not to, I already knew who I was running from. And why. For a long moment, I stared at the ceiling, waiting for my heartbeat to slow. Then I sat up. The silk sheets twisted around my legs like soft, silken chains smooth, too smooth. The room they’d given me was small but elegant. White walls, a crystal mirror, a silk curtain swaying at the window. Beautiful. Almost too beautiful for someone they didn’t even know. I hadn’t told them my name, yet they offered me comfort. My plan was simple: show gratitude, then disappear. Even the bed smelled clean