CHAPTER 3
1137 Words
Aria POV
“What the f**k did you say to him?” Alpha Lucius’s voice was sharp, slicing through the room like a knife. Before I could blink, his hand shot out, gripping my hair and yanking me backward. Pain flared through my scalp, and I stumbled, gasping.
“I—I don’t know what you mean!” I stammered, twisting my head to look at him. “I swear, I didn’t say anything!”
Lucius’s stormy eyes bored into mine, unreadable yet filled with fury. “Don’t lie to me, Aria. Don’t.” His hand tightened, dragging me toward the door.
I tried to pull free, but it was useless. “I honestly—” I started again, but he silenced me with another sharp tug.
“You. Don’t. Know,” he ground out between clenched teeth. “Darius was supposed to come to terms with me. And now?” His voice cracked with anger. “Now he’s backing off. Tell me what you did.”
“I—I didn’t do anything!” I yelled, my voice hoarse from the panic and the ache in my scalp. “I promise, I didn’t speak to him about… about any thing!”
Lucius didn’t respond. He just hauled me outside, the cold wind hitting my face, every strand of hair pulled taut and stabbing at my skull. The courtyard was dim, lit by scattered lanterns, and I saw a few maids peeking from the windows.
“Oh, poor Luna,” one of them whispered behind her hand, her voice dripping with false sympathy. “Look at her, even the Alpha is…”
“Shh,” another hissed, but I didn’t care. Their pity felt like salt in the wound. Every step Lucius took seemed to hammer home a truth I didn’t want to admit: I was powerless.
Lucius finally stopped near the edge of the courtyard and released my hair abruptly. I collapsed onto the ground, rubbing at my scalp, trying to regain control of my body. He towered over me, hands on his hips now, the fury in his eyes more frightening than before.
“I am fed up with you ruining my life,” he spat. “Do you hear me, Aria? I am done.”
I froze. My heart thudded painfully against my ribs. This… this was worse than I’d imagined.
“I—” I started, desperate, “Lucius, please. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I just—”
“No,” he interrupted, his voice low and dangerous. “No more words. You’ve had your chances. You’ve had your warnings. I’m done.”
“I, Alpha Lucius…, regent you, Aria as my mate and Luna!”
The bond… the mate bond that had tied us together, strong and undeniable, flared painfully in my chest. It twisted and recoiled as if it too was wounded by his rejection. I fell to my knees, the sharp ache in my chest almost physical.
“I… I’m sorry,” I whispered, my tears burning my eyes. “I didn’t want to hurt you… I never wanted to—”
Lucius turned away, his broad back rigid. “It’s over, Aria. You’re nothing to me now.”
The words tore through me, and I couldn’t breathe properly. The connection that had always made me feel whole, his presence like a heartbeat inside me, was severed. And with it, my world shattered.
Later, Freya came strolling down the hall, her grin wide and victorious. She leaned against the doorframe of my room, arms crossed. “Well, well, Ex Luna,” she said softly, mockingly, “looks like I’ve won. The Alpha was meant to be mine all along. You were just… in the way. I was his high school love and it will remain so. Catch ya Ex Luna…”
Her laughter filled the hall as she walked away.
I said nothing. I just stared at her, hate and despair warring in my chest. She had won this round, yes, but the thought of Lucius… being hers, like a possession I could never reclaim, made my stomach twist.
Later that night, I had pulled myself together enough to face Lucius again, this time with my pride pushed aside. I wanted back my father’s company, which had been swallowed by him becoming my husband.
“Alpha Lucius,” I said, my voice steady but my hands trembling. “I want back my father’s company. It belongs in my possession.”
His eyes darkened as he looked at me, every muscle in his face tense. “It’s mine now,” he said finally, flat and unyielding. “Everything your father owned is under my control. You lost the right to that company the moment you became my Luna.”
The words were sharp as daggers. I wanted to argue, to plead, but the emptiness in my chest, the lingering sting of rejection, rendered me mute.
I left then, defeated, my thoughts heavy with how quickly everything I had fought for had slipped through my fingers.
I tried to sleep, though the bed felt emptier than ever, the echo of Lucius’s rejection haunting my mind. I had just begun to drift when suddenly… a hand clamped over my mouth. I gasped, struggling, panic surging through my veins, but I couldn’t scream. Not a single sound escaped my throat.
Someone lifted me effortlessly from the bed. My legs flailed, but the grip was iron-strong. Fear gripped me like a vice, and the world spun as I was carried into the darkness. My mind raced as I tried to figure out where I was being taken, but the night swallowed all sense of direction.
When finally I was set down, I dared to open my eyes. I was in an unfamiliar room—dimly lit, cold, and oppressive. The air was thick with tension. And then I saw him.
Alpha Lucius.
He was standing across from me, his hand resting on the hilt of a blade, his expression unreadable. I froze, my heart pounding painfully in my chest.
“You,” he said finally, his voice low, almost growling, “you dare to ask about the company?” He stepped closer, the glint of the blade catching the faint light. “You dare speak as if you still have rights… as if you still have control?”
“I… I—” I tried to speak, but my throat was dry, my mind a whirlwind of terror and confusion.
Alpha Lucius’s eyes narrowed. “I should kill you, Aria,” he said quietly, almost to himself. “It’s… uncomfortable for me that you’ve dared to ask for that company again.”
My knees hit the floor instinctively, fear and shock mingling with the lingering pain of our broken bond.
- Writer
