Aria released a slow breath as her eyes settled on the leather folder resting in her hands.
The thin stack of parchment inside felt far heavier than ordinary pages. It was as if the truth written across them carried a weight her heart could barely withstand.
For seven days she had kept it hidden inside the packhouse, carrying the secret like a stone in her chest. More than once she had tried to tell her mate. The words would rise to her lips… only to die there as fear tightened around her throat.
She could not hide it forever.
Within a werewolf pack, secrets rarely remained buried. The Moon Goddess had a way of dragging hidden truths into the light.
“Little moon…”
Her mate’s voice sounded from the doorway.
Aria startled so violently that her wolf stirred beneath her skin. In a quick motion she slid the folder beneath the pillows on their bed just as Caleb stepped into the room.
By the time he approached her, she had already forced a calm smile onto her face.
Caleb closed the distance easily and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her against his chest as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
He lowered his head to the crook of her neck, where the faint silver glow of their mate mark rested against her skin.
“Something troubles you,” he murmured quietly.
The deep rumble of the Alpha wolf within him vibrated through his voice. It was a sound that once brought her comfort.
He pressed several lazy kisses along the back of her neck, his breath brushing against the mark the Moon Goddess had given them.
Aria chuckled softly and pushed him away after a moment.
Caleb immediately frowned, looking almost like a sulking pup whose playtime had been cut short.
Amused despite herself, Aria pointed toward the bathing room.
“Go clean yourself first. You smell like you’ve been sparring with half the warriors.”
Caleb grumbled under his breath but obeyed, disappearing behind the wooden door.
The moment it shut, Aria rushed back to the bed and pulled the hidden folder free.
Without hesitation, she shoved it deep inside the cupboard.
Sooner or later she would tell him.
The truth inside that file could not remain hidden forever.
---
Later that evening, Aria stood in the kitchen of the packhouse, reheating the stew over the fire.
The scent slowly filled the room just as Caleb returned, his hair still damp from washing.
He sat at the long wooden table and began eating.
He had barely taken a few bites when his head lifted slightly, his gaze turning distant.
Aria knew the look immediately.
Someone was mindlinking him.
Caleb listened silently for a moment before his expression hardened.
“Alright,” he said aloud to the unseen voice in his mind. “I’m coming.”
Aria raised a questioning eyebrow as he stood.
“Clara called through the mindlink,” Caleb said quickly as he grabbed his cloak from the chair. “She’s upset. I could hear her crying.”
His jaw tightened.
“I should go see what happened.”
Aria nodded slowly, though an uneasy feeling stirred deep inside her chest.
Caleb leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead before striding out of the packhouse.
The door had barely closed when Aria groaned and smacked her forehead lightly.
Marcus.
She had completely forgotten she was supposed to meet her brother tonight.
She grabbed her cloak quickly, but before she could leave, a voice suddenly echoed in her mind.
Aria, come here right now.
It was Sophia.
Aria frowned.
Sophia was not the type to send urgent mindlinks without reason. If she was calling her like this, something serious must have happened.
Without wasting another moment, Aria headed toward the place Sophia had directed her to.
---
But the moment she arrived, her steps stopped cold.
Standing there were Clara… Caleb’s mother… Marcus… Sophia…
And Caleb himself.
Aria’s heart dropped the instant she saw Marcus’s face.
Dark bruises covered it.
She rushed toward him immediately.
“Moon Goddess, Marcus!” she gasped, gently touching his injured cheek. “What happened to you? Who did this?”
Marcus looked at her with exhausted, sorrowful eyes.
But before he could speak, Caleb’s voice sliced through the air.
“Don’t bother touching that bastard, Aria. Your hands will only get dirty.”
Aria froze.
Slowly, she turned toward her mate.
Sophia looked ready to explode with rage, but Aria subtly shook her head, stopping her.
“Caleb,” Aria said sharply. “What is wrong with you? How dare you speak about my brother like that?”
Caleb scoffed.
Clara clung to his arm while crying softly, and Caleb’s mother—the former Luna of the pack—glared coldly at Aria and Marcus.
“This scumbag tried to force himself on my sister,” Caleb growled. “He tried to assault Clara.”
The accusation struck Aria like a thunderclap.
She turned to Marcus instantly.
Marcus shook his head desperately.
“Aria,” he said hoarsely, “I swear on the Moon Goddess and on our parents’ graves—I didn’t do that. She’s lying. I would never do something like that. Please believe me.”
Caleb looked ready to attack him again.
But Aria spoke first.
“I believe you.”
The words stunned everyone.
Aria did feel terrible for Clara—if the accusation were true.
But she knew her brother better than anyone.
Marcus loved Sophia with all his heart. He had never even looked at another woman.
Not even during the rowdiest full-moon celebrations.
“Aria, have you lost your mind?” Caleb shouted. “Look at Clara! Her body is covered in bruises! You’re a woman too—are you saying she’s lying?”
“I never said that,” Aria replied calmly, though her voice trembled slightly. “But I won’t condemn my brother without proof.”
She drew a slow breath.
“This is a serious accusation, Caleb. The council of elders should investigate. If Marcus is guilty, he will face the pack’s judgment. But if he isn’t—”
“Then my daughter will be branded a liar!” Caleb’s mother snapped. “I will not allow that.”
Her gaze turned icy.
“There is only one solution. Marcus will take Clara as his mate. That way our families avoid disgrace.”
Marcus’s eyes blazed with fury.
“I would never claim her as my mate!” he shouted. “I didn’t even touch her! She’s framing me! I love Sophia—only Sophia!”
Caleb punched him again.
Aria shoved Caleb away instantly.
“Marcus!”
“Aria, I’m telling the truth,” Marcus pleaded. “She’s setting me up.”
He turned toward Sophia.
“Sophia… I swear to you. I would never betray you.”
Sophia nodded firmly and wrapped her arms around him protectively.
“Enough, Caleb,” Aria said coldly. “I will not tolerate you striking my brother again. Until his guilt is proven, he is innocent.”
Caleb glared at her.
“Fine,” he said darkly. “Then we’ll bring this before the Alpha Council tomorrow. And when the truth comes out, you’ll regret siding with him.”
Clara trembled beside him while Caleb’s mother suddenly looked uneasy.
“Caleb… perhaps bringing this before the council isn’t wise,” she murmured. “What will the pack think?”
“I don’t care what the pack thinks,” Caleb snapped. “My sister deserves justice.”
Then he turned toward Aria.
“Choose, Aria.”
His voice dropped dangerously low.
“Your brother… or me.”
For a moment, his eyes softened slightly.
Silently begging her to choose him.
But Aria already knew her answer.
“I will never abandon my brother when he needs me most,” she said quietly.
Caleb let out a hollow laugh.
“Very well,” he said bitterly. “Then tomorrow we present this before the council. And after that… the mate bond between us will be severed.”
“Caleb—” Marcus tried to speak, but Aria stopped him.
“If your sister’s accusation means more to you than our five years together… and the three years we’ve been bound by the Moon Goddess,” Aria said softly, tears filling her eyes, “then do what you must.”
She stepped closer to him.
“But understand this… once the bond between us is broken, it can never be restored.”
Caleb nodded stiffly before turning away, pulling Clara with him.
His mother followed behind them, avoiding Aria’s gaze.
Marcus wrapped his arms around his sister.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
Aria smiled gently and patted his back.
