Aria
The moment the lecture ends, I practically leap out of my seat, ready to escape. But, of course, Lucas doesn’t waste a damn second…he’s already heading for the door, and, surprise surprise, she’s right there beside him.
I exhale sharply. Great. Just fucking great.
As we step out of the classroom, Lily gives me a knowing look. “So, I’m guessing you’ve seen him?”
I nod, pressing my lips together. “Yeah. Saw him right after I left the bar.”
“We actually didn’t even know he was coming,” Mia chimes in as we settle on a bench at the student hub. “He totally surprised us. Theo was over the moon, though. At least it’s a first step.”
“First step?” I frown. “What do you mean?”
Mia shifts, hesitating. “After you left, Aria… Lucas hasn’t been the same. He kinda shut everyone out. Stopped talking to us-except for Sarita. She’s the one who helped him get a job.”
I blink. “Wait, wait…” I cut her off, holding up a hand. “Lucas left the pack?”
Mia nods solemnly. “Alpha Marcus didn’t have a choice but to let him go. Lucas refused to eat. He was depressed, like, dangerously so. The only way to keep him from doing something drastic was to let him leave.”
Lily sighs. “Yeah. He left and searched everywhere for you, Aria, but he couldn’t find you. And when he couldn’t, he just… cut us all off.”
Their words hit me like a truck. My chest tightens, and my throat burns. This is all my fault.
Mia keeps going, oblivious to how I’m barely holding it together. “Thankfully, Sarita was there. She helped him get a job at a shipping company where her mate works. But now Alpha Marcus is sick, dying, actually and Lucas refuses to go back. He still blames him for what happened to you.”
I choke out a breath, feeling tears slip down my cheeks. “So… all of this happened because of me? He shut you guys out because of me?”
Lily shakes her head. “Don’t be like that, Aria. Damon and Theo still check up on him. But, man, he’s changed. He’s not the same. He doesn’t joke around, doesn’t hang out anymore…”
I wipe my face, frustration and guilt clawing at me. “I can’t believe this. And when he saw me last night? He acted like he didn’t even know me. Like I didn’t matter. He must hate me.” My voice cracks, and I sniff. “But at least he has someone now.”
“That human girl?” Mia scoffs. “Please. That’s Mira. She’s not his girlfriend. She likes him, sure, but she’s literally been following him around since yesterday. They’ve only known each other for one day.”
I blink. “Wait-really?”
Mia nods.
I exhale, rubbing my temples. Well, shit.
“I thought she was his second-chance mate or something.”
“But Aria, you’d know if she was. You’d feel the bond snap,” Mia says.
I shake my head. “I thought I wouldn’t feel the bond that much since I was banished, but that was a fucking lie.” My chest tightens. “I felt it. Every single night. The pain, the emptiness… I yearned for him…to see him, to hold me.”
Mia nods, her expression unreadable. “I guess it’s because you two never rejected each other.”
“Yeah… I guess,” I murmur. “That’s why I started taking Wolfbane. To numb it. Because the pain was too fucking much.”
Lily places a gentle hand on my arm. “I’m so sorry, Aria.”
“Aria,” Mia starts carefully. “Maybe you should talk to him.”
I shake my head immediately. “I… I don’t think he wants to.”
“He does,” she insists. “He still loves you. He’s just heartbroken.”
Before I can spiral any further, Mia stands and tugs me up. “Enough moping. We have philosophy class.” She eyes me like an exasperated mother. “Now I know why your eyes are so puffy. Seriously, if you were gonna be like this, you shouldn’t have left, Aria.”
I swallow hard, my voice barely above a whisper. “I thought I was doing the right thing. I didn’t want him to lose everything because of me…”
Mia and Lily exchange a look before pulling me into a hug. And, goddess, I really needed that.
“Here,” Lily says, slipping her oversized sunglasses onto my face. “Nobody will even notice you’ve been crying. Now, come on.”
—
I try to pay attention in philosophy class. I really do.
But my eyes keep drifting.
To him.
Lucas sits a few rows ahead, his face unreadable, his entire presence just… cold. No humor, no warmth, no him.
Did I really do this to him?
“Alright,” the professor announces, snapping me out of my thoughts. “For this project, you’ll be working in pairs.”
Okay, cool. Whatever. I’m barely listening.
Then-
“Aria Whitlock and Lucas Russo.”
I freeze.
What are the fucking odds?
“Oh-ho, this is gonna be interesting,” Mia murmurs beside me, smirking.
“Maybe it’s a chance to make up?” Lily adds hopefully.
I don’t respond. My stomach twists into a knot, and my heart beats like it’s trying to escape my chest.
The professor continues pairing people up, and soon, everyone’s moving to sit with their partners.
Everyone except me and Lucas.
I sit there, frozen, waiting. Waiting for him to make the first move.
He doesn’t.
He stays in his seat, flipping through his textbook like this is just another boring day in class.
Is he waiting for me to go to him?
I take a deep breath, force myself to stand. Okay. Okay. I can do this.
But before I can take a step-
Lucas gets up.
And walks right out of the damn classroom.
I barely process it before my body moves on its own. I grab my bag and go after him.