ARIA’S POV
The noise from downstairs was deafening.
Everyone was celebrating like the world had just been reborn...the new Alpha, the future of the pack, the start of a new era. I could still hear Drew laughing somewhere, calling Cassian “Your Highness” just to annoy him. Glasses clinked, people cheered, and for once, there was no tension in the air.
I stood in the hallway outside the crowd, my back against the wall, trying to breathe. I wasn’t used to so many eyes, so many smiles. Everyone had been greeting me all day...“Congratulations,” “You must be proud,” “He’s lucky to have you.”
Lucky.
That word didn’t sit right.
Cassian had told me he’d join the council for a short meeting. “Ten minutes,” he said, pressing a quick kiss to my forehead before walking away. It had been thirty.