Deep inside her heart, she already knew the truth.
Marcus was not the one who destroyed everything that night.
It was Caleb’s pride.
His blind trust in his sister.
And his refusal to stand beside the woman who had once been destined to be his Luna.
And though he didn’t realize it yet—
One day Caleb would desperately try to gather the shattered pieces of the life he had destroyed.
Only to discover there was nothing left for him to hold.
Chapter 1Aria's POV
My chest ached so badly it felt as if my wolf was clawing desperately inside my ribcage.
Tears blurred my vision as I pressed a trembling hand over my heart, trying to steady the frantic pounding beneath my palm. Inside my mind, my wolf paced restlessly, whining in pain as though she could feel the mate bond between us stretching thinner with every passing heartbeat.
How could Caleb do this to us?
How could the man who once stood beside me beneath the sacred moonlight—swearing before the Moon Goddess that I was his destined Luna—decide to sever our bond in the span of a few moments?
Years of love.
Years of trust.
And he was ready to throw it all away as if it had never meant anything.
What had gone wrong between us?
Had I truly done something so terrible that my Alpha—my mate—would cast me aside like an unwanted omega?
No.
This could not be how our story ended.
Our bond had been forged beneath countless full moons. The Moon Goddess herself had blessed it. It could not crumble simply because of a single accusation.
Just because his stepsister claimed something had happened and my brother had become the accused did not mean Caleb could simply destroy our marriage… or the sacred bond tying our wolves together.
I needed to speak with him.
I had to make him understand.
I remained seated in the quiet chamber of the packhouse for a long time, my thoughts spiraling endlessly. Finally, gathering the last of my courage, I closed my eyes and reached out through the mate mindlink that still connected us.
My wolf stirred anxiously.
Caleb…
For a moment, there was nothing but silence.
Then the link opened.
He had heard me.
But neither of us spoke.
Silence stretched between our minds like thick fog drifting through a dark forest—heavy, suffocating, impossible to escape.
I squeezed my eyes shut as tears slipped down my cheeks.
Through the bond, I could feel his presence.
His emotions were turbulent.
Rough.
Unsteady.
Like a wolf barely holding itself back from losing control.
Caleb… I whispered again.
A long breath echoed faintly through the link.
Aria.
His voice sounded hoarse, raw with emotion. Beneath it, I sensed the bitter taste of strong liquor dulling his senses.
My chest tightened painfully.
Please don’t do this, I pleaded softly. We can resolve everything else first. Let the truth come out before we make a decision like this. Breaking our bond does not have to happen now.
Caleb… please.
For several heartbeats, the mindlink remained silent.
Then he spoke again.
I don’t want this either, Aria.
His voice cracked.
Believe me, I hate this. I still love you. The Moon Goddess knows I do.
My wolf whimpered softly at his confession.
Then come back to me, he continued, desperation creeping into his voice. Stop defending him. Leave your brother out of this and stand beside me instead.
Please.
The desperation in his voice twisted painfully around my heart.
I closed my eyes, fighting another wave of tears.
I can’t do that, I whispered.
Marcus is my brother. He’s the only family I have left. How can you ask me to abandon him?
A sharp scoff echoed through the link.
And Clara is my sister, Caleb snapped.
Before my father returned to the Moon Goddess, I promised him I would always protect her. I swore it as his son and as the future Alpha of this pack. I cannot betray that promise.
His voice hardened.
If you continue defending your brother, Clara will forever see you as the sister of the wolf who harmed her. Every time she looks at you, she will remember that night.
Then his tone softened again.
Almost pleading.
But if you come back to us… if you stand beside her and show her you believe her, we can still fix this.
The pack will see their Luna standing beside her Alpha.
You can still save our bond, Aria.
My fingers trembled as I wiped the tears from my cheeks.
I felt completely helpless.
So that’s what you want? I asked quietly.
You want me to choose between you… and my own brother.
Caleb didn’t answer.
The silence spoke louder than any words.
I inhaled slowly before speaking again.
Then listen to me carefully, Caleb.
My thoughts trembled, but I forced the words forward.
You stand with your sister, and I will stand with my brother. If it turns out Marcus truly committed something unforgivable, I will kneel before Clara myself and beg for her forgiveness in front of the entire pack.
I swallowed the painful lump in my throat.
But until the truth is revealed… I will not abandon him.
The silence that followed felt colder than the longest winter night.
Finally Caleb spoke again.
His voice sounded distant.
Bitter.
Fine.
Do whatever you want. If you’re determined to destroy what we have, then go ahead.
He paused.
I… I don’t even recognize you anymore, Aria.
His words cut deeper than claws.
I don’t know who you’ve become.
Before I could respond, the mindlink snapped shut.
But not before I felt the echo of his broken sob through the fading bond.
My hand slowly fell to my lap.
Fresh tears slid down my pale cheeks as quiet whimpers escaped my throat, soon turning into uncontrollable sobs.
Why, Caleb?
Why couldn’t he wait for the truth?
Why was he so determined to end our bond like this?
“Aria…”
Marcus’s voice broke through my thoughts.
I hurriedly wiped my face, not wanting him to see me like this. I didn’t want him blaming himself for my pain.
But the more I wiped my tears, the more they fell.
When I finally looked up at him, my eyes were swollen and burning.
“I’m sorry,” Marcus whispered.
His voice was heavy with guilt.
“I’m so sorry, sis.”
He wrapped his arms around me tightly.
I could feel his body trembling as he cried as well.
I immediately shook my head and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead.
“No,” I said firmly.
“You don’t need to apologize.”
I pulled back slightly so he could see the truth in my eyes.
“I believe you, Marcus.”
My voice softened.
“I know the kind of wolf you are.”
Even if the whole pack turned against us…
Even if I lost more than I already had…
“I will stand beside you.”
My grief slowly hardened into determination.
“We’re going to fight this together,” I said.
“We will prove your innocence before the pack council.”
I squeezed his shoulders.
“I promise you something right now.”
I met his gaze firmly.
“Your sister will never abandon you. No matter what happens.”
Marcus nodded quietly.
He reached up and wiped the tears from my cheeks.
I did the same for him.
Then we hugged each other again, holding on tightly.
Drawing strength from the bond that had kept us together since the day our parents returned to the Moon Goddess.
Because even if the pack rejected us…
Even if my Alpha chose to walk away from me…
I would never turn my back on the only family I had left.
Chapter 2Third Person's POV
Aria had always believed that protecting Marcus was the purpose the Moon Goddess had given her.
She was five years older than her younger brother, and from the time they were pups, she had quietly taken responsibility for him. Even as children running through the forested lands of their pack territory, she had always walked a step behind him—watching, guarding, making sure nothing would harm him.
But when tragedy struck their family, Aria had been only sixteen, while Marcus was still an eleven-year-old boy who barely understood what death truly meant.
Their parents—both loyal warriors of the pack—had died during a brutal attack by rogues along the border of their territory. The battle had been sudden and merciless, and by the time the pack arrived to drive the rogues away, it was already too late.
From that moment on, the siblings were left alone beneath the watchful eyes of the pack.
Yet long before that tragedy, Aria’s future had already been quietly tied to another.
From the day she was born, the elders of two influential families within the pack had agreed that one day she and Caleb would be joined as mates.
Such arrangements were not uncommon among powerful pack bloodlines. They were meant to strengthen alliances, preserve stability within the territory, and ensure unity among the wolves who carried the pack’s future.
