Kael’s POV
I couldn’t sleep.
Couldn’t eat. Couldn’t think. Couldn’t do anything except lie on my bed and stare at the ceiling like a pathetic idiot.
The mansion was quiet. Too quiet. Every creak of the old wood made jump. Every shadow reminded of silver eyes and moonflower scent.
I rolled onto my side. Then onto my back. Then onto my stomach.
Nothing helped.
*You’re being ridiculous,* Fenrir muttered.
"Shut up."
*You admitted it yesterday. You said the words. Why are you still fighting?*
Because saying it and accepting it were two different things.
I pressed my palms against my eyes. Hard enough to see stars.
The therapist’s words kept echoing in my skull.
*You’re just in love with her.*
Love.
What a stupid word.
What did I even know about love? My father’s version was violence and control. My mother’s version was submission and tears. Rebecca’s version was manipulation and jealousy.
Was that what I was feeling? Was this twisted, aching need in my chest supposed to be love?
It felt more like torture.
I grabbed my phone from the nightstand. The screen lit up. Still open to that photo.
Aria. Asleep. Beautiful.
My chest constricted.
The things I’d said to her. The way I’d treated her. Paying her like she was nothing. Telling her we could never be together.
God, I was such a bastard.
She’d looked at with those silver eyes. Filled with pain. Filled with hope she was trying desperately to hide.
And I’d crushed it.
Again.
I threw the phone across the room. It hit the wall with a satisfying crack.
Probably broke the screen. Didn’t care.
The afternoon sun slanted through my windows. I’d been lying here for hours. Maybe days. Ti had lost all aning.
This was insane.
I was the Alpha heir. I had responsibilities. etings. Duties. A whole pack depending on to be strong.
And I couldn’t even get out of bed.
*Go to her,* Fenrir said. *Stop being a coward.*
"I can’t."
*Why not?*
"Because I don’t know what to say!" The words exploded out of . "What am I supposed to do? Show up at her door and say ’Sorry I treated you like garbage, but I think I might be in love with you’?"
*Yes. Exactly that.*
"That’s ridiculous."
*What’s ridiculous is lying here feeling sorry for yourself when your mate is out there thinking you don’t want her.*
I sat up. Ran my fingers through my hair.
He was right.
Damn him, he was right.
But every ti I thought about facing her, my mind went blank. What if she rejected ? What if she’d already moved on? What if I’d destroyed any chance we had?
The fear was paralyzing.
I’d never been afraid of anything. Not fights. Not challenges. Not even my father’s rage.
But the thought of Aria looking at with hatred in her eyes? That terrified .
I needed to get out of this room.
These walls were suffocating. The silence was deafening. If I stayed here any longer, I’d lose my mind completely.
I forced myself to my feet. Grabbed the first clothes I could find. Didn’t bother checking if they matched.
Fresh air. That’s what I needed. Just so fresh air and maybe the chaos in my head would settle.
Yeah, right.
---
The streets of ridian Territory were busy this ti of day.
I walked without direction. Hands in my pockets. Head down. Trying to blend into the crowd.
It didn’t work.
People recognized . Stepped aside. Whispered behind their hands. The Alpha heir wandering the streets alone. That was gossip gold.
I ignored them.
My feet carried through neighborhoods I rarely visited. Past shops and restaurants and all the places normal wolves went about their normal lives.
Normal.
What would that feel like?
I turned a corner. Then another.
And then I saw her.
My heart stopped.
Aria.
She stood near a school. The afternoon light caught her silver-grey hair. Made it glow like sothing ethereal.
She was wearing that dress. The navy one. The one I’d bought her. The one she’d altered to fit her body perfectly.
She looked beautiful.
She looked exhausted.
Dark circles under her eyes. Pale skin. She’d lost weight since I last saw her. Too much weight.
What had happened to her?
Then I noticed who she was with.
Finn.
My blood turned to ice. Then fire.
What the hell was she doing with him? After everything? After I’d saved her from him twice? She’d gone running back to her ex-husband?
Rage exploded in my chest. Hot. Blinding.
*Calm down,* Fenrir growled. *Look at her face. She’s not happy to see him.*
I forced myself to really look.
He was right.
Aria’s posture was defensive. Her arms crossed. Her jaw tight. She wasn’t having a friendly reunion. She was facing an enemy.
