Luna Aria's Awakening

Chapter 9

_Selene's POV_

The rest of my birthday party should have been perfect, yet I couldn't stop thinking about Aria. Not because I cared about her. Far from it. I was annoyed that even after being rejected, she had somehow managed to draw attention away from me. This was supposed to be my night, my birthday and my celebration. Yet, all anyone could talk about was the wolfless girl who had somehow turned out to be the future Alpha's mate.

Even worse, Kael Voronov seemed completely distracted. I stood near one of the large windows with a glass of wine in my hand and watched him from across the ballroom. Guests surrounded him constantly. Young women laughed at his jokes, or at least tried to, while several daughters of important Alphas practically followed him around all evening.

Normally, I would have been confident. I was beautiful, powerful and came from a respected family. I should have been exactly the kind of woman a future Alpha wanted. Yet every time I approached Kael, I felt as though I was speaking to a wall.

Taking a deep breath, I walked toward him once again. His parents were speaking with several pack leaders nearby while Kael stood slightly apart from the group. His expression was distant.

I smiled brightly. "Kael."

His eyes shifted toward me. "Selene."

At least he remembered my name. That was something.

"I wanted to thank you for coming tonight."

He gave a small nod. "You're welcome."

An awkward silence followed. I waited for him to say something else but he didn't.

"I hope you're enjoying yourself," I said.

"It's fine."

Fine? That was all?

I forced myself to keep smiling. "I've been meaning to ask if you'd like to dance."

His gaze drifted somewhere behind me. For a moment, I thought he hadn't heard. Then he finally answered.

"No."

The word was simple, cold and final.

My smile almost slipped. "Oh."

His attention was already elsewhere. I followed his gaze and immediately felt my stomach tighten. He was looking toward the ballroom entrance. Toward the place where Aria had disappeared earlier. A strange feeling settled inside my chest; jealousy.

Not because I wanted Kael. At least that was what I told myself. I simply hated the idea that Aria still occupied his thoughts after everything that had happened. She didn't deserve it. She had never deserved anything.

The rest of the evening passed quickly after that. Guests continued dancing and celebrating while music filled the ballroom and laughter echoed from every corner. Yet the excitement felt forced. The mate bond drama had ruined the mood and everyone knew it. By midnight, many guests had already left. Even the Alpha family departed earlier than expected. I watched Kael leave without looking back once and silently rolled my eyes.

Tonight hadn't gone the way I had hoped but that didn't mean I was giving up. Kael Voronov was still young, still unmated and sooner or later, he would need a Luna worthy of standing beside him. I knew my worth. I was beautiful, strong and admired by everyone around me. Sooner or later, Kael Voronov would see what everyone else already saw. When that day came, he would realize that I was the woman who belonged beside him. All I needed was another chance.

The next morning, I woke later than usual. My head felt heavy from the previous night's celebration as I stretched lazily and climbed out of bed. However, the moment I headed downstairs, I realized something felt wrong. The house was unusually quiet and more importantly, breakfast wasn't ready. Aria always prepared breakfast. The absence was immediately noticeable.

When I entered the dining room, my father was already seated at the table while my mother stood nearby looking irritated.

"Where's breakfast?" I asked.

My mother frowned. "We're trying to figure that out."

I blinked. "What does that mean?"

"It means nobody has seen Aria this morning."

I rolled my eyes. "Maybe she is hiding somewhere crying about Kael."

Neither of my parents laughed. Instead, they exchanged worried looks that immediately caught my attention. The reaction surprised me. Why were they worried? It wasn't like Aria mattered.

A servant hurried into the room. "Alpha."

My father immediately stood. "What is it?"

"We checked the kitchens."

"And?"

"No sign of her."

Before anyone could respond, another servant entered and reported that the gardens and storage rooms had been searched as well. More servants followed over the next several minutes, each bringing the same answer. Nobody could find Aria. With every report, the worry in the room continued growing. My mother pressed her fingers together nervously while my father began pacing. The entire thing felt ridiculous.

"She is probably somewhere in the house," I said.

Nobody seemed convinced.

Hours passed and the search expanded. Servants checked every room while warriors searched the pack grounds. Patrols were sent into the nearby forest and the atmosphere became increasingly tense. Eventually, even I started wondering if something had happened. Maybe she had been attacked. Maybe she had gotten lost. Maybe she had done something stupid.

Then another possibility occurred to me. Maybe she left.

The more I thought about it, the more sense it made. She had been publicly rejected, humiliated and she was heartbroken. Of course she would leave. Honestly, I would have done the same. The idea immediately improved my mood.

