Broken Ring, Hidden Queen

Chapter 4

Julian's POV

At the Altar, chaos erupted.

A pickpocket crashed into the security line.

Kierra let out a gasp, falling into my arms.

My phone fell and was instantly crushed by the crowd.

"Julian, I'm so sorry about your phone..." Kierra bit her lip.

"It's fine. I'll get another one," I said flatly.

Anyway, that phone was used to contact Aria.

It was filled with messages from her.

Those messages were nothing but annoying.

When we returned to the villa, Lara was chirping about when Kierra would move in.

Isaac, though a bit hesitant about the "Candy Land" Kierra promised, seemed on board.

"Kierra has high-level healing magic," I said. "She knows more about bloodline conditioning than your mother."

I was sure that Aria would be back.

She was just throwing a tantrum.

But when I opened the master bedroom door, there was no one.

On the nightstand, her wedding ring sat under the moonlight.

What the...?

I felt a bit agitated.

Another stunt?

Did she leave her signet ring just to get my attention?

"Move Aria's stuff to the storage room," I shouted at the butler.

"Clear the room out. Kierra is moving in."

...

High above the city, in the penthouse of the Iron Claw Group.

I stared out at the skyline, my mind miles away from the reports on my desk.

My phone buzzed—the butler again.

"I don't need updates on her. She's just making a scene and wants my attention," I said, cutting him off before he could utter another word about Aria.

This was just another one of her clumsy little dramas.

I knew her better than she knew herself.

She would never leave the pups behind.

She was too meek and weak.

"Tantrums shouldn't be indulged," I muttered after hanging up, my eyes as cold as frost.

I was intentionally giving her a lesson.

I wanted her to understand that, without me, that "sweetness" she was so proud of was worthless.

In a world of wolves, only the strong survive, and she needed to realize where her protection came from.

I waited for her to text me back and beg for forgiveness.

But it never happened.

...

After work, I returned home.

The orderly life Aria had built was quietly falling apart.

"Isaac, Lara, no more sweets!" The nutritionist frowned at the table full of desserts.

"Luna Aria left strict orders. Too much sugar triggers the pain from your wolf-soul fluctuations."

Lara tossed her head back defiantly. "Mommy missed her check-in call! If she's not here, she can't boss me around!"

Kierra sipped her coffee elegantly, letting out a soft, sugary laugh.

"That's right. She's too strict on you. Kids should enjoy candies."

"Kierra is the best! I wish she were our Luna!" the pups cheered, diving into the whipped cream.

The nutritionist wanted to argue but stopped.

But then, she looked at Kierra and said nothing more.

In the dead of night, the silence of the manor was pierced by a sharp, agonizing scream.

The nursery was in chaos.

Lara was curled up in her velvet blankets, her face pale and slick with cold sweat, suffering from violent stomach spasms brought on by the sugar overload.

"Daddy... Is Mommy punishing my tummy because I didn't listen?" Lara gasped, clutching my sleeve with trembling hands.

"Mommy said if I don't listen to her, I'll get punished... Call Mommy, tell her to take the hex away..."

Kierra sat there, her eyes red.

"Julian, I'm so sorry, I just wanted them to be happy..."

"Don't blame Kierra!" Lara barked, even while shivering in pain.

"It's Mommy's fault! She forgot to call and remind me! She doesn't care about me at all..."

I looked down at my daughter and felt a sudden, heavy sinking in my gut.

Something was wrong. Very wrong.

I pulled out my phone and dialed Aria's number, expecting her to pick up on the first ring like she always did.

"The number you have reached has been disconnected."

That was impossible.

She always stayed on call. Always!

Isaac sniffled beside me.

"Daddy, why won't Mommy pick up? Does she... really not want us anymore?"

I couldn't answer him.

In that moment, across the Mate Bond that I never cared for, I felt a sudden, hollow ache—like a dull blade slowly carving out my chest.

Across the bond, there was nothing but a cold, echoing silence.

A few days had passed.

I stepped into our master suite, expecting the familiar scent that I always diffused to welcome me home.

Instead, the air was dead.

The room had been stripped of her essence.

No oils, no herbs, no warmth.

A strange, jagged ache bloomed in my chest, and my wolf began to pace restlessly, searching for the Omega who alone could quiet my inner storm.

"She's really gone," Isaac whispered from the doorway. He looked small and cold, shivering without the safety net of her scent to anchor him.

But Lara, clinging to Kierra's hand, pointed toward the empty vanity.

"Daddy, since Mommy isn't here to make the house smell good anymore, can Kierra move into her room? Kierra also smells great. It's way better than Mommy's scent."

A sudden, sharp spike of irritation flared within me.

"Fine," I snapped, the words tasting like ash.

"If she doesn't want her place in this pack, someone else will take it!"