It had never been meant to force two wolves into a loveless bond—only to guide the paths their lives would take.
Fortunately, what had begun as a promise between families slowly blossomed into something genuine.
Aria and Caleb had grown up within the same territory, training under the same elders and learning the ancient traditions of their kind together.
From a young age, their wolves had always been comfortable around one another. Even before their mate bond awakened, there had been an unspoken pull between them—something deeper than simple friendship.
Their personalities were remarkably alike.
Both were stubborn.
Both fiercely loyal.
Both willing to protect the people they loved with tooth and claw if necessary.
Because of those similarities, affection had grown between them naturally over the years.
By the time they reached adulthood, what had once been nothing more than an agreement between two families had become something far more powerful.
It had become love.
When Caleb turned twenty-one, his father—who had served as one of the pack’s leading Alphas in the council—passed away after a long illness.
With his death, Caleb inherited both his father’s responsibilities and the heavy expectations that came with them.
Leadership was never an easy burden.
And yet Caleb carried it with determination.
Clara, his younger stepsister, was the daughter Caleb’s father had with his second mate later in life. Though Caleb had never truly felt comfortable around the woman his father had chosen as his second Luna, he cared deeply for Clara.
On his father’s final night, beneath the pale glow of the Moon Goddess, Caleb had made a promise.
He would always protect his younger sister.
No matter the cost.
Clara and her mother had always treated Aria kindly as well, and for many years their relationship appeared peaceful and harmonious within the pack.
Meanwhile, Marcus grew into a cheerful and hardworking young wolf.
Despite losing their parents so young, he never allowed bitterness to take root in his heart.
When he turned eighteen, he met Sophia during their final year of training at the pack’s warrior academy—a place where young wolves learned to control their transformations, hone their strength, and understand the ancient laws that governed their kind.
What began as a simple friendship soon deepened into genuine love.
Two years later, beneath the light of the full moon, Marcus asked Sophia to become his future Luna.
She accepted without hesitation.
Their engagement was celebrated warmly throughout the pack. The elders blessed their union, and many believed the two young wolves would bring prosperity and happiness to the territory in the years to come.
Everything seemed perfect.
But while Marcus was happily building his future, someone else had already begun watching him with growing resentment.
And that person’s jealousy would soon destroy everything.
Among werewolves, jealousy was often described as the most poisonous sickness that could infect a wolf’s heart.
Once it took root, it spread like wildfire—devouring reason, loyalty, and love until nothing remained.
And when that fire burned long enough, it destroyed everything in its path.
Even the one who carried it.
---
Weeks passed beneath the watchful gaze of the Moon Goddess.
Just as Caleb had declared during their final argument, a formal mate rejection decree was delivered to Aria at the packhouse. The parchment bore the Alpha seal of his family and the mark of the pack council, leaving no doubt that the process had already been set into motion.
Along with it came the official accusation against Marcus—an allegation that he had attempted to dishonor Clara.
Not long after, several pack warriors arrived at Aria’s home.
Under the authority of the elders and the Alpha council, Marcus was taken into custody to await judgment before the pack.
Neither Aria nor Marcus were surprised by the arrest.
They had known this moment would come.
The Wolfhart they had long feared—the formal trial where the truth of a wolf’s crime was judged beneath the law of the pack—had finally been called.
Even so, deep inside Aria’s heart, a fragile thread of hope still remained.
She believed her marriage could survive this storm.
In her mind, severing a mate bond was never meant to be the answer. A bond blessed beneath the sacred light of the Moon Goddess was not something to discard lightly. It was a sacred tie between two wolves—one that should never be broken without absolute certainty.
She believed she and Caleb should wait until the elders uncovered the truth before making a decision that could never be undone.
But Caleb refused to listen.
---
The mate rejection decree felt unusually heavy in Aria’s hands as she stood before the house that had once been her home.
The Alpha’s residence.
For a long moment, she simply stood there, staring at the familiar wooden doors carved with the ancient symbols of the pack. This place had once been filled with warmth, laughter, and the quiet comfort that only bonded mates could share.
Now it felt cold.
Distant.
Unfamiliar.
Slowly, she pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The air smelled the same—cedarwood, fire smoke, and the lingering scent of Caleb’s wolf—but the warmth that once lived in those walls had vanished.
Even though everything between them had already begun to crumble, Aria still wanted to speak with him one last time.
Ending a relationship was painful enough.
But ending a mate bond blessed beneath the Moon Goddess was far more serious. It was not something wolves treated lightly. A bond tied by fate and sealed by the Moon was sacred.
It should never be broken without a final conversation.
She opened her mouth to call his name.
But before the sound could leave her lips, something else reached her ears.
A faint groan.
Low.
Breathy.
It came from the bedroom.
Aria froze instantly.
Her wolf stirred uneasily inside her mind, lifting its head in alarm as she listened more carefully.
She recognized that voice.
It was Caleb.
But the soft moan that followed did not belong to her.
The realization struck her like lightning.
Blood roared in her ears as her heart seemed to stop beating entirely.
Moments later, the bedroom door swung open.
Caleb stepped into the hallway.
He was half dressed, his shirt hanging loose and his hair disheveled, completely unaware of her presence.
He walked forward casually—
Until his eyes suddenly landed on the pale feet standing before him.
His steps stopped.
Slowly, his gaze lifted.
Up her legs.
Up to her trembling hands.
Until it finally met her eyes.
Electric gray.
Aria’s expression was empty.
Hollow.
She looked as though her soul had already left her body.
Caleb’s face drained of all color.
Shock and guilt flashed across his features as the truth dawned on him.
She had seen everything.
Neither of them moved.
She stared at him in silent disappointment.
He stood frozen in horror.
Then footsteps sounded from the doorway behind them.
Lupas entered the house.
He was one of the pack scribes, a wolf tasked by the elders to witness important legal rites—especially those involving the breaking of sacred bonds.
When he noticed the tense silence in the room, his brows furrowed slightly.
Without saying a word, Aria calmly reached into her satchel and pulled out the parchment bearing the mate rejection decree.
Beside it was a small ceremonial blade used during rejection rites.
To Caleb’s complete disbelief, she signed the parchment immediately with steady hands, then pricked her finger with the blade. A drop of her blood stained the document, sealing her consent to the severing of their bond.
She handed the parchment to Lupas.
The scribe accepted it slowly, his expression filled with pity.
“My Luna…” he began gently. “You still have time to reconsider. A bond blessed by the Moon Goddess is not easily broken. Both of you may still speak before this becomes permanent.”
Aria let out a faint, humorless laugh.
“Every bond has its limits, Lupas,” she said quietly.
“Once those limits are crossed… there is nothing left to repair.”
She turned her gaze toward Caleb.
Tears shimmered in his eyes.
“Our bond crossed that limit today.”
Just then, a voice called from the bedroom.
“Caleb… where are—”
A young woman stepped out of the room, wrapped only in a blanket.
The moment she noticed Lupas standing there—and Aria beside him—her eyes widened in shock. Embarrassment flooded her face before she hurriedly retreated back inside the room.
The scribe grimaced slightly in disgust.
Aria, however, did not react at all.
Her expression remained eerily calm.
“Once the rejection rite is complete, send me a copy of the council record,” she said quietly.
Lupas nodded.
