Aria’s POV.
The tears wouldn’t stop falling, no matter how hard I tried to push them back. I kept swallowing the lump in my throat, willing myself to stay calm, but it was useless.
The tears poured out uncontrollably, blurring my vision as I stumbled down the moonlit path, leaving the resort behind me.
My cheeks still stung from where Zander had slapped me, the sharp pain lingering on my skin, but it was nothing compared to the ache in my chest. That pain-deep, raw, and unrelenting-was far worse than anything physical. It was as if my heart had been ripped apart, piece by piece.
I didn’t dare look back. I couldn’t bring myself to do it. My legs kept moving forward, shaky but determined, carrying me farther and farther away from the place where everything had fallen apart.
I left everything behind without a second thought-my clothes, my shoes, my jewelry. All the things I once cared about suddenly felt meaningless. None of it mattered anymore. All I wanted was to escape this place, to get as far away as possible from the man who had shattered my entire being. Nothing else in the world seemed important now.
Zander’s words kept replaying in my mind, over and over, each one piercing deeper into my heart like a dagger.
*”You’re not my Luna anymore.”*
*”I don’t want to see you again.”*
Every syllable hit me like a crushing wave, drowning me in pain. I pressed a trembling hand over my mouth, trying desperately to stifle the sobs that were threatening to escape. My chest felt hollow, as though the bond that had once connected us had been ripped away, leaving an empty, gaping wound inside me. It felt like he had taken a part of my soul along with him when he broke the bond, leaving me shattered and incomplete.
But no matter how broken I felt, I refused to let this destroy me. I refused to fall apart completely.
I stopped at a small bench near the edge of the resort, my legs too weak to carry me any farther. My hands fumbled as I reached into my pocket for my phone. They were shaking so badly that the device almost slipped from my fingers, but I managed to hold on to it. My heart pounded as I scrolled through my contacts, searching for the one person I knew I could always rely on.
My fingers hovered over the screen before I pressed the call button. The phone rang twice, and then I heard his familiar deep voice on the other end. “Aria? Is that you?”
“Dad,” I whispered, my voice breaking into a soft sob.
There was a brief pause on the line, then his tone immediately sharpened with concern. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt? Where are you?”
“I…” My breath hitched, and I struggled to keep my emotions under control. “Zander… He… He ended the mating bond, Dad.”
Silence.
I could almost hear the growl of his wolf in the background, a low, threatening sound that sent shivers down my spine even through the phone. “He *what*?” my father finally demanded, his voice filled with barely contained anger.
“He broke it,” I said, my voice trembling as the words spilled out. “He said I wasn’t his Luna anymore. He said he doesn’t want to see me ever again.”
“Aria,” my father said slowly, his voice low and controlled, though I could hear the fury simmering beneath his calm words. “Where are you right now? Tell me, and I’ll come get you immediately.”
“No,” I said quickly, wiping at the tears streaming down my face. My voice wavered, but I tried to sound firm. “I don’t want to go back home, Dad. I can’t. I need to figure things out on my own. I need to… I need to be away from everything.”
“Sweetheart, you don’t have to go through this alone,” he said softly, his tone shifting to one of gentle reassurance. “Come back to the pack. Let us take care of you. You’re not alone in this.”
I shook my head, even though I knew he couldn’t see me. “I can’t, Dad. Not yet. I just… I need time. I need space. I need to focus on my studies and figure out what to do next.”
I heard him sigh heavily on the other end of the line. The sound was full of reluctance and worry. “What do you need, Aria? Just tell me, and I’ll make it happen. Anything you need, it’s yours.”
“I need money,” I admitted quietly, guilt washing over me as I said the words. It felt wrong to ask, but I didn’t have a choice. “Just enough to buy a ticket back to my college. I’ll rent a room on campus for now. I just… I need to be somewhere else. Away from here.”
