Alpha's Brother, My Second Chance.

Chapter 6

ARIA

I dragged my suitcase through the front gate, every part of me shaking from the encounter outside. The moment the gate had closed behind me, I leaned on it and breathed deeply. The air felt heavy in my lungs. My legs trembled, my chest tightened, and the bond inside me hummed faint and stubborn. I pressed my hand against my sternum, trying to steady myself. I whispered under my breath, telling myself not to think about him, that he didn’t matter, and that this bond could not keep dictating the rhythm of my heart. I pushed away from the gate and dragged the suitcase toward the house.

My keys rattled in my hand as I opened the door. The house was quiet, a deep, soft stillness filling the space. I stepped inside and closed the door behind me, the silence settling around me. I dropped my suitcase in the middle of the living room and sank to the floor beside it. My fingers tugged the zipper open, and I began unpacking my clothes, brushes, books, and small items. Each thing felt like a tiny memory clinging to the edges of my fingertips. I set items on the floor in little clusters, even though everything inside me felt scattered.

My fingers landed on a framed picture wrapped in a shirt, and I pulled it out gently. The moment Adrian’s smile appeared beneath the glass, my breath stumbled. Tears fell before I could stop them. The ache rose so fast that it almost knocked me over. I sat on the floor and held the frame with both hands. He was reliable. We shared a friendship that anchored me. My voice shook as I whispered, “Adrian, why did you have to die? It’s unfair. So, so unfair.” The tears dripped onto the glass and blurred his face. I wiped the surface gently, as if touching him through it would make the pain stop.

My eyes fell on my makeup kit beside the pile of clothes. The moment I picked it up, a memory gripped me and pulled me backward. The room dissolved, and the smell of grass and sun filled my senses. I was under the baobab tree with him again.

He had sat on the ground with his back resting against the wide trunk while I sat beside him, holding a small brush. The sunlight filtered through the branches and danced on his skin, making him squint at me dramatically.

“Aria,” he had said, chuckling, “you’re going to poke my eye out.”

“I’m improving,” I argued. “Stay still.”

He laughed softly, the sound warm enough to melt the day.

“I told you already, I will always be one of your customers. Even if you charge me double.”

“You cannot afford double,” I teased, tapping his cheek with the brush.

He pushed my hair from my face with a gentle smile. “I will support you, always. You will be one of the best makeup artists in the human world. The elders will understand when the time comes.”

I glanced at him nervously. “Do you really think they will accept it? The traveling and the work, as Luna?”

“Yes,” he said calmly. “I know how to handle them. Trust me.”

I lay back on the grass with a sigh. “You and your confidence,” I said, nudging him lightly. He laughed and pulled me up just enough for us to topple into the grass together, both of us laughing.

“A little confidence never hurt anyone,” he said, grinning as he leaned back on his elbows.

I shook my head, smiling. “You make everything seem easier, somehow.”

He gave a small shrug. “Well, no matter what the pack expects, you’ve got a place to rely on me. You’ve got a steady support here. And honestly, having you become a renowned makeup artist? That’s something worth celebrating. I’d talk about it all day if I could.”

The warmth of the memory faded, and I blinked back to the quiet room. I may have been tied to Adrian by duty, but he was everything and more. He was my safe space and peace in a loud world filled with expectations. I wiped my eyes slowly. My chest still ached, but I straightened my spine and whispered, “You would want me to build something. You would want me to pursue my dream. That’s what I’m doing now. I wish you were here to cheer me on.” I placed the picture frame beside the couch and forced myself to inhale deeply until the air reached the bottom of my lungs.

I stood and walked to the sliding door that led to the balcony. I opened it with a soft click. The world outside felt bigger from there, the sun stretching across the street and climbing the buildings. I gripped the railing and breathed the cool air. My eyes closed for a moment until the bond surged through me like a warm pulse. Luca’s face flashed through my mind, his hands catching me earlier, his scent brushing against my senses, and the feeling of nearly falling into his chest.

I clenched the railing harder and whispered to myself that he didn’t matter. I whispered it over and over until my voice steadied. I had come here to escape everything that tied me back to Mooncrest. I refused to allow him into my head.

Suddenly, a vibration from inside the house cut through my thoughts. My phone buzzed on the counter. I walked back in and picked it up. A new mail sat bold on my screen. I tapped it, and what I saw froze me in place.

“Congratulations! You’ve been selected for the Rose Miller Mentorship Program.”

I read it again with trembling hands. My breath left my body in sharp gasps. Rose Miller—the woman whose work had shaped nearly every beauty trend in the human world, the woman whose videos had trained half my skills, the woman I had dreamed of learning from. I stared at the screen again just to make sure my eyes weren’t tricking me.

A small laugh escaped my throat, followed by another that sounded like a sob. I covered my mouth with my hand and paced across the room. My heart pounded with an excitement I hadn’t felt in months. My eyes stung, but these tears felt warm and hopeful. I whispered, “I got in. I got in,” again and again until the words sank into my bones.

I sat on the couch, clutching the phone to my chest. Joy spread through me in slow waves. “Adrian, I made it,” I whispered. “I will make you proud.” I closed my eyes and let the joy settle in my heart like a small flame burning steady and bright. Every breath felt new.

Just as the excitement steadied inside me, a faint crunch sounded from outside the balcony door. I sat up straight, and the sound came again. Soft steps against the ground. My wolf lifted her head inside me, alert and tense. I rose slowly and walked toward the balcony, my heartbeat growing louder with each step.

I stopped in front of the curtains and saw a shadow moving behind the frosted glass. I froze.

The air grew still, and my breath locked in my throat.

There was something on the balcony.