Without waiting for a reply, Aria walked past Caleb and toward the door.
He remained rooted to the spot.
His heart screamed at him to chase after her.
To beg for forgiveness.
To stop her from leaving.
But his feet refused to move.
Because deep down, he already knew the truth.
He was the one who had destroyed everything.
After a long moment, Caleb slowly reached for the parchment with trembling hands.
His chest tightened painfully as he pricked his own finger and let his blood fall onto the document beside hers.
The rejection rite was complete.
The mate bond between them shattered.
Far away from the house, as Aria walked beneath the fading evening sky, she felt the invisible thread connecting their souls finally snap.
Her wolf let out a long, mournful howl inside her mind.
But Aria did not stop walking.
Because in that moment, she realized something with absolute clarity.
From this day forward, her only goal was to fight for her brother’s justice.
She would do whatever it took to prove Marcus’s innocence—
Even if it meant standing against the entire pack alone.
Chapter 3Third Person's POV
Everything in Aria and Marcus’s lives was collapsing piece by piece—like a pack left leaderless beneath a darkened moon.
Nothing that had happened over the past months felt just or right. Misfortune followed them like a shadow, each new blow heavier than the last, until even breathing felt difficult.
Yet amid all the chaos, one thing within Aria only grew stronger.
Her faith in her brother.
The longer she watched Marcus suffer beneath the pack’s judgment, the more certain she became that he was innocent.
Marcus changed with each passing day.
The cheerful young wolf who once laughed easily and spoke excitedly about the future now seemed like a fading spirit. His shoulders were always hunched, his gaze distant, as if the light inside him was slowly being swallowed by darkness.
Whispers followed him everywhere within the territory.
When he passed other wolves, their mindlinks buzzed quietly with gossip and suspicion. Some did not even bother to hide their disdain. Their cold stares struck deeper than claws.
Depression wrapped itself around Marcus like iron chains.
If Aria and Sophia had not remained beside him during those first terrible weeks—speaking to him through their soft mindlinks and refusing to leave his side—Marcus might have done something reckless simply to escape the pain.
Their family’s fortune collapsed as well.
Pack trials were not only brutal—they were costly. Appeals to the council, petitions to the elders, and the endless legal disputes drained their resources quickly.
In the end, Aria was forced to sell the mansion that had belonged to their parents.
That home had once been filled with the scent of family—the warmth of shared meals, the echo of laughter during training days, and the comforting presence of the two people who had raised them.
Now it was gone.
Sold for coin that barely kept Marcus’s case alive before the pack council.
And Aria knew exactly who stood behind the Wolfhart tearing their lives apart.
Caleb.
Her former mate.
The Alpha was using every ounce of his authority to crush them.
It was not only rage over the accusations against his stepsister that drove him.
Part of it was bitterness.
Aria had rejected him.
She had chosen her brother over their sacred mate bond.
Caleb wanted her to return.
He wanted her to bow her head and beg for forgiveness.
But that day would never come.
Aria had endured far more pain than he believed she could bear. She knew that someday Caleb would regret what he was doing.
But when that day came…
His regret would mean nothing.
Meanwhile Marcus’s spirit continued to deteriorate.
The Pack Academy, once the place where he had trained for years, expelled him soon after the scandal spread across the territory. His dreams vanished overnight—even though no judgment had yet proven him guilty.
Whispers chased him everywhere.
Cold glances.
Cruel words sharp as silver blades.
Marcus was only twenty-one.
No matter how hard he tried to stay strong for Aria and for Sophia, the weight crushing down on him grew heavier each day. Slowly, painfully, he felt himself losing everything—including the wolf he once was.
After Aria managed to secure his temporary release from the council’s holding cells, Marcus tried to help rebuild their lives.
He searched for work across the territory.
But every door closed the moment wolves recognized his name.
Harsh words greeted him everywhere.
How could people condemn someone without knowing the truth?
Being accused of a crime you never committed was a torment that slowly tore a person apart from within.
Hatred burned in Marcus’s chest.
Even that word felt too small for what he felt toward Clara… and toward Caleb.
He understood Caleb believed he was protecting his sister.
But the lengths the Alpha had gone to were destroying far more than Marcus alone.
He was destroying Aria too.
---
“Marcus… pull yourself together,” Aria whispered softly.
She wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly as if afraid he might shatter.
“I’m still here,” she murmured gently through their faint sibling mindlink. “I’m not leaving you.”
Marcus buried his face in her shoulder as tears fell freely.
In his hand he clutched the silver ring he had once given Sophia beneath the full moon.
Only hours earlier, Sophia had ended their engagement.
Five months of hearings before the pack council and endless rumors had worn down her faith.
In the end… she could not keep believing.
“I… I think she believes them now,” Marcus choked. “She thinks maybe I really tried to hurt Clara.”
His voice broke completely.
Aria immediately shook her head and cupped his face.
“No,” she said firmly. “Listen to me, my little prince. I trust you. I know you would never do something like that.”
Her gray eyes softened.
“So stay strong… at least for me. We will prove your innocence.”
Marcus slowly pulled away, despair clouding his gaze.
“Caleb won’t stop,” he said bitterly. “He’s determined to ruin us. Why don’t you just give him what he wants?”
Aria frowned.
“He asked you to return to him,” Marcus continued quietly. “If you accept him again as your Alpha… as your mate… maybe he’ll leave me alone. I could even kneel before Clara and beg forgiveness—”
“For what?” Aria cut in sharply. “Did you touch her?”
Marcus shook his head immediately.
“Then we fight,” Aria said firmly. “We keep fighting until the truth comes out.”
She held his face gently.
“I will stand beside you until my last breath.”
Marcus’s eyes filled with tears again.
“I just want you to be happy,” he whispered.
Aria smiled faintly and hugged him again.
“I’ll be happy the day the entire pack realizes they were wrong,” she said quietly. “The day they beg for your forgiveness.”
Marcus managed a small smile through his tears.
Just then—
Knock. Knock.
The sound echoed through the small apartment.
After selling their mansion, Aria and Marcus had moved into a modest home at the edge of the territory. It was simple, but at least it gave them a place where the whispers of the pack could not reach so easily.
“I’ll see who it is,” Aria said softly. “Dry those tears.”
Marcus nodded weakly.
Aria walked to the door and opened it.
The moment she saw who stood outside—
All color drained from her face.
The man she had once loved more than anyone else in the world stood before her.
Caleb.
The Alpha.
His golden eyes gleamed faintly, and the aura of command around him filled the air like invisible pressure.
He chuckled when he saw her pale expression.
“Not even going to invite your Alpha inside?” he asked lazily.
Aria’s expression hardened.
She tried to close the door.
But Caleb pushed it open easily, forcing it aside as if her resistance meant nothing.
She stumbled backward as he stepped inside.
Two pack warriors followed behind him.
“What are you doing here?” Aria snapped. “Leave my home.”
Caleb ignored her and walked into the living room.
Marcus immediately stood up.
Caleb’s gaze landed on the silver ring resting on the wooden table.
A mocking smile curled on his lips.
“Well, well,” he drawled. “Looks like your butterfly finally flew away. I heard Sophia broke the engagement.”
He tilted his head slightly.
“Funny thing is… she’s already promised to another. Daniel Stroke—the French merchant who’s been visiting the northern territories.”
Caleb shrugged.