“Consider it done,” he said without a moment’s hesitation. “I’ll transfer the money to you right now. But Aria…”
“Yes?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
“You’re stronger than this,” he said firmly, his words carrying the weight of his belief in me. “Stronger than him. Don’t let what he did define you. Remember, you’re my daughter, and I know you’ll rise above this.”
His words hit me like a lifeline, a beacon of hope cutting through the darkness. I swallowed hard, trying to steady myself as his belief in me brought tears to my eyes once more. “Thank you, Dad. I love you,” I said, my voice trembling with emotion.
“I love you too, sweetheart,” he replied, his tone softening. “And no matter what happens, I’ll always be here for you. Always.”
Hanging up the phone, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, letting his words sink in. For the first time since Zander had shattered my heart, I felt a small flicker of strength deep within me. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to remind me that I wasn’t completely broken. I could survive this. I *would* survive this.
…
The next morning, I found myself standing in the bustling airport, clutching the one-way ticket back to my college. My hands gripped the ticket tightly, as if it were my lifeline to a new beginning. I didn’t have any luggage with me-no suitcase, no carefully packed bags. It was just me, my purse slung over my shoulder, and the clothes I had slept in the night before. But none of that mattered. I didn’t care about the possessions I left behind. Everything that was lost could be replaced. What I needed now was to leave, to escape, and to start over.
As the plane began to climb higher into the sky, I leaned back in my seat and turned my head toward the window. My eyes stayed fixed on the view outside, watching as the resort slowly grew smaller and smaller in the distance. The place that had held so many memories-both good and bad-was fading away, just like the image of Zander in my mind. I stared at the horizon, letting the clouds blur my view. I told myself that I was leaving it all behind: the pain, the betrayal, and the man who had shattered my heart.
I needed something else to hold on to, something I could claim as *mine*. I needed to focus on a part of my life that wasn’t tied to Zander, something that wasn’t about being a Luna or living in his world.
Fashion design had always been my dream, long before I was pulled into the life of Alphas, packs, and bonds. It was my passion, the thing that made me feel alive. Even as a young girl, I had dreamed of creating my own clothing line, of designing pieces that spoke to people, that made them feel confident and beautiful. I wanted to create art that would empower others. It was a dream I had buried under the weight of my relationship with Zander, but now it was time to dig it back up.
It was time to chase those dreams again, to reclaim the part of myself I had lost.
I decided I would rent a small room on campus, just enough to give me a place to sleep and work. I would keep my head down, avoid unnecessary distractions, and pour every ounce of myself into my studies. I would throw myself into my designs and let my passion for fashion heal the empty parts of me. I promised myself that I wouldn’t think about Zander. I wouldn’t let myself dwell on the bond we had shared or the way he had made me feel worthless with his cruel words. I wouldn’t waste another moment reliving the pain of his rejection.
And maybe, just maybe, I would finally connect with my wolf.
That thought stopped me in my tracks. For years, I had waited for the wolf inside me to awaken, to become a part of me as it should have been. But ever since the mating bond with Zander had been formed, my wolf had been silent. It was as if she had chosen to hide from me, retreating into the shadows of my being. I had often wondered why she didn’t come to me, why she refused to emerge. Deep down, I had always feared that she had been waiting for something-or someone-else.
Maybe, now that the bond with Zander was broken, my wolf would finally be free.
Maybe breaking the bond was what she needed. Maybe she had been trapped, just as I had been, and now we both had a chance to start over.
The thought sent a ripple of hope through me, something small but powerful. It was like a flicker of light breaking through the darkness that had surrounded me for so long. What if, somewhere out there, my true mate was waiting for me? What if Zander had just been the wrong person all along, and my wolf had known it all this time?
That tiny glimmer of hope stirred something deep within me, something I hadn’t felt in a long time. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to remind me that my story wasn’t over yet.
I didn’t know what the future held for me. I didn’t know where this new path would lead, or if I would ever find the happiness I was searching for. But there was one thing I knew with absolute certainty:
I would never allow anyone to break me like that again.