Aurora's POV
I had just closed the novel I was reading when the chamber door creaked open. I kept my expression steady, though surprise flickered through me.
Alaric stepped in.
He reeked faintly of liquor, and when his gaze locked onto me, a crooked smirk curled on his face.
“Well, look at you,” he drawled. “Relaxing as if you didn’t just try to embarrass me tonight.” His tone hovered somewhere between mocking and irritated. “Really bold of you, Kris. Announcing in public that you’re done acting like my little attendant. What was that about? Trying to drop hints about our bond?”
I exhaled slowly as he came to a stop at the edge of the bed.
“I told you already—I don’t care who knows,” I said, moving around him and heading for the exit.
“Where do you think you’re going?” His voice sharpened, the warning unmistakable.
“To the room I actually sleep in,” I replied calmly. “You’re the one who made the rule that I shouldn’t be here if you are.”
I saw the moment the memory hit him—the cold words he’d thrown at me the night of our wedding.
“Did I give you permission to walk out?”
“What exactly do you want from me, Alaric?” I turned, facing him fully. “To stand here and wait for your insults? No thanks. I’d rather keep what little peace I have.”
His eyes darkened, frustration tightening his jaw.
“You’re acting strange. What are you upset about this time? I can’t understand you.”
I held his stare without blinking.
“I’m not angry, Alpha Alaric. I’m finished. I’m done letting you treat me like something beneath your boots. I am not a servant.”
“You’re my wife, Aurora,” he growled. “Do you need to be reminded what this marriage means?”
Of course. The marriage.
The arrangement he never wanted—forced on him when Mirelle vanished to chase fame. He didn’t choose me. He chose duty, politics, and resentment. And I paid for it with my dignity.
“Believe me, I remember everything,” I said, my tone flat as ice. “And Mirelle’s back now. You can finally have the mate you actually wanted. You don’t have to keep punishing me for her choices.”
Silence stretched between us. Alaric’s lips parted, but he had no words.
“Kris…” he murmured, guilt edging into his voice.
“You know I loved you,” I whispered, the words cutting deeper than I expected. “I said it. And you made me suffer for it. I kept hoping you’d see me, but now… now I realize I was nothing but a fool.”
I opened the door and stepped out.
Tears blurred my vision, but I wiped them away before a single drop fell.
I wouldn’t shed tears for him anymore.
---
Morning came.
Mirelle stood in the main hall like a princess arriving at her castle, a bright suitcase parked beside her.
She looked around with a sparkling smile.
“Sis! Where’s Alpha Alaric?” she chirped.
“I have no idea,” I replied, voice flat.
She tried to hug me, but I moved aside. Her lips puckered into an exaggerated pout.
“Are you upset with me, Sis Kris?” she asked, her voice sugary enough to rot teeth.
My wolf growled at the sound. I used to fall for that innocent act—treated her like my real sister, protected her even. But that version of me wasn’t here anymore.
“No, I’m not upset,” I answered with a smile that didn’t touch my eyes. I looked at her luggage. “Staying awhile?”
She lit up.
“Alpha Alaric told me to move in! He wants me nearby. You don’t mind, right? Right, Sis Kris?”
Her eyes gleamed with triumph beneath all that fake sweetness.
“Do whatever you want.”
I turned to leave, but she grabbed my wrist.
Alaric’s presence approached—his scent, his aura, the shift in the air.
“You don’t seem happy that I’m here,” she whimpered. “Maybe I should just leave…”
Her voice cracked pathetically. My jaw tightened—she wanted him to catch her crying.
And right on cue, she stepped back and let herself fall.
“Aurora!” Alaric’s roar echoed through the hall.
He bolted toward her as she burst into soft sobs, clutching her wrist like I’d twisted it.
“Don’t be mad at her, Alpha,” she sniffled. “It was my fault. I slipped… she didn’t push me.”
Alaric touched her cheek like she was fragile porcelain.
“I didn’t touch her,” I said steadily.
But he wasn’t listening.
He turned toward me, eyes blazing. “I saw everything, Aurora. Don’t you dare lie to me. Mirelle is staying here—she belongs here. And you have no right to mistreat her. I won’t let you repeat your cruelty. I am your Alpha. You are only a Luna… barely one.”
Mirelle’s smile flickered behind him—a cruel, victorious curl of her lips.
I stayed perfectly still, gaze unwavering.
“I know exactly what I am, Alpha Alaric. And if you’re determined to believe her lies, that’s your choice. I’m done defending myself.”
“You—!”
He seized my jaw, fingers digging painfully into my skin.
“If you ever hurt Mirelle again, I swear, Aurora—I’ll make you pay.”
His grip tightened before he shoved my face away. My lips quivered—not from fear, but from the rage boiling inside me. My wolf snarled, clawing at the edges of my mind.
“GUARDS!” Alaric thundered. “Take the Luna to the dungeon. She can rot there for the next day!”
The guards moved toward me.
I straightened my spine.
Lifted my chin.
“You don’t need to force me,” I said quietly. “I can walk on my own.”
I gave Alaric and Mirelle one last look—the Alpha who never wanted me, and the woman he’d always chosen over me.
My eyes were cold.
Empty.
And then I turned and walked away.
