Alpha queen: fated to three Mates

Chapter 3

Aria’s pain

Moon Crest pack I landed.

Slowly, I lowered myself to the ground, my back resting against the rough bark. My knees drew close to my chest as silence settled around me.Only then did I realize how far I had run. How far I had come without knowing where I was going. I pulled it out again, this time I loosened the string, and let the silver necklace fall into my palm. It shimmered faintly beneath the fading evening light. I stared at it, I didn't blink, I didn't cry, I simply stared. My mind is empty, as though the girl who had spent weeks saving every coin to buy it. Belonged to someone else.

The necklace rested quietly in my palm, its silver catching the last traces of daylight. Only hours ago, I had imagined the smile that would spread across Kieran's face when I gave it to him.

Now… It felt like a stranger's gift. The forest around me was silent. A cool breeze stirred the leaves overhead, carrying with it the scent of pine and damp earth. Somewhere in the distance, a bird called before everything fell quiet again. I welcomed the silence. It was easier than thinking but my mind refused to obey.

The bedroom door creaked open. Kieran… Lyra…

His body pressed against hers. The necklace slipped from my fingers. The sharp clink of silver striking the wooden floor echoed through my head.

"Aria..." Lyra's voice.

Panicked. Guilty. I squeezed my eyes shut. No.. I didn't want to hear her. I didn't want to see them. Yet the memories kept coming, each one sharper than the last, tearing through the fragile numbness I'd been clinging to.

My fingers tightened around the necklace until the edges bit into my skin.

Still...

I couldn't cry.

It was as though the tears had abandoned me, leaving behind nothing but a hollow ache too deep for my heart to understand.

I squeezed my eyes shut and drew in a slow, trembling breath.

Don't cry, not here, not over him.I repeated the words in my head as though saying them often enough would make them true.It didn't.

A tear slipped free, tracing a warm path down my cheek before falling onto the silver pendant in my hand. I brushed it away with the back of my hand. Another followed.

Then another.

The sob I had been fighting rose into my throat, breaking through before I could force it back down. I doubled over, clutching the necklace against my chest as my body shook with each ragged breath. The pain wasn't just in my heart anymore. It was everywhere. I couldn't escape it.

"Why?" I whispered into the empty forest. The wind carried my voice away, leaving only silence in its place. When has everything changed? Was it while I was saving every spare coin to buy this necklace? Was it when Lyra smiled and told me Kieran would love my surprise? Or had it started long before that... while I was too busy believing we were happy to notice? I searched my memories one by one.

Kieran's promises, Lyra's laughter.

The three of us together.

Moments that had once made me smile now felt unfamiliar, as though someone had stolen their meaning and replaced it with a lie. I wanted to believe there had been something real. Something worth holding on to. But the more I remembered, the less certain I became. If they could look me in the eye, smile, and betray me in the same breath..

Then what had been real? And what had only ever existed in my heart?

I didn't know how long I would stay there.

My tears had run dry, leaving only the tight ache in my chest. Every breath felt shallow, as though even the air had become too heavy to draw into my lungs. The necklace still rested in my hand. Its silver surface caught the last sliver of sunlight before dusk settled over the forest.

Around me, life refused to stop. A pair of birds fluttered from one branch to another, their cheerful chirping breaking the silence. A squirrel darted across a fallen log, disappearing into the undergrowth. The wind wandered lazily through the trees, stirring the leaves a soft whisper. Everything was exactly as it should be. Only I had changed. I wanted the forest to mourn with me. I wanted the wind to stop blowing. I wanted the birds to fall silent. Instead, the world carried on as though nothing had happened... as though my heart hadn't been ripped apart. A bitter smile tugged at my lips before fading just as quickly.

Then...

The wind stopped not slowly, instantly. The leaves became still. The birds fell silent. The squirrel froze for a heartbeat before vanishing into the bushes. A chill crawled up my spine. I lifted my head, The air felt different.

Heavier.

Every breath became harder than the last, as though an invisible weight had settled over the forest. Then I caught it. The scent wasn't pine. It wasn't damp earth. It was rich, wild, and powerful—so overwhelming that every instinct inside me screamed that whoever carried it was far stronger than any wolf I had ever known. My fingers instinctively tightened around the necklace.

Run. The thought flashed through my mind. I planted my palm against the ground, forcing my exhausted body to rise. My legs trembled violently and I barely made it halfway to my feet before they gave out beneath me. I crashed back onto the forest floor, my heart pounding against my ribs.

Footsteps approaching Slow, Steady, Growing closer. Someone was coming and I had nowhere left to run. The figure stepped out, between the towering pines. He was tall. Far taller than any man from my pack. He has a dark cloak hung over broad shoulders, its edges brushing against the fallen leaves. His face remained hidden beneath the hood, but there was something about the way he stood still, calm, utterly unafraid—that sent a chill crawling down my spine. He wasn't hunting, he was waiting. Just Stirling at me. My pulse hammered painfully against my ribs.

Please..." My voice cracked, barely louder than a whisper. "I don't have anything." The stranger didn't answer. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, as though he was studying me.

" Omega"

The world came out of his mouth not too loud.

The stranger slowly extended his hand toward me. I stared at it. Every instinct screamed at me not to trust him. Only minutes ago, the two people I had trusted most had shattered my world. How could I believe a complete stranger? But my body had already reached its limit. My legs refused to obey me, and every breath burned in my chest.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I hesitated before placing my trembling hand in his. His grip was firm... but surprisingly gentle. He didn't yank me to my feet or tighten his hold. Instead, he waited until I found my balance, steadying me as though I might break.

"Easy," he said quietly. My knees buckled almost immediately. Before I could hit the ground, he caught me with one arm. Without another word, he slipped an arm beneath my knees and lifted me effortlessly into his arms. I stiffened, expecting pain. It never came. He adjusted his hold just enough to make sure I was comfortable before turning toward the dark forest. The trees parted as he walked, as if he was an Alpha who was returning home. I wanted to ask where he was taking me. I wanted to demand that he put me down. But the words never came. My eyelids grew heavier with every step. The faces of Kieran and Lyra flashed through my mind, twisting the knife already buried in my heart.

I couldn't go back.I couldn't face them. I had nowhere else to go.

So I let the strangers carry me into his pack, clinging to the last thread of consciousness as the forest swallowed us whole.