I had my hands shaking as I threw all my clothing into my duffle.
What was I on? What am I thinking ? I was leaving everything I had ever known for a man I had met twenty minutes ago. Yes, he was my mate, but so was Kai once. And look how that ended.
"You are really doing this?" Emma stood in my doorway, wide-eyed.
"I think so." I shoved another shirt into the bag. "Maybe. I do not know."
"Aria, this is insane. You do not know anything about this man."
"Well, I know he wants me," I said, between my teeth. "Sure, he stared at me as though I were gold but not as though something was wrong with me."
Emma was sitting down upon the bed, taking care not to interrupt my disorderly packing. "But what if it is all an act? What if this is about Kai?"
That fear had already been whispering in my mind.
"Then I will deal with it when it happens," I said. "I cannot live my life afraid of being hurt again."
My cellphone vibrated. A Jake text: What in the hell is happening? Dad says you are leaving with some strange Alpha?
I ignored it. There also came an unknown number message: Take your time, little wolf. I will wait as long as you want. – D
Even his texts calmed me. I froze when a knock came at the door.
"I will get it", Emma said, but I had already started moving.
I looked through the peephole and saw Sophia. Ice hair, ice make up, ice fake smile.
I had the door open. "Sophia. What a surprise."
"Hi, Aria." She glanced past me at the open duffle bag. "So it is true. You are really leaving."
"Word travels fast."
"May I come in? We should talk."
Every instinct screamed no. But I stepped aside. "Five minutes."
She sat in my easy-chair as though it were her own. "It is cozy," she said looking at my apartment.
"I am sure it is not what you are used to. What do you want?"
"I want to help you."
I almost laughed. "Help me?"
"You are about to make a terrible mistake. Alpha Cross is not who you think he is."
"And who do you think he is?"
"Dangerous and ruthless. His last Luna died under strange circumstances."
"How?"
"No one knows. She was planning to run off with another wolf, and three days later, they found her. Torn apart. The coroner said it was an animal attack."
Cold crept into my bones.
"Claw marks. Precise ones. We all know what kind of animal that means."
"You are lying."
"Am I? Ask yourself why the most powerful Alpha in the region would want a rejected she-wolf from another pack. Why not pick someone of his own?"
Because the Moon Goddess chose me. But I could not say that out loud.
"Maybe," she said, "he likes taking what belongs to other Alphas. Maybe you are just a trophy."
"I do not belong to Kai," I said, voice sharp.
"Do you not? Then why is he downstairs right now, begging Alpha Cross to let you stay?"
My blood froze. "What?"
"Oh yes. Right after you left, Kai ran after you. Lots of shouting, posturing. Honestly, it was kind of romantic."
I grabbed my jacket and headed for the door.
"Where are you going?" she called.
"To stop two idiots from killing each other."
But she had one more thing to say. "He is going to reject me."
I turned back. "What?"
Tears smeared her perfect face. "Kai told me he could not go through with the wedding. That he still loves you."
The floor shifted beneath me.
"He is going to break our engagement. In front of everyone. Do you know what that will do to me? No Alpha will want me after that."
For the first time, I felt sorry for her.
"I am sorry," I said. "But that is between you and him."
"Is it? If you give him another chance, none of this has to happen."
"And I am supposed to forget three years of heartbreak because he suddenly wants me back?"
"You are supposed to think about more than yourself."
She tried guilt. It might have worked before.
"No," I said. "I am done sacrificing myself for everyone else."
I opened the door.
"He loves you, Aria. Is that not worth something?"
It was, once but not anymore. I walked out.
Kai and Damon had an audience in the parking lot behind the pack house; they continued to circle around each other in wolf form. Kai had golden fur that was glowing in the moonlight. He looked powerful and familiar.
Damon's wolf was a beast.
Twice Kai's size, midnight black with glowing silver eyes and scarred shoulders. A living weapon.
They circled, growling low.
"Stop!" I shouted, pushing into the circle. "Stop it right now."
Alpha Morrison stepped forward. "Aria, you need to leave—"
"They will not hurt me." I looked at both wolves. "Will you?"
Damon shifted first, massive frame shrinking into a man, breathing heavily. "He challenged me," he said. "Said I could not have you."
Kai shifted too, blood at the corner of his mouth. "She does not know what she is getting into," he said.
"Like she did with you?" Damon snapped.
"Enough!" I stood between them, one hand on each chest. "Back off. Now."
Phones were out. This would be everywhere by morning.
"Kai," I asked, "is it true? Are you breaking your engagement?"
"Yes," he said, pain in his voice.
"Why now?"
"Because I cannot watch you leave again."
"But you let me go once."
"I was young and scared. I thought I was protecting you."
"From what?"
"From me. From this life. From all the dangers. You have been mine for five minutes and there is already blood."
"That is not my fault."
"Is it not? Being mated to an Alpha means constant threats. My mother was poisoned by a rival pack. I could not risk that happening to you."
His words hit hard. His mother's death had shattered him.
"So you rejected me to keep me safe?"
"I rejected you because I loved you too much to lose you."
Damon scoffed. "That is sweet. And completely idiotic."
Kai glared. "She is not like other wolves. She is gentle. Too good for this."
"And you think I cannot protect her?" Damon's voice was razor sharp.
"I think you will get her killed." said Kai
"I have not lost a single wolf to enemy action in five years. Can you say the same?"
Kai paled. His pack had lost three wolves last year.
"I do not protect my mate by hiding her. I protect her by making sure everyone knows touching her means death." Damon growls. He looked at me, voice softer. "Aria deserves to be loved out loud. Not hidden."
"I am fighting for her," Kai said.
"Three years too late." responded Damon.
Silence fell.
"Aria," Kai said, "please. Give me another chance. I love you. I always have."
My chest ached. These were the words I had dreamed of for years.
"And what about Sophia?"
"I will explain. I will fix it."
"By humiliating her? The night before the wedding?"
He winced. "It is not ideal but—"
"But you are willing to hurt her to get me back."
"Yes," he said without hesitation.
That honesty revealed everything I needed to know. I looked at both of them.
"Kai, I understand. I forgive you. But you do not get to decide when I come back. You do not get to ruin someone else's life just because you finally figured out what you lost."
"Aria—"
"I am going with Damon."
Gasps rippled through the crowd. Kai looked shattered.
"Are you sure?" Damon asked.
I thought of my life here. My heartbreak. The quiet ache of being forgotten. "I am sure."
Damon pulled me into a kiss, powerful and possessive. The bond flared, and I kissed him back.
"I will grab your bag," he said. "Say goodbye."
Jake pushed through the crowd. "Are you insane?"
"I have to try." I answered, not looking at him.
"What if he hurts you?"
"Then I come home and you can say I told you so."
He hugged me tight. "Call me. Every day."
"I promise."
Damon returned, slinging my bag over his shoulder.
"Ready?"
I looked at everything behind me. Then I looked ahead. "Ready."
As we walked to his bike, Kai called out one last time. "Aria, wait."
I turned. "If he ever hurts you, call me. No matter where you are. I will come."
My voice shook, but I answered him with truth. "I know."
I got on the bike, and wrapped my arms around Damon as we rode off.
Sophia stood on the stairs, not crying anymore. She was grinning. And something in that grin freaked me out to the bone. But my hair was in the wind, and my arms were round my mate.
I was liberated. And for the first time ever I was making my own choices. Even if I didn't know where it was gonna end up.