Chapter 2: Dissolve the Bond
1337 Words
Chapter 2: Dissolve the Bond
(Aria's POV)
Sarah’s hands rested protectively over the swell of her obviously pregnant stomach. Her large, doe-like eyes brimmed with unshed tears as she gazed at me.
She always knew how to work her image to perfection. Helpless. Fragile. As if she were the innocent party here, carrying the weight of the world on her delicate shoulders.
It disgusted me now as much as it had three years ago.
"Aria, please," Sarah whispered, stepping slightly behind Alexander, playing the damsel. Her voice trembled as if she feared I’d lash out at her any moment. It almost amused me. "Don’t punish my baby for my mistakes. Please… please don’t hurt my child."
I stifled the urge to laugh. Her performance was award-worthy, truly. My eyes darted to Alexander, who stood stiffly in front of her, his stance protective and his jaw tight. His steel-blue eyes bore into mine, searching for weakness, some c***k in my resolve. His Alpha aura flickered faintly, probably unintentionally. Weak.
"Aria," he began, his voice a poor attempt at commanding, "she’s pregnant with my pup. Don’t take your anger out on them. Whatever grudge you hold against Sarah, it’s between the two of you. The pup is innocent."
I tilted my head slightly, surveying the pair. My lips curved into a cold smile, but the words I spoke were laced with a venom they couldn't ignore. "Oh, Alexander," I said sweetly, "I would never harm an innocent child. Why would I?"
Relief flickered across their faces. Oh, how premature that relief was.
"But…" I continued, eyes locking onto Sarah's, whose trembling facade faltered ever so slightly. "As the Luna of this pack, the mate of its future Alpha, it’s only natural all pups born into the pack would address me as mother. Isn’t that right, Sarah? After all," I added, tilting my head as if deep in thought, "you can’t even step foot in the pack house to claim that title for yourself."
The tears returned instantly to Sarah’s eyes, and for once, I sensed they may have been genuine. Color drained from her face, leaving her pale as the moonlight. She clutched Alexander’s arm now, perhaps seeking reassurance. Perhaps stability.
Alexander stepped forward, his expression thunderous as his protective instincts flared. "Enough, Aria!"
His attempt to push his Alpha authority onto me was laughable, really. "Do not speak to her like that!"
I barely spared him a glance, my attention still locked onto Sarah. The faintest hint of a smirk tugged at my lips as my wolf Moonhealer stirred with approval of my words. Inside, my wolf was humming with quiet satisfaction at our restraint.
Three years ago, I wouldn’t have been able to stand here like this. I wouldn’t have been able to deliver such words without breaking into pieces myself.
"It's not as if I’ve said anything untrue," I replied coolly. Then, without sparing either of them another look, I turned and made my way toward the entrance of the pack house, my heels clicking sharply against the stone pavement.
My voice floated back to them like the final blow. "Bring her in if you dare, Alexander. Test your status and see how far you get."
I didn’t need to look back to know Alexander had stiffened. He wouldn’t risk it. He wouldn't risk everything he held onto for Sarah.
Behind me, I heard him murmuring soft reassurances to Sarah, his tone as tender as a lover's lullaby.
"Go home first, Sarah," I heard him say. "I’ll handle this. Don’t worry; everything will be fine."
My lips curled with derision. The Alpha and Luna had made their decree abundantly clear. If Alexander allowed Sarah to cross the thresholds of the pack house, his status as the heir would be revoked immediately.
He wouldn’t risk his title. Not for her. Not for anyone.
"Aria!"
Alexander’s angry voice echoed behind me as I entered the pack house, finally catching up to me in the grand hallway. His footsteps were heavy, rushed.
Barely had I come to a stop before he spun me around to face him. His steel-blue eyes blazed with frustration, resentment, and something so familiar it stung—the arrogance of a man who still thought he mattered to me in a way he no longer did.
"Stop this," he demanded, though his tone came off more hostile than authoritative. "You’re taking this too far. Your games don’t have the power you think they do."
"Games?" I repeated softly, almost curiously. Then my lips split into another frigid smile. "What makes you think I’m playing, Alexander? I don’t care enough anymore to waste my energy on your games."
Something in my words—or maybe my tone—hit their mark. His head tilted slightly, his expression twisting. He wasn’t stupid. He could hear the detachment in my voice. It unsettled him.
"What are you saying?" he hissed.
I folded my arms, unwavering under his sharp gaze. My voice was calm beyond measure as I replied. "I’m saying we should dissolve the bond between us."
A flash of anger erupted in his eyes. He stepped closer—not enough to intimidate me, but enough that the air between us felt stifling.
He lowered his voice as though to hide his next words from anyone who might overhear. "Is this a threat, Aria?"
I almost laughed out loud at the absurdity. A threat? No, no. It was liberation.
"No, Alexander," I said bluntly. "It’s not a threat. It’s reality."
He stared at me like I had grown another head, bewildered to the core. "You wouldn’t—"
I tilted my head, my tone softening with mock thoughtfulness. "Wouldn’t I? After all, I really don’t see the point in torturing one another anymore."
I could see him scrambling for some sense of control over the conversation. He failed miserably. "Is this because of Sarah? Of the child?" he spat.
Moonhealer growled faintly in protest within me at his words. My wolf still despised how much venom that man could aim at me while defending the woman who had betrayed me.
But I quelled my wolf’s rage to respond, my voice almost gentle. "Don't misunderstand, Alexander. The pup is innocent… I can let you have them."
Fury shot through his expression, twisting his features with disbelief. "What is this? Some sort of tactic to make me crawl back to you? Playing hard to get has its limits, Aria."
I stiffened despite myself. He leaned forward, his words striking like arrows tipped with old wounds as he sneered, "If you didn’t care so much, you wouldn’t have tried to kill yourself in the first place, now would you?"
The air seemed to thicken around us, suffocating and tense. For a fleeting moment, old, terrible memories surged through me. The faint thought of water filling my lungs… the very darkness that once encompassed me entirely…
But then, silence.
When I finally spoke, my voice was steady as steel. "If you don’t agree… then forget it." I raised my chin, glaring directly at him in the way only I knew how. "Pretend I never said anything."
With that, I turned away, walking toward the lobby of the pack house, not waiting for his response.
Inside, a wave of familiar authority swept over me as I entered. Marcus Storm, the current Alpha. Victoria, the Luna, her gaze sharp and probing as always. Beside them sat Elder James, ancient and wise. Their presence rooted the room in solemnity, the tension instantly oppressive.
The Luna’s voice was icy and direct. "Alexander," she began, her tone leaving no room for evasion, "did you bring her back?"
Alexander hesitated. I saw his gaze flicker instinctively toward me as if I were the lifeline to his answer.
I smiled faintly, folding my hands neatly before me as I inclined my head toward the Luna. "Mother," I said innocently, "I didn’t get a chance to inform you yet."
The color drained from Alexander’s face as realization dawned upon him.
- Writer