A servant suddenly rushed into the room. "Alpha!"

Everyone turned immediately.

"We found something."

My father moved instantly. "What is it?"

"In Aria's room."

The servant looked nervous as all attention shifted toward him. "There are missing clothes."

My mother's face immediately paled. "What?"

"We checked her wardrobe. Several dresses are gone. A travel bag is missing too."

The room fell silent. Nobody spoke for several seconds as the meaning of those words slowly sank in.

"Food supplies are gone as well," the servant continued. "Some blankets too."

Realization spread across every face in the room. Aria hadn't been kidn*pped. She hadn't been attacked. She had left willingly and she had planned it carefully.

A smile nearly appeared on my face. Good. The house would be peaceful for once. No more Aria. No more awkward family dinners. No more constant reminders that she existed.

I expected my parents to feel relieved too. Instead, they looked horrified.

My father looked as though he had just received terrible news. My mother sank heavily into a chair. Her hands were trembling slightly. Their reactions made absolutely no sense.

"She left," I said.

Neither of them answered.

"Isn't that what everyone wanted?"

The silence that followed felt strange....very strange. I looked between them.

"Why are you acting like this?"

My mother finally lifted her head. "We have to find her."

I stared. "What?"

"We have to bring her back."

A laugh escaped me before I could stop it. Surely she was joking. Nobody else seemed to think so.

My father's expression was deadly serious. "Send more patrols."

Several warriors immediately straightened.

"Search the roads."

They nodded.

"Search neighboring territories. Search every border crossing. I want reports every few hours."

His voice became sharper. "I want her found immediately."

I felt confused. Why? Why would they care?

For twenty years they had barely tolerated her existence. My mother couldn't go a single day without criticizing her. My father rarely acknowledged her unless he needed something done.

Now suddenly they were acting as though the world would end if she wasn't found. Nothing about this made sense.

The rest of the day became complete chaos. Warriors came and went constantly. Search parties entered the forest and returned with nothing.

Meanwhile, my parents grew more anxious with every passing hour. My father spent most of the day inside his office. My mother paced through the house. She had barely touched her food. Several times I caught them whispering together. Each time they noticed me watching, they immediately stopped talking.

That only made me more suspicious. By evening, my patience had finally run out. I found my father inside his office studying a map.

"Enough."

He looked up. "What?"

"What's really going on?"

His expression immediately hardened. "What are you talking about?"

I folded my arms.

"Aria."

A shadow crossed his face. "What about her?"

I stared at him. "She left."

"Yes."

"Then let her stay gone."

His jaw tightened. "No."

The answer came far too quickly. I frowned.

"Why?"

For a moment, it looked as though he might actually answer. His gaze shifted toward the window before returning to me.

"Because she belongs here."

I almost laughed. Nobody in this family had ever acted like Aria belonged in this pack.

"Since when?"

His expression darkened. "That's enough, Selene."

I stared at him for several seconds before turning around and leaving. His answer had solved nothing. If anything, it had only created more questions.

Later that night, I couldn't stop thinking about the conversation. Something was wrong....terribly wrong.

My parents were hiding something. I just didn't know what. The mansion was quiet as I walked through the hallway. Most of the servants had already gone to bed.

As I passed my father's office, I noticed light shining beneath the door. Voices drifted from inside. I stopped and listened.

My mother's voice sounded frightened. "What if we don't find her in time?"

I froze. In time for what?

My father's voice answered immediately. "We will."

"And if we don't?"

The silence that followed felt heavy. It stretched on for several seconds before my father finally spoke again.

"If Aria isn't brought back in time..."

My mother's voice trembled. "Everything will fall apart."

A chill ran down my spine. What were they talking about?

I moved closer to the door, barely daring to breathe. Inside the office, neither of them spoke for several seconds.

Then my father sighed heavily. "This was never supposed to happen."

"We should have watched her more carefully," my mother whispered.

"We'll find her."

"We have to."

The fear in their voices sounded real. I realized that they weren't worried because they loved Aria. They were worried because they needed her.

But why?

What was so important about the sister they had spent years treating like a servant?

I stood frozen outside the office as a terrible realization settled inside me. My parents had been hiding something for years. Something connected to Aria. Something important enough to make them panic when she disappeared.

And for the first time in my life, I wasn't sure I knew my own family at all.

Behind the office door, my father spoke again.

His voice was low and grim. "If we don't bring her back..."

He paused. Then his voice dropped so low that I had to lean closer to catch it.

"Everything we've worked for will be lost."

My breath caught in my throat.

What did that mean?