“A friend of mine, actually. Apparently he’s had his eyes on her for quite some time.”
He smirked.
“They’ll likely be wed before the next winter moon.”
His gaze locked onto Marcus.
“So tell me… how does that feel?”
Pain flashed across Marcus’s face.
Aria grabbed Caleb’s arm and forced him to look at her.
“Yes, Sophia ended things,” she said coldly. “But honestly, it’s better that way. Hard times reveal who truly cares.”
Her eyes burned with defiance.
“We don’t need people who abandon us when life becomes difficult.”
Marcus gave her a grateful smile.
Caleb’s jaw tightened.
“You’re playing with fire, Aria,” he warned darkly. “I told you what would happen if you refused to return to me.”
“I’d rather face consequences than return to a man like you,” she replied. “Loving you once was the greatest mistake of my life.”
Anger flashed in Caleb’s eyes.
In an instant he grabbed her waist and pulled her against him.
Aria struggled immediately, but his Alpha strength overwhelmed her.
Marcus rushed forward—
But Caleb’s warriors restrained him.
Caleb leaned close to Aria.
“I want to hate you,” he murmured quietly. “But I can’t. I still love you.”
His voice softened.
“These months without you have been torture. Even our wolves cry for each other through the broken mindlink.”
“Let me go,” Aria hissed. “Your touch disgusts me.”
His eyes darkened.
“Disgusts you?” he repeated bitterly. “This is the same touch you once begged for beneath the full moon.”
“That was before,” Aria said coldly. “Not anymore.”
Marcus shouted furiously.
“Let her go, Caleb!”
But Caleb ignored him.
“Do you know how I felt when I saw my sister bruised and crying?” he said coldly. “You deserve to feel the same pain.”
Before Aria could react, he shoved her against the wall and crushed his lips onto hers.
Tears streamed down her face as she struggled.
Her fists pounded against his chest.
But he pinned her wrists above her head.
Across the room Marcus roared in rage, trying desperately to break free.
Even Caleb’s own warriors looked away uneasily.
“Punish me instead!” Marcus shouted hoarsely. “Leave her alone! You’ll regret this, Caleb!”
Caleb finally pulled away, breathing heavily.
The moment he released her—
Aria collapsed to the floor.
For a brief moment guilt flickered across his face.
But when he saw Marcus kneeling there in tears, his expression hardened again.
“Now you know how it feels,” Caleb sneered.
“That’s how I felt when I saw my sister.”
He stepped forward and punched Marcus hard.
Aria gasped in horror.
Then—
A sharp crack echoed through the room.
Silence followed.
For the first time since everything began…
Aria had slapped the Alpha.
Chapter 4Third Person's POV
Caleb’s head snapped sharply to the side the instant Aria’s palm struck his cheek.
The crack of the slap rang through the cramped apartment like a whip across stone. A red mark immediately bloomed on his skin.
Aria stood before him trembling.
Her gray wolf eyes glowed faintly, the color deepened by fury and grief. Tears streamed down her face, and her lips—still bruised from the force of his kiss—quivered as she fought to steady her breathing.
For several long seconds, she said nothing.
She had to swallow the Wolfhart raging inside her chest before she could speak. Her wolf clawed beneath her skin, demanding blood, demanding justice.
What Caleb had done went far beyond cruelty.
It was humiliation.
Not only for her—but for her brother as well.
Her gaze flickered toward Marcus.
He was slumped against the floor, shoulders bowed, his head hanging low as if the weight of the world had finally crushed him. The proud young wolf who once carried himself with quiet confidence now looked utterly broken.
Caleb’s relentless torment had achieved exactly what it was meant to do.
And Aria had finally reached her limit.
“Get out.”
The words came out as a low growl, vibrating with the power of her wolf.
Caleb slowly turned his head back toward her.
His golden eyes locked onto the disgust burning in hers.
For a fraction of a second, something in his expression faltered.
Seeing that much hatred directed toward him clearly hurt.
But Aria no longer cared.
“Leave, Caleb Lutherford,” she said coldly, her voice shaking with fury. “You’ve already done more than enough damage. Tomorrow I will petition the Pack Council for a restraining decree. What you did today crossed every sacred boundary the Moon Goddess placed between mates.”
She pointed toward the door.
“So get out of my home.”
Caleb’s jaw tightened as he stepped closer.
His Alpha aura rolled outward like an invisible storm, pressing heavily against the room.
“I’ll give you two days,” he said in a low, dangerous voice. “Two days to think carefully.”
His eyes darkened.
“I am prepared to withdraw the charges. Clara and my mother are willing to settle this quietly before the council.”
He paused before revealing the price.
“But your brother must take responsibility. He will marry my sister. That is the only way to restore her honor before the pack.”
Then his gaze softened slightly as it fell on Aria.
“And you,” he continued quietly, “will return to me. Come back to your Alpha… and to your mate.”
For a moment Aria simply stared at him.
Then she laughed.
It was hollow. Bitter.
“Not happening.”
Her voice carried no hesitation.
“Neither my brother nor I will accept your disgusting offer. Marcus would never bind himself to a manipulative viper like your sister.”
Caleb’s temper flared instantly.
But Aria raised her hand sharply before he could speak.
“Don’t bother,” she cut him off.
“And as for me?” she added with icy calm. “I would rather walk this earth mate-less for the rest of my life than return to a man like you.”
Her voice dropped into a deadly whisper.
“Now walk out of this apartment before I throw you out myself.”
She pointed toward the door again.
“Tomorrow the council will receive my petition.”
Caleb’s eyes darkened dangerously.
“You’ll regret this,” he said coldly. “Both you and your brother will regret challenging your Alpha.”
Aria didn’t flinch.
“Do your worst, Mr. Lutherford.”
The two of them stared at each other in silence for several long seconds.
Then Caleb clenched his teeth and turned sharply toward the door.
His warriors followed him immediately, leaving Marcus collapsed on the floor.
The moment Caleb disappeared down the hallway, Aria rushed to her brother’s side.
---
Outside the building, Caleb stood rigid beneath the pale evening moon.
Every instinct within him screamed for him to turn around—to run back upstairs, tear down the door, and drag Aria back into his arms.
His wolf howled furiously inside his mind.
The distance between them felt wrong.
Unnatural.
Life without her had become unbearable.
The Alpha mansion that once felt alive now stood silent and hollow. Aria had been the one who filled its halls with warmth. Her scent had lingered in every room.
Without it, the place felt like a tomb.
And now everything was gone.
The hatred he had seen in her eyes earlier made one thing painfully clear.
He had already lost her.
Deep down Caleb knew that no matter what he did, winning back her love might be impossible.
But that didn’t mean he was willing to let her go.
He was selfish enough to admit that.
If forcing her to return was the only option left…
Then so be it.
He would break her resistance first.
Then he would mend the damage afterward.
Caleb trusted his sister completely.
To him, Clara was the victim.
And he would stop at nothing to punish the man who had hurt her.
Even if that meant turning the lives of those siblings into a living nightmare.
Anyone who made his sister cry deserved to suffer.
---
Back inside the apartment, Aria stayed beside Marcus for hours until his breathing finally steadied.
The next morning she sent a formal petition to the Pack Council, requesting a restraining decree against Caleb.
When the notice reached him later that day, fury burned through him like wildfire.
No one had the right to keep him away from the woman he loved.
But despite his rage, Caleb chose not to react immediately.