Relief washed over . Quickly replaced by sothing darker.
What did that bastard want with her?
I moved closer. Stayed hidden behind a group of parents. Close enough to hear.
"—two hundred thousand dollars, Aria. Or have you forgotten?"
My fists clenched.
Two hundred thousand? Was he seriously trying to extort money from her?
"I’ve decided it’s bullshit."
Aria’s voice. Strong. Defiant.
Sothing warm flickered in my chest.
There she was. The fighter I’d seen glimpses of. The woman who’d stood up to her family. Who’d rejected her mate bond in front of hundreds of witnesses. Who’d refused to be broken.
"You lived under my roof. Ate my food—"
"I was your WIFE. Not your employee. Not your servant."
God, she was magnificent.
Even from here, I could see the fire in her eyes. The way she held her ground. The way she refused to cower.
This wasn’t the trembling Oga I’d first t. This was soone who’d been forged in pain and co out stronger.
And I’d almost destroyed her.
The thought made sick.
Finn was getting angrier. I could see it in his posture. The way his shoulders tensed. The way his hands clenched.
Should I intervene?
No. Not yet. She was handling him. She didn’t need to rescue her.
But I stayed close. Just in case.
"Did your Alpha not pay you enough for sleeping with him?"
My vision went red.
How dare he. How DARE he talk to her like that.
I started forward. Ready to tear his throat out.
*Wait,* Fenrir warned. *Look.*
CRACK.
Aria’s hand connected with Finn’s face.
The slap echoed across the schoolyard. His head snapped to the side. A red mark blood on his cheek.
She’d hit him.
My Aria had just slapped her ex-husband in front of everyone.
Pride surged through . Unexpected. Overwhelming.
That’s my girl.
Wait. No. She wasn’t my girl. She wasn’t my anything. I’d made sure of that.
But god, watching her stand up to him...
Sothing shifted in my chest. That constant ache. It changed. Beca sothing warr. Softer.
*You’re staring,* Fenrir observed.
I didn’t care.
I couldn’t look away.
Finn’s face was twisted with rage. His hand rose.
I tensed. Ready to move.
But he stopped. Glanced around at the other parents watching.
I should leave. This wasn’t my business. Aria had made it clear she didn’t want in her life.
But I couldn’t move.
*Sothing’s wrong,* Fenrir said suddenly. *Look at her.*
I was looking. Had been looking the whole ti.
But now I saw it too.
Aria’s face had gone pale. Paler than before. Her movents were slower. Unsteady.
"I HATE YOU!"
The child shoved her mother.
It wasn’t a hard push. Lilith was only five. There was barely any force behind it.
But Aria stumbled.
Her hand went to her head. Her eyes unfocused.
And then she was falling.
Backward. Like a puppet with cut strings.
No.
NO.
I moved.
Faster than I’d ever moved before. The world blurred around . People gasped and scattered. I didn’t care.
All that mattered was reaching her.
My arms caught her just before she hit the ground. I pulled her against my chest. Cradled her head. Protected her.
She weighed nothing. Like a bird. Like sothing fragile that might break if I held too tight.
"Aria." My voice ca out rough. Desperate. "Aria, can you hear ?"
No response.
Her eyes were closed. Her body limp. Her skin was cold against mine.
When was the last ti she’d eaten? When was the last ti she’d slept?
I should have known. Should have seen how thin she’d gotten. Should have realized she wasn’t taking care of herself.
This was my fault.
I’d pushed her away. Made her feel worthless. Left her alone to spiral.
"What the hell—"
Finn’s voice. Sharp with surprise.
I looked up. t his eyes.
The bastard actually looked alard. Like he hadn’t expected this. Like he hadn’t spent the last ten minutes attacking her.
People were staring. Parents. Teachers. Everyone within earshot.
Let them stare.
Let the whole damn city know what kind of man Finn Nightfang really was.
Aria stirred slightly in my arms. A small sound escaped her lips.
My attention snapped back to her.
"Aria?" I shifted her carefully. Tried to see her face. "Hey. Stay with ."
Nothing. She was still out.
Hospital. She needed a hospital. Now.
I turned back to Finn. To Lilith. To the whole pathetic scene.
"You wait."
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