Kael’s POV
Rebecca’s nails dug into my arm.
"Co on, Kael. It’ll be fun."
Fun. Right.
I let her drag through the entrance of the bar. The sa goddamn place where everything had started.
Where the mating ceremony had been held. Where I’d first called Aria my mate in front of hundreds of witnesses. Where my whole world had tilted on its axis.
Why did Rebecca have to choose this place?
"I reserved the VIP section," she said, her voice bright. Too bright. "Just like old tis."
Old tis. When I didn’t have silver eyes haunting my every waking mont.
We climbed the stairs to the elevated platform. The sa seats. The sa view. The sa everything.
I dropped onto the leather couch. Grabbed the nu without looking at it.
"Whiskey. Neat."
Rebecca settled beside . Her hand found my thigh. Squeezed.
"You’ve been so distant lately," she murmured. Her voice was honey and poison. "What’s going on with you?"
Nothing.
Everything.
"Work," I said. The lie ca easily. "Father’s been on my case about the succession."
"Mmm." She didn’t believe . I could tell by the way her eyes narrowed. "Is that all?"
I flagged down a server. Ordered my drink. Avoided her gaze.
The truth was, I couldn’t stop thinking about her.
Aria.
The way she’d looked at when I’d shoved that envelope into her hands. The devastation in those silver eyes. The trembling of her fingers.
*Stay away from after this.*
My own words echoed in my skull. Cold. Cruel. Final.
I’d ant them to be. I’d ant to cut her out of my life completely. To cauterize the wound before it spread.
But the wound wasn’t healing.
It was festering.
Every night, I saw her face. Every morning, I reached for soone who wasn’t there. Every goddamn second, I wondered what she was doing. If she was okay. If she hated as much as I hated myself.
*She should hate you,* Fenrir growled. *We deserve it.*
I didn’t argue.
"Kael."
Rebecca’s voice cut through my thoughts. Sharp. Impatient.
"What?"
"I’ve been talking for five minutes. You haven’t heard a word I said."
I looked at her. Really looked at her.
Golden hair. Green eyes. Perfect face. Perfect body. Everything an Alpha heir should want.
I felt nothing.
"Sorry," I said. Not aning it. "What were you saying?"
Her jaw tightened. "I was saying that we should set a date. For the mating ceremony. Our ceremony."
The words made my stomach turn.
"We talked about this," I said carefully. "I need more ti."
"More ti?" Her voice rose. A few heads turned in our direction. "It’s been weeks, Kael. Months. How much more ti do you need?"
Forever. Never. I didn’t know anymore.
"Let’s not do this here."
"Then where?" She leaned closer. Her perfu was suffocating. Rose and sothing sharp. Nothing like moonflowers. "You won’t talk to at ho. You won’t talk to at events. You barely look at anymore."
"Rebecca—"
"Is it her?"
The question hit like a punch.
My whole body went still.
"What?"
"That Oga." Rebecca’s eyes blazed with jealousy. "That Shadow Moon trash. Is she why you’ve been acting like this?"
"Don’t be ridiculous." The denial ca automatically. "She ans nothing to ."
"Then why can’t you look at when you say that?"
Because she was right.
Because Aria ant sothing. ant everything. And I was too much of a coward to admit it.
"This conversation is over," I said flatly. "I’m not discussing her."
"Fine." Rebecca’s voice turned ice cold. "Fine. If you won’t give attention, I’ll get it elsewhere."
She stood up. Smoothed her dress. Looked around the VIP section with deliberate intent.
I knew what she was going to do before she did it.
A man sat at the next table. So Beta in an expensive suit. He’d been eyeing Rebecca since we arrived.
She walked over. Sat beside him. Leaned close.
And kissed him.
Hard. Deep. Making sure I could see every second.
I watched.
Felt nothing.
No jealousy. No anger. No urge to tear that man apart for touching what was supposed to be mine.
Just... emptiness.
What did it say about that I couldn’t bring myself to care?
Rebecca pulled back. Her eyes found mine imdiately. Searching for a reaction.
I looked away.
Let my gaze drift across the bar. The dance floor below. The couples moving together under the lights.
This place. This goddamn place.
I rembered everything. The way Aria’s hand had felt in mine. The way she’d trembled beside . The way everyone had stared when we walked in together.
*"Mate,"* Fenrir had roared. *"Mine."*
And I’d pushed her away anyway.
Told myself it was because of her family. Because of Cain. Because Shadow Moon blood was poison.
But that wasn’t the real reason.
The real reason was fear.
