Luna Aria's Awakening

Chapter 13

_Selene's POV_

Since I was a child, I always got everything I wanted. For years, I had lived with one certainty. No matter what happened, I would become Luna one day. Everyone in Silver Moon Pack knew it. I was beautiful, strong, respected and the daughter of an Alpha. Everything had always pointed toward the same future.

Then Aria had been named Kael's mate. Even now, remembering that moment made something ugly twist inside my chest. I had spent years imagining my future beside him. Then suddenly my pathetic younger sister had nearly taken everything from me.

Thankfully, fate had corrected its mistake. Kael had rejected her and the bond was broken. Aria was gone. I should have been happy. Instead, I was standing by my bedroom window, staring at the pack gates for what felt like the hundredth time that morning.

The search parties had been gone for days. Everywhere I went, people talked about the same thing; Aria was missing. I was sick of hearing her name.

My fingers tightened around the curtain. Even after disappearing, she still managed to make everything about her. A knock interrupted my thoughts.

"Come in."

My mother entered the room carrying a small smile. "You're still standing there?"

I sighed. "There's nothing else to do."

Her smile widened. "Actually, there is."

I turned toward her. "What?"

"Alpha Victor and Kael are coming to our pack today."

My mood instantly improved. "Really?"

She nodded. "The search party crossed back into our territory this morning. They should arrive before sunset."

A small flutter of excitement filled my chest. Finally, I would meet Kael again. I hadn't seen him since the rejection ceremony. The thought immediately made me smile.

I still remembered Aria's face filled with tears. She had stood there in front of everyone while Kael chose his future over her. The memory filled me with satisfaction.

Mother sat on the edge of my bed. "You should spend some time with him."

"I plan to."

Her eyes softened. "He has been under a lot of pressure lately."

The comment made me frown. "What pressure?"

Mother hesitated. "First, it was the rejection and now, it is the search for Aria."

Immediately, my good mood dimmed. Of course....everything always returned to Aria. I forced a smile. "I'm sure he'll be happy to forget about all that once he meets me."

Mother looked unconvinced. That bothered me. Why did everyone keep acting as though Aria still mattered? Kael rejected her. The story should have ended there.

Once Mother left, I walked toward my wardrobe. If Kael was coming today, I wanted to look perfect.

An hour later, clothes covered nearly every surface in my room. I had changed dresses three times already. I never struggled with things like this. Normally, choosing an outfit took minutes. But today, nothing seemed right.

Eventually, I settled on a pale blue dress that highlighted my figure without appearing overly formal. After fixing my hair and applying light makeup, I finally stepped back and studied my reflection.

This was perfect. Kael would notice me. Why wouldn't he? I was looking so elegant and pretty.

The hours dragged by painfully slowly. By the time a warrior finally announced Alpha Victor's arrival, I was already halfway to the main hall.

Several warriors were crossing through the gates. Alpha Victor walked at the front. Kael followed beside him. The smile on my face immediately faltered. Something was wrong.

Kael looked exhausted. His clothes were dusty. Dark circles rested beneath his eyes. His normally neat appearance was completely gone. He looked like someone who hadn't properly rested in days. For a moment, concern replaced my excitement.

Then I hurried toward him. "Kael."

His head lifted. Those familiar blue eyes settled on me. For a brief second, warmth spread through my chest. Then he simply nodded.

"Selene."

That was all. He did not even smile at me. I felt a bit disappointed but I quickly hid it behind a smile. "You look exhausted."

"That's because I am." His voice sounded tired and distracted. It was as if he was mentally absent.

I stepped closer. "I have not seen you since many days."

"I know."

"I missed you."

The words came out softer than intended. Normally, they should have earned some reaction. This time, Kael only looked away. My smile began to feel forced. Before I could try again, Alpha Victor called his name.

"Kael."

Immediately, his attention shifted. "Coming."

And just like that, he walked past me. I stood there staring after him. A cold feeling settled inside my chest. Something wasn't right.

