Daniel’s POV.
The moment the call ended, I couldn’t sit still. My mind was racing, every thought colliding with the next. Aria was on the verge of making a choice, a choice I couldn’t let her make-not when I still had a chance to pull her into my world.
I knew she was conflicted. It was clear in her voice, the hesitation, the uncertainty. She didn’t want to go back to the pack, but she didn’t know where else to turn. Her father’s pressure, her family’s expectations-they were suffocating her. I could feel it in every word she spoke.
But I knew how to fix this. I always did.
I stood up, pacing across the room as I tried to formulate a plan. Aria needed to understand. She needed to see the bigger picture-the future we could have together, the strength we could build. And I knew exactly what I had to say to make her believe it.
The truth didn’t matter anymore. I had lost my true mate five years ago, and that pain had shaped me, changed me. But Aria? She was my ticket. She was the key to everything I wanted.
She didn’t know it yet, but she was my path to power.
—
I arrived at her apartment later that day, my thoughts sharpened like a blade. The weight of my plan pressed down on me, but I couldn’t afford to second-guess myself. I had to make her believe-make her feel like everything she needed was right here, in my arms, in my pack.
Aria opened the door when I knocked, and I could see the unease still hanging in her eyes. She had been crying, I noticed. Her face was slightly flushed, her eyes red-rimmed.
“You’re back,” she said, her voice tentative, as if she wasn’t sure whether she wanted me here or not.
“I came to talk to you,” I replied, keeping my tone calm. “I don’t want you to go back to that pack. You don’t have to go back to that life, Aria.”
She stepped aside, letting me in without a word. I took a deep breath, my heart pounding against my chest. This was it.
“I know what you’re going through,” I began, watching her closely. “The pressure from your father, the duty. I’ve been there, Aria. I’ve felt it too.”
She glanced at me, but her gaze was distant. “I don’t think you understand. I can’t just ignore my family. I can’t leave everything behind, not when they need me.”
“They don’t need you,” I said firmly, stepping closer. “They’re using you. Your father is using you to secure his legacy, to keep the pack in control. But you don’t owe them anything, Aria. You don’t owe anyone your life but yourself.”
I watched her eyes flicker with doubt. She was listening. That was good. It was a start.
“And you don’t have to do this alone,” I continued, lowering my voice to make the moment more intimate. “You don’t have to go back to that world, because there’s another way. A way where you’re not just a tool for their power, but where you get to choose your future. With me.”
She shook her head, but I could see her starting to waver. “Daniel… I’m not sure-”
“You’re my true mate, Aria,” I interrupted, my words slipping out more easily than I intended. “You don’t know it yet, but you are. You haven’t shifted, but that doesn’t change the fact that the bond is already there, waiting for you to recognize it.”
Her eyes widened, and she took a step back, as if the words had slapped her. “What are you talking about? How could I be your true mate? You-”
“I know it seems impossible,” I said, stepping closer to her. “But I’ve lived with the pain of losing my true mate for years. I lost her five years ago, Aria. And when I met you, I felt it-the pull. The bond. You may not feel it yet, but I know that when you shift, you’ll see. You’ll understand.”
I could see the confusion in her eyes, the conflict. But it was working. She was buying it.
“I know you don’t believe me now, but just trust me,” I said, my voice softening. “I’ve spent years learning to live without my true mate, but I’ll be damned if I let you walk away from something that’s right in front of us. We can be strong together. We can build something-something powerful.”
I reached for her hand, my fingers brushing against hers. She didn’t pull away, and that was all I needed.
“If we’re together, Aria, I can take my rightful place as Alpha again,” I said, my voice laced with confidence. “With you by my side, we’ll have the strength to challenge the Silverfang pack. I’ll be the Alpha King, and you’ll be my Luna. The power, the respect… it’s all within our reach.”
Aria was silent for a moment, her eyes searching mine as if she was trying to figure out whether I was lying. But I wasn’t lying. I believed every word I said. I had to make her believe it too.
“I can’t-” she started, but I cut her off, my voice firm.
“You can. You don’t have to go back to that life. You don’t have to let your father control you. You’re stronger than that, Aria. We can be stronger than that, together.”
She stood still for a long time, her hand still in mine. I could feel the tension, the uncertainty, but I could also feel something else-something that told me she was close. She just needed the right push.
Finally, she looked up at me, her expression softening. “What are you asking me to do?”
I held her gaze, my voice low and certain. “I’m asking you to trust me. To trust that we can build something better, something that’s ours. Stay with me, Aria. Come back to my pack, and together, we’ll take what’s ours. You’re the key to everything.”
She hesitated, but I saw the flicker of something in her eyes-something that told me I was getting through to her.
“I-” She swallowed hard, as if trying to find the words. “Okay,” she whispered. “I’ll stay. I’ll be with you.”
It was the answer I wanted, the answer I needed.
My chest tightened with something I couldn’t quite name, and I pulled her into my arms, holding her close. She was mine now, in every way that mattered. And once I had her, I wouldn’t let anyone, not even her father, take her away from me.
Together, we would rise. Together, we would make sure my reign was unchallenged.
And once she became my Luna, everything would fall into place.
The truth didn’t matter anymore.
Aria would be mine, and that was all that mattered.