Fear of feeling sothing. Fear of needing soone. Fear of being the kind of Alpha who lost himself in a woman’s eyes.
I’d watched my father destroy my mother for years. Watched him use love as a weapon. Watched him twist everything good into sothing ugly.
I’d sworn I’d never be like him.
So instead, I’d beco sothing worse.
A coward who hurt people before they could hurt him.
My drink arrived. I downed it in one gulp. Let the whiskey burn down my throat.
The music shifted. Sothing slower. More intimate.
Couples paired up on the dance floor. Bodies pressed together. Hands wandering.
I watched without seeing.
And then—
A flash of silver.
My heart stopped.
No. Impossible.
I sat up straighter. My eyes locked onto a figure near the bar.
A woman. Her back to . Silver-grey hair cascading down her shoulders.
It couldn’t be. I was imagining things. Seeing her everywhere like so lovesick fool.
But then she turned slightly.
And I stopped breathing.
Aria.
It was really her.
She was laughing at sothing. Her whole face lit up. Those silver eyes sparkled under the dim lights.
She looked... different.
Better than different. She looked stunning.
The dress. Holy shit, the dress.
It was the sa one I’d bought her for the mating ceremony. The navy silk. But she’d changed it sohow. The hem was shorter now. Showing off her legs. The waist was tighter. Hugging her curves. The neckline was lower. More daring.
She’d transford it. Made it her own.
And she was wearing it here. Tonight. Without .
Sothing hot and ugly twisted in my chest.
"Kael?"
Rebecca’s voice ca from sowhere behind . I’d forgotten she existed.
"Kael, what are you looking at?"
I stood up.
The movent was abrupt. Sudden. I nearly knocked over my empty glass.
"What the hell?" Rebecca appeared at my side. Her kiss-swollen lips twisted with confusion. "You look like you’ve seen a ghost."
Not a ghost.
Sothing worse.
My fated mate. Looking more beautiful than I’d ever seen her. Smiling like she’d never smiled when she was with .
And she wasn’t alone.
A man stood beside her. Tall. Dark hair. He was leaning close. Saying sothing in her ear. His hand rested on the small of her back.
Touching her.
My jaw clenched so hard my teeth ached.
Who the fuck was he?
"Oh my god." Rebecca followed my gaze. Her laugh was sharp. Delighted. "Is that her? Your little Oga project?"
I didn’t answer.
Couldn’t answer.
My eyes were glued to Aria. To the way she tilted her head when the man spoke. To the way her dress caught the light with every movent. To the way she looked happy.
Actually happy.
Without .
"She cleans up nice, I’ll give her that." Rebecca’s voice dripped with venom. "Did you buy her that dress? Looks expensive."
Yes. I’d bought it. And she’d made it better.
She’d taken sothing I’d given her and turned it into sothing beautiful. Sothing that had nothing to do with .
The realization hit harder than it should have.
The man leaned closer to Aria. Whispered sothing. She laughed again.
Then he reached down.
Took her hand.
Started leading her sowhere. Toward the exit? Toward a darker corner?
His other hand slid to her waist. Lower than before. Possessive.
*No.*
The word exploded in my head. Fenrir’s fury rged with my own.
*That’s OURS. That’s our mate. He’s touching what’s OURS.*
I took a step forward.
Then another.
"Kael!" Rebecca grabbed my arm. "Where are you going?"
I shook her off.
My whole body was vibrating with barely contained rage. Every muscle coiled tight. Every instinct screaming at to cross that dance floor and tear that man’s hands off her body.
He had no right.
NO right to touch her like that.
She wasn’t his.
She was—
What?
Mine?
I’d thrown her away. Paid her like a whore. Told her to disappear from my life.
What right did I have to feel this way?
None. Absolutely none.
But logic didn’t matter. Reason didn’t matter. Nothing mattered except the white-hot jealousy burning through my veins.
Aria glanced back.
Our eyes t.
For one frozen mont, the whole world stopped.
She saw . Recognition flickered across her face. Then sothing harder. Colder.
Challenge.
She lifted her chin. Held my gaze. And then—deliberately, pointedly—she reached down and grabbed the man’s hand tighter.
Pulled him closer.
Let him lead her away.
Her ssage was clear.
*You don’t own . You never did.*
They disappeared into the crowd.
The man’s hand still on her waist. Still touching what I’d claid. What I’d destroyed.
Rebecca was saying sothing. I couldn’t hear her over the roaring in my ears.
Aria. With another man. Wearing my dress. Looking like a goddess.
Moving on.
Without .
My hands clenched into fists. My jaw locked so tight I felt my teeth grinding against each other.
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