I remained in the courtyard for several seconds after Kael disappeared inside the pack house. Around me, warriors continued moving through the gates while servants carried supplies inside but I barely noticed any of it. My attention remained fixed on the large wooden doors through which Kael had just vanished.

The entire interaction had felt wrong. Trying to convince myself that I was just overthinking things, I headed toward the pack house. Alpha Victor was meeting with my father and several elders. Normally, I wouldn't have cared about another boring Alpha meeting but this one was different.

This meeting was about Aria.

By the time I reached the hallway outside the conference room, the meeting had already begun. The doors weren't completely closed, leaving a narrow gap that allowed voices to drift into the corridor.

I hesitated at first but then, curiosity won. Carefully, I moved closer. Inside the room, my father sat at the head of the table while Alpha Victor occupied a chair beside him. Several elders were present and Kael sat quietly near the far end of the room. His posture immediately caught my attention. He looked tense and anxious.

My father spoke first. "We appreciate your help, Victor."

Alpha Victor nodded. "There was never any question. Silver Moon Pack is an ally."

My father sighed heavily. "We were hoping you would return with better news."

A silence followed. Then Alpha Victor slowly placed something on the table. I couldn't see it clearly from my position outside the room.

"We found this yesterday."

The room became quiet. One of the elders inhaled sharply. My father's face paled. The object on the table was some sort of torn fabric.

Aria's torn dress.

A strange feeling settled inside my stomach. Alpha Victor continued speaking.

"We found it caught on a broken branch several miles north of our territory."

My father swallowed hard. "You're certain it belonged to Aria?"

"Yes, it carried her scent."

The room became silent again. I stared at the torn fabric on the table and felt an uneasy knot form in my stomach. For days, Aria's disappearance had been little more than a topic of conversation around the pack. Everyone seemed obsessed with discussing where she might be and what might have happened to her. I had grown tired of hearing her name and eventually, I stopped paying attention altogether.

Now it was different.

The torn fabric was real. It was physical evidence that Aria had been in that forest. Looking at it made the situation feel far more serious than I wanted to admit. Suddenly, it was impossible to ignore the possibility that something had actually happened to her.

My father lowered his gaze. "Was there anything else?"

The hesitation before Alpha Victor answered made my stomach tighten.

"Yes."

The room seemed to grow colder.

"We found several dead rogues nearby."

Shock immediately spread through the room. One elder cursed softly. Another looked horrified.

"What do you mean dead rogues?"

Alpha Victor folded his hands. "The area showed clear signs of a violent battle. Trees were damaged. The ground had been torn apart."

My father's face turned grim. "You believe Aria encountered them?"

"We know that she was there."

Silence followed. No one needed him to explain further. The implication was obvious. Aria had encountered rogues....dangerous rogues. She was all alone and she was wolfless. How would she defend herself?

The realization sent a chill through me. Not because I cared about her. I didn't. But hearing it described that way made the situation feel real.

One of the elders leaned forward. "Did you find a body?"

"No."

"Blood?"

"No."

"Any indication that she survived?"

Alpha Victor exhaled slowly. "Unfortunately, no."

The room fell silent once more. My father rubbed his forehead. "What do you think happened?"

Victor's expression hardened. "I think something very bad happened to that girl."

The words seemed to hang heavily in the air. For a moment, nobody spoke. That was when my gaze shifted toward Kael. And immediately, my stomach dropped. Because he looked devastated.

His jaw was clenched so tightly that the muscles visibly moved beneath his skin. His hands were balled into fists beneath the table and his eyes remained fixed on the torn fabric. He looked very worried. The sight sent an unpleasant feeling crawling through my chest.

Why?

Why was he reacting like that?

He had already rejected her. She wasn't his mate anymore. So why did he look like this?

The meeting continued but I barely heard anything after that. My attention remained fixed on Kael. Every time Aria's name was mentioned, I noticed another reaction. His shoulders stiffened and his expression darkened. It was subtle....small enough that most people wouldn't notice.

But I did.

And every reaction made the knot inside my chest tighten a little more.

