Aria’s POV
The Dravenwood Pack had been my entire world for as far back as my memories could reach. When my parents fell during the brutal, blood-stained conflict between rival packs, Alpha Gabriel and Luna Naomi Dravenwood opened their home to me and raised me as their own. Their son, Kael—my closest companion, my promised mate, the man I was meant to spend my life with—grew up at my side.
We were meant to be together. At least, that’s what I had always believed.
The elders had arranged our union when we were still children, but to me it never felt forced. Loving Kael came as naturally as breathing. We were always together, always laughing, always dreaming about the life that waited for us. Whenever nightmares dragged me out of sleep, he was there to steady me, whispering that I would never have to face the darkness alone again. I was his, and he was mine—or so I thought.
But destiny… or maybe the Moon Goddess’ quiet cruelty… had something else in mind.
Everything changed on a night in the forest. Rogues attacked him—feral, merciless, leaving him battered and close to death. He survived, barely, his body torn and bleeding. And then she came into the story. Livia Duskbane. A quiet omega no one had ever truly noticed before. She saved his life.
After that night, Kael swore himself to her. A vow sealed in blood and under the Moon. His parents declared that our pack owed her everything for preserving the life of the future Alpha. And Kael… he made sure she was never far from him again.
In the beginning, I tried to accept it. I told myself it was right, that it was honorable. But slowly, piece by piece, everything that once belonged to me slipped away.
During my birthday celebration—a grand event attended by the pack’s elite—Livia stood in front of Kael with soft, pleading eyes and murmured that she wished to share the occasion. Kael, smiling as if it meant nothing, gave her exactly what she asked for. Half of my celebration became hers.
When I had been longing for the rare moonstone archery set, she went to him first and asked for it. He placed it in her hands without a second thought.
Again and again, what should have been mine was given to her instead.
Each time, I swallowed the sting. I told myself it would end eventually—that once Kael repaid his so-called debt, he would return to me. But silence is a slow poison. The disappointments built one on top of another until I could barely breathe beneath their weight.
The moment everything shattered came on the evening he was supposed to finalize our marriage papers—the final step before I would officially become his Luna. I waited in my room, heart racing with anticipation, fingers trembling with nervous hope. But instead of him, I heard whispers that he was at the packhouse… with Livia.
So I went.
And I saw.
His eyes shone as he watched her open a dress—white, radiant, something that could easily pass for a bride’s gown. My chest felt like it collapsed inward. The way he looked at her… it was the same way he used to look at me.
Something inside me broke then—clean and final.
I pulled away from him, from the packhouse, from the life I thought we were building. I had given him countless chances, endless understanding, excuse after excuse. All I received in return was betrayal hidden behind the mask of loyalty to someone else.
So I called him.
“I won’t be your bride anymore, Alpha,” I told him, my voice steady even as my heart ached.
He let out a short laugh, brushing me off like I was being childish. “Aria, don’t act like this. You know I have to repay her. Once I’ve fulfilled that, everything will go back to normal. We’ll get married, and I’ll come back to you.”
Come back to me. I had heard those words so many times that they had lost all meaning.
A few days later, Beta Lewis showed up at my door, holding a dress made of glossy beige silk.
“The Alpha asked me to give this to you,” he said, clearly uncomfortable. “He hoped it might… make you feel better.”
I stared at it. Beige. Of all the colors in the world, he chose the one he knew I hated most—the one that drained all the life from my complexion. It wasn’t a gift of love. It was a careless attempt to smooth things over.
I left it untouched on the table. That night, when the full moon rose and Kael once again failed to keep his word, I finally accepted the truth.
It was over.
No more waiting. No more believing in promises that never came true.
I reached out to my aunt Miranda, a powerful and respected figure in one of the capital’s strongest packs. For years she had encouraged me to consider a political marriage alliance, and for years I had refused because of Kael. This time, with my heart hollow and my resolve firm, I accepted.
Her happiness was immediate. “At last, Aria. You’ll be treated the way you should have been all along. Leave the arrangements to me.”
After the call ended, I began packing. Every single thing Kael had ever given me over the past fifteen years—letters filled with love, pressed flowers, small trinkets, and the moonstone necklace I once thought was a symbol of forever. Each item carried a memory, and every memory felt like it cut into me.
I placed them all inside a box. It was time to give back what was never truly mine to keep.
The house we built together stood on Dravenwood land, meant to be our home as mates. My hand trembled just once as I keyed in the passcode—our names combined. The door clicked open.
Footsteps approached behind me.
Kael stepped into view, just as striking as ever. But where his presence once made my heart race, now it only stirred bitterness.
“Aria,” he said, relief flickering across his face. “So you’ve forgiven me? You saw the dress, right?”
I met his gaze, my expression blank. “I’m not here to forgive you. I’m here to return everything.”
He frowned. “Return what?”
Before I could answer, light footsteps echoed from the stairs. Livia descended as if she belonged there. Without hesitation, she slipped her arms around Kael’s waist.
My eyes fell to her wrist.
The bracelet. My bracelet—the one I had bought with my own money, meant as a pair for Kael and me. He still wore his half. The one on her wrist… was mine.
A hollow laugh threatened to escape, but I forced it down. So this was where all my love had gone.
Kael tensed and glanced between us. He tried to pull away from her, but she clung tighter, pressing herself against him.
“Aria—” he started.
“I came to return everything you’ve ever given me,” I said calmly, placing the box down between us.
His expression hardened. Instead of taking it, he grabbed the box and hurled it onto the floor. Letters, keepsakes, and memories scattered everywhere like the ashes of something long burned out.
“Do you really have to do this right now?” he snapped.
Right now. As if my pain was something that could be scheduled at his convenience.
“I’m ending the engagement,” I said.
Shock flashed across his face before anger replaced it. “Are you serious right now?”
“I am.”
He let out a bitter scoff, stepping closer. “Fine. Then don’t expect me to come running back to you later. You’ll regret this decision.”
I met his glare, my eyes empty. “I regret not leaving sooner.”
With a scowl, he shoved the broken box back into my arms. “If you start begging now, we can still fix this. Otherwise, throw all that away. None of it means anything to me anymore.”
I let the contents slip from my hands, scattering once more across the floor. “You’re right. There’s no reason to keep any of it.”
He smirked coldly. “Exactly. Toss them in the trash. And don’t even think about using them as an excuse to come crawling back.”
I looked at him one last time.
The boy I had loved since childhood—the one I believed would be my future—was gone. In his place stood a man chained by pride and blinded by his own choices, unable to see the wreckage he had left behind.
