Aria’s POV
I had promised myself I would never face Alpha Kael again. My heart had already been torn apart, and my wolf had cried herself hoarse in the nights that followed. But when Elder Naomi—the woman who had loved me like her own—personally asked me to attend the Dravenwood Crescent Moon Gathering, I didn’t have the strength to refuse.
Naomi Dravenwood was more than Kael’s mother. After the war took my parents, she had become my second home, my second mother. Turning my back on her kindness felt impossible.
So a few days later, dressed in a flowing midnight-blue gown that fit the theme of the evening, I stood at the entrance of the grand hall. Moonlight in the shape of a crescent filtered through the towering windows, spilling silver light over the gleaming floors. High-ranking wolves filled the room, their conversations weaving together into a low hum of laughter and gossip beneath the glow of chandeliers.
And then I saw them.
Kael and Livia.
Even from across the hall, the sight of them cut straight through me. They stood far too close to each other. Her fingers brushed against his arm as she leaned in to whisper something that made him smile. My stomach twisted painfully. That smile—once, I believed it belonged to me alone.
Before I even crossed the threshold, my ears caught the hushed murmurs drifting through the air.
“Look at them… the Alpha treats that omega like she’s the real fiancée.”
“Poor Aria. She’s the one who was promised to him—the one meant to be Luna.”
“Gratitude only goes so far… he looks like he’s in love.”
Each word sliced deeper than claws. I clenched my hands and inhaled slowly, my wolf pacing restlessly beneath my skin, torn between lashing out and hiding away.
I lifted my chin and stepped inside.
At once, the room fell quiet. Conversations faded, replaced by the weight of countless eyes turning toward me.
Kael noticed me immediately. For the briefest moment, something flickered across his face—surprise, maybe guilt, maybe something softer. He shifted as if to come toward me. But Livia was quicker. With a practiced ease, she slipped her hand through his arm and held him there with a gentle smile.
I didn’t hesitate. I walked past them as though they were nothing more than passing shadows and made my way to a seat tucked away in the far corner of the hall. My wolf whimpered softly, but I forced her still.
Kael lingered for a moment, then allowed Livia to cling to him. He didn’t move away. He didn’t try again.
That silence said everything.
The evening carried on around me, though it felt like time dragged its claws through my chest. Music filled the hall, glasses clinked together, laughter rose and fell—but all I could hear were the whispers circling like vultures overhead.
“Why hasn’t the Alpha claimed Aria yet?”
“She’s supposed to be the Luna.”
My attention snapped toward the sound, and I realized the murmurs weren’t rumors anymore. Kael stood near the center of the room, speaking to a small group of elders, his voice carrying clearly.
“It was Aria who chose to end things between us,” he said.
A ripple of gasps spread through the hall. Heads turned, eyes darting between him and me.
My chest tightened painfully. He didn’t even try to deny it. He declared it openly, making it seem like I had abandoned him. My wolf whimpered in confusion and hurt.
The whispers grew sharper.
“The future Luna, leaving her mate?”
“And the omega who saved his life—two women, two different fates.”
“One prayed for him beneath the Moon. The other shed blood for him.”
I wanted to shout that it wasn’t so simple. That I had prayed, bled, sacrificed more than anyone could see. But my voice would only be swallowed by the noise.
Before the murmurs could grow louder, Elder Naomi’s voice cut through the hall like a blade.
“Kael!” She strode across the room, fury blazing in her eyes. “Have you lost your mind? The girl at your side is not your fiancée. Aria is. And you will treat her with the respect she deserves.”
The hall fell into stunned silence. Naomi’s anger carried the weight of authority, her presence commanding even without the Alpha title. Kael stiffened under her gaze, his jaw tightening.
But before the tension could escalate, I forced a small smile, even though my lips trembled.
“There’s no need, Elder Naomi,” I said gently, my voice steady despite the ache. “It’s true. We’re no longer together. Alpha Kael doesn’t owe me anything anymore.”
The room erupted into louder murmurs. My wolf whimpered again, but I forced her into silence. I would not fall apart in front of them.
The air suddenly felt too heavy to breathe.
I slipped away quietly and stepped out onto the balcony, where the cool night air brushed against my skin and the crescent moon hung high above. I rested my hands on the railing and inhaled deeply, trying to quiet the storm raging inside me.
But peace never lasted when Livia was nearby.
Her footsteps were soft, her perfume unmistakable as she joined me outside. A smug curve tugged at her lips.
“You do realize,” she said lightly, “it’s only a matter of time before Kael is completely mine. Naomi can lecture him all she wants, but she doesn’t get to decide who he chooses as his mate.”
I said nothing, my grip on the railing tightening until my knuckles turned white.
She leaned closer, her voice lowering into something cold and sharp. “The only reason Naomi ever favored you was out of pity. She was close to your late mother, so she felt sorry for you. But pity isn’t enough to keep a man. Nothing is.”
My wolf bristled inside me, a low growl building in her chest. I tried to stay calm. Tried to let it pass.
Then she struck where it would hurt most.
“You don’t even have a real family left anyway, do you?” she whispered cruelly. “They all died like cowards.”
My vision went red.
The crack of my hand against her cheek rang out across the balcony. Livia stumbled backward, her eyes wide with shock. For a brief, blazing moment, satisfaction surged through me at finally silencing her.
Then she began to cry—loud, exaggerated sobs like a wounded child. She clutched her cheek dramatically and turned toward the doorway where people had gathered, drawn by the noise.
“She attacked me!” Livia wailed. “I was just telling her not to be upset with Alpha Kael, and she lashed out at me!”
Gasps spread through the crowd. Faces turned toward me—some shocked, others already judging.
And then Kael appeared.
His gaze shifted from Livia’s tears to my trembling hand. His expression darkened instantly. He stepped forward, grabbed my arm hard enough to bruise, and spoke through clenched teeth.
“Say you’re sorry. Right now.”
I stared at him, disbelief crashing over me. This was the man who once stood in front of me against every accusation, every whisper. The man who once promised he would always protect me. And now he looked at me like I was a problem to be dealt with.
“She insulted my parents,” I said, my voice shaking but clear enough for everyone to hear. “She mocked how they died. I will never apologize for defending them.”
His eyes grew colder, his grip tightening painfully. But I pulled my arm free, tears finally spilling down my cheeks.
Once, he would have believed me. Once, he would have fought for me.
Now… I was nothing to him.
I turned and walked away, every step heavy under the weight of the stares burning into my back. My wolf howled inside me, a cry filled with grief and betrayal.
At the exit, I paused, desperate to escape, to leave the humiliation behind. But a gentle hand caught mine.
Elder Naomi.
“Please, child,” she said softly, her eyes filled with sorrow. “Stay for a little while longer. For me. Just an hour.”
My heart twisted painfully. She was the only one who had never left me, the only one who still saw me as family. I couldn’t refuse her.
So I nodded quietly, wiped away my tears, and turned away from the doors. Instead of leaving, I walked back into the hall, searching for a quiet corner where I could breathe—somewhere the whispers couldn’t follow me.