Instead, he waited.
He wanted Aria to break that decree herself.
To return to him willingly.
Weeks passed slowly.
Marcus’s mental state continued to deteriorate.
Nightmares haunted him almost every night. Sometimes he woke screaming, drenched in sweat. During the day he often sat silently for hours, staring into nothingness as if the world around him had faded away.
Aria brought a healer—an elder wolf skilled in mending wounded minds.
Marcus refused to speak to him.
Still, Aria refused to give up.
She fought tirelessly—for Marcus’s recovery and for justice.
But the situation only worsened.
During one of the council hearings, it became painfully clear that Marcus’s chances of winning the case were nearly nonexistent.
They had no evidence strong enough to disprove Clara’s accusations.
Aria’s hatred toward Caleb deepened even further when she discovered what he had done next.
He had bribed their advocate before the council.
A heavy pouch of gold had been enough to make the man abandon Marcus’s defense entirely.
Caleb’s influence and Alpha power were being used in the dirtiest possible ways.
He was determined to crush them.
But Aria refused to surrender.
She would fight until her last breath.
---
“Marcus?” she called softly one evening. “Where are you? Dinner is ready.”
Silence filled the apartment.
Her brows knit together.
Normally Marcus would at least answer.
“Marcus?” she called again as she walked toward his room.
Still nothing.
A strange unease crept into her chest.
She pushed the door open.
And the air vanished from her lungs.
Marcus lay on the floor.
Dark blood pooled beneath him, spreading across the wooden boards from deep wounds carved into both of his wrists.
“Marcus!”
Her scream shattered the silence.
She dropped to her knees beside him, tears flooding down her face.
“My brother… what have you done?” she sobbed, pressing trembling hands against his arms, desperately trying to stop the bleeding. “Stay with me… please stay with me.”
Her cries echoed down the hallway.
A neighbor rushed in after hearing the commotion.
Together they carried Marcus outside and hurried toward the nearest healers’ hall.
The healers rushed him immediately into the inner chamber.
Aria collapsed onto a bench outside, uncontrollable sobs shaking her body.
Her white blouse was soaked with Marcus’s blood.
Her trembling hands were stained crimson.
“You cannot leave me,” she whispered again and again. “Please don’t leave me…”
Hours crawled by.
She paced outside the chamber doors, whispering desperate prayers to the Moon Goddess.
Finally, after nearly two hours, a healer stepped out.
Aria rushed toward him immediately.
His expression was grim.
“Your brother remains in critical condition,” he said quietly. “We stopped the bleeding… but his spirit is fading. It is as though he has lost the will to live.”
Aria felt her knees weaken.
“The next twenty-four hours will be crucial,” the healer continued gently. “All you can do now… is pray.”
He walked away.
Aria remained standing there in silence.
That night she did not sleep.
She sat alone in the corridor, staring at the door of Marcus’s chamber while quiet tears slipped down her cheeks.
No one came to comfort her.
She faced everything alone.
The hours passed slowly.
And then, twenty-four hours later, the news she feared finally arrived.
The healer approached her quietly.
“I am very sorry, Miss Sinclair,” he said gently.
“Your brother has fallen into a coma.”
Chapter 5Third Person's POV
When Aria heard the healer’s words, her body went completely numb.
She slowly sank onto the chair beside Marcus’s bed, as if every ounce of strength had drained from her limbs. For several long moments she felt nothing—not her heartbeat, not even the steady rhythm of her breathing.
It was as if her soul had been torn from her body.
Her brother… her only family… the little wolf pup she had practically raised with her own hands… now lay suspended somewhere between life and death.
The healer had been painfully clear.
No one could say when Marcus might awaken from the coma.
It could take months.
It might take years.
Or perhaps…
He would never open his eyes again.
The thought shattered the fragile composure Aria had been clinging to.
Tears streamed down her face as she gently took Marcus’s pale hands in hers. She lifted them to her lips again and again, pressing soft kisses against his cold skin while quiet sobs shook her shoulders.
His wolf aura—once warm, steady, and vibrant—was now so faint that she could barely sense it through their blood bond.
It flickered weakly, like the last glow of a dying ember.
Why was fate always so cruel to those who had done nothing wrong?
Why were innocent wolves always the ones forced to bear the heaviest punishment for crimes they never committed?
Meanwhile Caleb, his sister, and their mother continued their lives as if nothing had happened.
They twisted the truth within the pack.
They whispered lies through their mindlinks and swayed the council with influence and power.
Aria, on the other hand, had faced everything with honesty. She had believed that truth alone would be enough to clear her brother’s name.
If she had been willing to fight with dignity… why couldn’t they?
She knew Marcus had been suffering for months.
She had seen the pain in his eyes, the way the accusations slowly crushed his spirit day after day.
She knew he had fallen into a deep darkness.
But she had never imagined it would push him this far.
She had never believed her strong little brother—the boy who once puffed out his chest and proudly promised he would protect her when he became a powerful wolf—would lose his will to live.
She never imagined the day would come when he would give up entirely.
---
ONE MONTH LATER
Life had become a constant battle for Aria.
Each day she worked tirelessly, taking whatever work she could find within the territory just to survive and pay the growing cost of Marcus’s care in the healers’ hall.
Every day felt the same.
Working.
Counting coins.
Praying silently to the Moon Goddess that everything would somehow hold together.
Clutching a small pouch filled with the money she had painfully gathered, she approached the reception desk of the healers’ hall.
“Good afternoon,” she said softly. “I’ve come to settle Marcus Sinclair’s monthly care fee.”
The young healer nodded politely and began checking the records carved into the crystal ledger stone used by the hall.
After a few moments, however, a small frown appeared on her face.
She looked up at Aria in confusion.
“But Miss Sinclair… your brother’s expenses have already been covered.”
Aria froze.
“What?”
The healer turned the ledger stone so Aria could see the name inscribed beneath the payment mark.
The moment Aria read it, fury surged through her veins.
Caleb Lutherford.
Her fingers tightened around the pouch of coins.
How dare he?
The healer shifted nervously as Aria’s expression darkened.
“I want that payment reversed,” Aria said coldly.
Her voice remained steady, but anger burned beneath every word.
“Return the gold he gave. I will cover my brother’s care myself.”
She placed her pouch firmly on the counter.
The healer hesitated but nodded slowly. Matters involving Alphas were rarely questioned—but Aria’s determination made it clear this was not negotiable.
Aria grabbed the pouch again and strode out of the healers’ hall, her mind blazing with anger.
He had already destroyed their lives.
And now he wanted to pretend he was helping?
---
She arrived at Caleb’s estate soon after.
The place was painfully familiar.
Once, it had been filled with warm memories—late evenings waiting for him, quiet meals shared beneath the moonlight, whispered conversations about the future they once believed they would have together.
Now the place felt suffocating.
Forcing down the ache rising in her chest, Aria walked straight toward Caleb’s private chambers.
“Wait—Lady Lutherford!” one of the servants called hurriedly. “The Alpha instructed that no one should disturb him.”
Aria didn’t stop walking.
“It’s Aria Sinclair now,” she said sharply.
Without hesitation she pushed the door open.
What she saw inside made her stomach twist with disgust.
Caleb stood beside the large oak desk, half dressed.
A woman sat on the edge of the desk before him, barely covered by a thin sheet.
Both of them froze when Aria stepped inside.
