Alpha Zander’s POV.
The sound of my Beta, Liam, clearing his throat pulled my attention away from the paperwork in front of me. His face was tense, lips pressed into a thin line. Whatever he had to say, it wasn’t good.
“What is it, Liam?” I asked, leaning back in my chair, my tone sharper than I intended.
He hesitated, his fingers tightening around the tablet he held. “You need to see this, Alpha,” he said, his voice low.
Without another word, he handed me the tablet. My eyes narrowed as I glanced at the screen, and then the air in the office seemed to chill as I realized what I was looking at.
A video.
Aria.
She was sitting at a table in a dimly lit room, her expression calm but guarded. Across from her was no one other than Alpha Daniel Huntington. The two of them were having dinner-alone, in what looked like his villa.
My jaw tightened, fury coursing through me like a wildfire. The timestamp on the video showed it wasn’t recent, but the implications were clear. A professor and his student, meeting privately. Sharing a meal in such an intimate setting.
The whispers I had tried to ignore for weeks suddenly roared to the forefront of my mind. The rumors of Aria leaving the university, the scandal surrounding her and Daniel-it all made sense now.
I slammed the tablet down on the desk, the sharp sound echoing through the room. “Where did this come from?” I growled, my voice low and dangerous.
“It’s spreading fast, Alpha,” Liam said, his tone cautious. “It was sent to the university’s groups anonymously, but it’s already reached the packs. Alpha Xavier has seen it. Everyone’s talking about it.”
My fists clenched, the muscles in my jaw tightening as a growl escaped my throat. “That bastard,” I spat. “Daniel used her. Manipulated her.”
But even as the words left my mouth, doubt seeped into my mind. Aria wasn’t naive. She was strong-willed, independent. Would she really allow herself to be drawn into something like this?
The thought only fueled my anger.
“Prepare the car,” I barked, standing abruptly. “I’m going to Nightshade territory.”
—
The drive to Nightshade territory was a blur, my thoughts consumed by the storm of emotions raging inside me. The video replayed in my mind over and over, each time stoking the flames of my anger.
When we arrived at the Nightshade castle, I didn’t wait for an escort. I pushed past the guards, my Beta trailing behind me, and stormed into the grand hall.
Aria was there, standing at the base of the staircase, her father beside her. She looked up as I approached, her expression shifting from surprise to something colder.
“Zander,” she said, her voice calm but clipped.
I stopped a few paces away from her, my eyes blazing as I stared her down. “What the hell were you thinking, Aria?” I demanded, my voice echoing through the hall.
Her brow furrowed, and a flicker of defiance crossed her face. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said evenly, though I could see the tension in her shoulders.
“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” I snarled. “The video. You and that pathetic excuse for an Alpha-Daniel.”
Her eyes widened slightly, but she quickly masked her reaction, her expression hardening. “I don’t owe you an explanation, Zander.”
“You don’t owe me-” I let out a harsh laugh, the sound bitter. “You’re my mate, Aria. My Luna. And you let yourself get caught in a scandal like this?”
Her father bristled beside her, but Aria held up a hand, silencing him. She stepped forward, her chin lifted, her gaze locked on mine.
“I was your Luna,” she said, her voice cold and cutting. “You broke the bond, remember? You made it abundantly clear that you didn’t want me.”
Her words hit me like a punch to the gut, but I refused to back down. “That doesn’t give you the right to ruin your reputation-or mine-by throwing yourself at another Alpha.”
Her eyes burned with fury now, and she took another step toward me, her voice rising. “I didn’t throw myself at anyone! You don’t get to waltz in here and judge me after everything you’ve done. You cast me aside like I was nothing, Zander. You broke the bond. You. Not me.”
I opened my mouth to retort, but she didn’t give me the chance.
“I am not your Luna anymore,” she said, her voice trembling with anger. “I don’t belong to you. I can make my own decisions, and I don’t need your permission or your approval.”
Her words sliced through me, leaving a hollow ache in their wake. I clenched my fists at my sides, my anger warring with something deeper-something I didn’t want to name.
“Aria-”
“Leave,” she said, her voice trembling slightly now. “Get out of my father’s house. You don’t have any right to be here.”
I hesitated, the weight of her words pressing down on me. For a moment, I thought about pushing back, about forcing her to listen. But the look in her eyes stopped me.
She was done.
Without another word, I turned on my heel and strode out of the castle, my Beta following silently behind me.
—
The drive back to Silverfang territory was quiet, the tension in the car thick and unspoken. I stared out the window, the landscape passing in a blur, my mind replaying everything that had just happened.
Her defiance. Her anger. The way she had looked at me, like I was nothing more than a stranger to her.
She was right. I had broken the bond. I had pushed her away, convinced myself that I didn’t need her, that I didn’t want her. But seeing her now, hearing her stand up to me with such fire-
I wanted her back.
The realization hit me like a blow, and I gritted my teeth, the ache in my chest growing stronger. I had let her go. I had pushed her into the arms of someone like Daniel.
And now, I had no idea how to fix it.