Eventually, the meeting ended. Chairs scraped against the floor as everyone stood. Realizing I was about to be caught listening, I quickly stepped away from the door and hurried down the hallway. My heart was pounding by the time I reached the gardens.

I needed air and space to stop overthinking. Unfortunately, none of it worked. The image of Kael's face during the meeting refused to leave my mind.

I sat on a stone bench and stared at the flowers without really seeing them. The more I thought about it, the more frustrated I became.

Aria was gone. Everything was supposed to be better now. Instead, it felt like she was somehow standing between us even after disappearing.

The sound of approaching footsteps pulled me from my thoughts. I looked up.

It was Kael.

I finally had a chance to speak to him. I stood and smiled. "There you are."

He paused. A faint smile appeared. "Selene."

This time, I refused to let him escape so easily. I stepped closer. "I've barely seen you since you arrived."

"I've been busy."

The answer came too quickly. I laughed softly. "Everyone keeps saying that."

"It's true."

For a few moments, neither of us spoke. It felt as though an invisible wall stood between us. I wanted to lighten the mood so I reached out and brushed a piece of dust from his shoulder.

"You really do look terrible."

A small laugh escaped him. For the first time since he arrived, he seemed almost like himself again. Encouraged by the reaction, I smiled.

"See? That's better."

Unfortunately, the moment didn't last. His smile faded almost immediately and my stomach tightened as I watched his attention drift elsewhere again. It was the same distant look I had noticed several times throughout the day. His body was standing in front of me but his thoughts seemed to be somewhere far away, somewhere I couldn't reach no matter how hard I tried.

I crossed my arms and studied him carefully. "You're still thinking about the search."

His eyes flickered toward me before immediately looking away. The reaction was small but it was enough. In that instant, I knew that I was right. A sharp wave of jealousy swept through me and I struggled to keep my expression calm.

"She isn't your responsibility anymore."

The words slipped out before I could stop them.

Kael froze. For a moment, neither of us spoke. Then he looked away and exhaled softly. "I know."

The answer should have reassured me but instead it made me feel worse. He didn't sound certain. He sounded like someone trying to convince himself of something he wasn't ready to believe. As I stared at him, everything suddenly began falling into place. The endless searching, the exhaustion, the tension and the worry all pointed toward the same conclusion.

Kael still cared about Aria.

Maybe not enough to admit it out loud. But he was worried for her and that realization filled me with bitterness.

A few moments later, Kael excused himself and left the gardens. This time, I didn't try to stop him. I simply stood there and watched him walk away until he disappeared from sight. The moment he was gone, the smile I had been forcing all day vanished. My hands clenched into fists as frustration and jealousy churned inside me.

Everything always came back to Aria.

Even now, after the rejection and after her disappearance, she was still affecting him. Somehow, she still occupied a place in his thoughts. It felt as though she was standing between us despite being gone and I hated it more than I could put into words.

That night, I sat beside my bedroom window long after everyone else had gone to sleep. Moonlight spilled across the floor, casting pale shadows throughout the room, while the pack remained quiet outside. Normally, thinking about the future filled me with excitement. I imagined my life beside Kael, the position I had always wanted and everything that would come with it.

Tonight, however, those thoughts brought no comfort. Instead, my mind kept returning to the meeting. I thought about the torn fabric lying on the table and the concern I had seen in Kael's eyes whenever Aria's name was mentioned. Most of all, I remembered the brief flash of hope on his face whenever someone suggested that she might still be alive.

I wrapped my arms around myself and stared into the darkness beyond the pack walls. Some days ago, I was certain that I had won. Aria was gone and Kael had chosen his future. But now, I wasn't so sure.

Because if Aria truly meant nothing to him anymore, why couldn't he stop looking for her? Why couldn't he stop worrying? Why did the thought of her disappearance affect him so deeply?

A cold feeling settled inside my chest as those questions circled endlessly through my mind. Somewhere out there, Aria was either alive or dead.

And I hoped that she never came back.