The woman gasped in panic before scrambling down and fleeing toward the adjoining room.
Caleb quickly pulled on his shirt while Aria turned her face away in revulsion.
The servant wisely stayed far down the corridor.
Everyone in the estate knew exactly what the Alpha had been doing.
“Aria, what are you—”
His words were cut short when Aria hurled the pouch of gold and the payment slip straight at his chest.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she snapped.
Her voice trembled with fury.
“Do you find our situation amusing? Do you really believe I would accept money from the man responsible for putting my brother in that bed?”
Caleb sighed heavily.
“You’re struggling,” he said quietly. “I thought—”
“You thought what?” she interrupted sharply.
“That you could play the generous Alpha and pay for my brother’s care?”
Her eyes burned with hatred.
“You’re the reason he’s lying there in the first place. You and your sister are the most disgusting wolves I have ever known.”
His expression darkened instantly.
He stepped closer.
“And what about your brother?” Caleb shot back. “Your brother attacked my sister.”
A bitter laugh escaped him.
“And now he tries to take his own life? That only proves he’s guilty—”
The rest of his sentence never came.
Aria’s hand struck his cheek with a loud crack.
“The case is still before the Pack Council, Caleb Lutherford,” she said coldly.
“Until the elders deliver their judgment, you have no right to condemn him.”
Her voice hardened.
“I trust my brother. And you will watch him be declared innocent with your own eyes.”
Before he could react, Caleb grabbed her arm.
Aria immediately jerked away.
“Don’t touch me.”
She raised her hands as if his skin were something filthy.
“I cannot believe I ever loved you,” she said bitterly. “I cannot believe I once dreamed of spending my life beside someone like you.”
Caleb stared at her silently.
“I was mated to a selfish Alpha who only cares about power and control,” she continued.
“That was my mistake.”
His chest tightened painfully.
“Remember this, Caleb,” Aria said quietly, meeting his gaze without fear.
“One day you will regret everything you’ve done.”
“You’ll crave comfort. You’ll long for real love.”
Her voice dropped into a whisper.
“But when that day comes… you’ll be completely alone.”
She held his gaze steadily.
“You will suffer more from regret than from any punishment the pack could give you.”
“What you did to my brother will haunt you for the rest of your life.”
“And the worst part is…”
Her voice softened.
“You won’t even be able to forgive yourself.”
Her words struck him like blades.
Without another word, Aria turned and walked out.
---
Caleb remained standing there long after she left.
His gaze slowly dropped to the scattered gold on the floor.
He bent down and picked up the payment slip, crushing it tightly in his fist.
His eyes burned red as unshed tears gathered.
Every word she had spoken echoed painfully in his mind.
He tried to ignore them.
But something about her warning unsettled him deeply.
What if…
She was right?
He shook his head sharply.
No.
His sister would never lie.
Clara had always respected Marcus.
Why would she falsely accuse him?
That made no sense.
Caleb sank onto the couch and pressed his palm against his forehead.
A single tear slipped down his cheek.
No matter how many women he brought into his chambers…
No matter how many bodies he touched…
None of them ever felt like Aria.
She had always been different.
And he had likely lost her forever.
He had destroyed her family’s fortune.
He had used his influence within the pack to crush them during the council hearings.
Yet when he heard Marcus had tried to take his life, guilt had gnawed at him.
That was why he paid the healers’ hall.
Because he knew Aria was struggling.
But now even that last thread of connection had been cut.
There was no chance she would ever return to him willingly.
Caleb leaned back slowly, his expression turning cold.
“She’s right,” he murmured quietly.
“I am selfish.”
His eyes hardened.
“Then I will show her just how selfish I can be.”
Chapter 6Aria's POV
“I’m sorry, Ms. Sinclair,” the healer murmured, his voice low and heavy with the kind of sorrow only years of tending broken wolves could teach. “We have tried every remedy known to the Moon. But your brother… his wolf has withdrawn too deeply. It is as if his spirit has turned its back on this world. He no longer struggles to return.”
The words pierced through me like a blade sliding between ribs.
For a moment, the air refused to enter my lungs.
I forced myself to breathe slowly, deliberately. If I shattered now, I would never gather the pieces again—and Marcus had no one else left to stand for him.
So I nodded once, stiffly, like a statue carved from Lutherford stone, and turned back toward the narrow infirmary bed.
Marcus lay utterly still beneath the pale glow of the moonstones set into the ceiling. Their faint silver light pulsed softly, meant to soothe wounded wolves and strengthen their connection to the Moon. But it did nothing for him.
He looked wrong.
Too pale. Too quiet.
A leather binding rested around his wrist where the healers had tied a charm threaded with wolfsbane-neutralizing herbs—standard practice when a wolf suffered a violent shift or spirit injury. A bowl of steaming tonic herbs sat beside the bed, its scent sharp and bitter in the air.
Yet Marcus hadn’t stirred in days.
The faint aura of his wolf flickered weakly around him—like the last sparks of a dying fire.
And I was running out of coin.
Caleb had made certain of that.
My former mate didn’t simply want Marcus punished.
He wanted me ruined.
Every bit of work I managed to find slipped away within days. A stable job might last a week—two if the Moon was feeling generous. A month at most before the same hollow excuse arrived from nervous employers who refused to meet my eyes.
Pack restructuring.
New hires.
Unexpected changes.
Lies.
All of it.
This had nothing to do with work.
This was Caleb Lutherford’s reach tightening around my throat.
He wanted to drive me into a corner. To starve me of options until I crawled back to him, head bowed like a disgraced omega begging forgiveness.
Until I accepted whatever humiliating conditions he chose to grant me and called it mercy.
But I wouldn’t.
I couldn’t.
I wrapped my fingers around Marcus’s cold hand, squeezing gently, hoping—ridiculously—that my warmth might reach him wherever his spirit had wandered.
“Don’t you dare leave me here alone, pup,” I whispered, leaning close so only he could hear. “Not like this.”
My voice trembled, but I forced the words out anyway.
“I’m not giving up the way you did. I’ll keep fighting. Until my last breath, Marcus. I swear it.”
I pressed my lips against his knuckles.
Salt touched my tongue. Tears I hadn’t realized had fallen.
Slowly, painfully, I straightened.
My legs protested with every step, but I forced them to carry me out of the infirmary chamber. If I stayed one moment longer, I would collapse beside his bed and never rise again.
---
The corridor beyond felt endless.
The air smelled of herbs, antiseptic smoke, and quiet grief.
Somewhere down the hall a healer murmured soft reassurances to a frightened mother cradling her injured pup, and the sound nearly broke me.
Where was I supposed to go now?
I had no work.
Our family trading house had already collapsed under Caleb’s pressure. Merchants who once welcomed us now refused our coin. Suppliers suddenly “forgot” their agreements. Even permits from pack officials had begun mysteriously disappearing.
Caleb’s name never needed to be spoken.
In territory ruled by a dominant Alpha bloodline, everyone understood the cost of crossing them.
Two weeks from now, the Pack Council would hear our case again.
And every day the scales tipped further against us.
What I still couldn’t understand was how far Caleb had fallen.
Not just as a man—
But as an Alpha.
Using the pack’s influence like a weapon to tear a family apart.
And the cruelest truth of all?
I had once loved him.
Loved him more than I loved myself.
Trusted him the way wolves trusted the Moon itself.
“Aria.”
The familiar voice cut through my thoughts.
I turned—and froze.
For a heartbeat, my lungs forgot how to work.
“Lily…”
She stood a few paces away, hair hastily tied back as if she’d rushed here without stopping to breathe. Her sharp eyes scanned my face, searching.
I barely managed a tired smile.
“You’re back.”
I didn’t even finish the sentence before she rushed forward and threw her arms around me.
The force of the hug nearly knocked me off balance.
“Lily—easy,” I wheezed, trying to laugh despite the ache in my ribs. “I’m not made of Lutherford iron.”
She pulled back abruptly.
The glare she shot me could have scorched the paint off the walls.
But what shocked me wasn’t the anger.
It was the tear sliding down her cheek.
“Lily?” I asked quietly, lifting my hand to wipe it away. “Why are you crying?”
She caught my wrist before I could touch her.
“You went through all of this alone,” she said, her voice shaking with fury. “Six months, Aria. Six months of silence.”
Her grip tightened.
“What am I to you? A stranger?”
My throat closed.
“Lily—”
“Are we not sisters anymore?” she snapped. “Because that’s what it felt like.”
“You are my sister,” I said immediately, the words rushing out because they were true. “Don’t ever doubt that.”
Instead of answering, she seized my hand and dragged me toward the small cedar garden beside the infirmary—a quiet place built so grieving families could breathe without breaking down before strangers.
---
We sat beneath the shade of the cedar tree.
Cool wind carried the scent of earth and leaves, steadying the restless stirrings of my wolf.
Lily crossed her arms.
“Explain.”
I stared at my trembling hands.
The truth felt humiliating in a way I couldn’t explain.
Lily had always been my person. The one who understood every version of me—the good, the bad, the ugly truths I hid from everyone else.
And somehow, in the middle of everything collapsing, I had shut her out.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “Everything became so heavy that I stopped thinking past the next hour. I lost track of everything.”
My voice broke.
“Even you.”
Her expression softened slightly.
She sighed and reached out to squeeze my hands.
“Don’t apologize,” she said more gently. “I was angry, yes. But I understand. No wolf should carry this much alone.”
Her gaze shifted toward the infirmary doors.
“How’s our little prince?”
The dam inside me shattered instantly.
“There’s been no improvement,” I whispered. “The healer believes… he’s given up.”
The rest of the sentence died in my throat.
Lily didn’t press me.
She simply pulled me into her arms.
And the moment she did—
I broke.
“I can’t do this anymore,” I sobbed, clutching her cloak like it was the last solid thing in the world. “Caleb destroyed everything. Marcus lies in there like a ghost and I can’t even save him.”
“That bastard,” Lily muttered darkly, her anger rumbling beneath her voice like a low growl. She rubbed my back gently the way she used to when we were young and the world felt survivable.
“You’re not alone anymore,” she said firmly. “We’ll fight for our little prince together.”
I wiped my face.
“The pack advocate says we have almost no chance,” I admitted quietly. “Caleb has allies everywhere. No one wants to challenge a Lutherford Alpha.”
I lowered my voice.
“I have no work left. Marcus’s treatments cost more than I can earn. Caleb wants me to crawl back to him.”
Lily grabbed my shoulders and forced me to meet her gaze.
“And you won’t,” she said with iron certainty. “Not for money. Not for mercy.”
She leaned closer.
“I want to help you. But you’re right—alone, I can’t stand against the Lutherfords.”
My brows furrowed.
“So what do we do?”
A slow smile curved her lips.
“I know someone.”
My chest tightened.
“Someone powerful,” she continued. “A wolf whose name carries weight among Alphas. One even Caleb might hesitate to provoke.”
I blinked.
“We don’t know anyone like that.”
“You know Luca,” she said.
I nodded.
“He serves this Alpha.”
My stomach twisted.
“Lily… I’ve never met this man.”
“I know,” she said gently. “But Aria… he may be the only one capable of helping you.”
Her voice softened.
“And you don’t have the luxury of pride anymore.”
My thoughts immediately turned to Marcus lying motionless in the infirmary.
“You have Marcus.”
Silence stretched between us.
Finally, I nodded.
“I trust you.”
Relief flashed across her face.
“Good.”
Chapter 7The following morning, a messenger wolf delivered the address Lily had promised.
The moment I saw the location written on the parchment, unease crawled up my spine.
The territory was… familiar.
Too familiar.
It lay dangerously close to the lands dominated by the Lutherford pack.
My nerves were already stretched thin when I arrived.
I had barely stepped onto the street when something small crashed directly into my legs.
“Oof—!”
I stumbled back in surprise.
A little boy—no older than six—had run straight into me like a reckless pup.
I crouched quickly, steadying him by the shoulders.
“Careful,” I said gently, brushing dust from his clothes. “Running near the road is dangerous.”
Instead of answering, the child stared at me with wide, searching eyes.
Like he was trying to recognize a scent buried deep in memory.
Then he whispered softly.
“Angel.”
I blinked.
“Angel?”
Before I could react, he threw his arms around my neck and hugged me tightly.
“Hey—easy,” I murmured, instinctively catching him so he wouldn’t fall. “What’s wrong?”
He buried his face against my shoulder.
“I knew my angel would come back,” he whispered sleepily. “Mama said my angel would return.”
A strange chill crept along my spine.
Still, the child didn’t seem afraid.
Only desperate.
I lifted him carefully into my arms.
“Alright,” I said gently. “Where are your parents?”
He pointed toward a towering stone building nearby.
My brows knit together.
It was the same place Lily had mentioned.
Confused but concerned, I carried him inside.
---
Moments later, a servant rushed toward us in alarm.
“Young Master!” she exclaimed. “Your father has been searching everywhere for you!”
She tried to take him from my arms.
The boy immediately tightened his hold around my neck.
“Don’t force him,” I said calmly. “Just tell me where his father is.”
The woman hesitated… then nodded reluctantly.
She led me through several long corridors before stopping at a massive office door.
Raised voices echoed inside.
The servant visibly paled.
“You may go in,” she said quickly before hurrying away.
I knocked.
“Enter!” a deep voice barked from within.
I pushed the door open.
The office looked like a storm had torn through it.
A heavy table lay cracked in half. Papers scattered across the floor. The air vibrated with the raw pressure of Alpha dominance.
“What do you want?” the man snapped.
Then he saw the child in my arms.
His entire expression changed.
“Adrian.”
He crossed the room in two long strides.
“Where were you?” he demanded tightly. “Do you know how long I’ve been searching?”
He reached for the boy.
Adrian tightened his grip around my neck.
“Don’t force him,” I said calmly.
The man paused.
Then his dark eyes lifted to me.
Sharp. Assessing.
“Who are you?”
Adrian yawned sleepily.
A moment later, his head dropped against my shoulder.
He had fallen asleep.
I gently laid him on the couch nearby, resting my hand on his back until his breathing steadied.
Then I turned to the man.
“I came to meet someone,” I said evenly. “But I found your son wandering outside. He refused to leave me.”
His expression remained unreadable.
“Who were you here to meet?”
“The owner of this territory,” I replied. “My name is Aria Sinclair. I was told to come here.”
Something flickered in his gaze.
Recognition.
Amusement.
A slow smirk spread across his face.
“You’ve found the right wolf, Ms. Sinclair.”
He extended his hand.
“Dominic Wolfhart.”