Chapter 12
1060 Words
(Sanya's POV)
"So, Jake," Tara says, dabbing her mouth with a napkin. "Tell us about yourself. What pack are you from? And how did you end up here?"
I hold my breath.
Aaron doesn't even blink. "I'm from a small pack up north. Nothing special. Lost my family young. Been wandering ever since, offering my services to various Alphas."
The lies roll off his tongue so smoothly. So easily, I almost choke.
"No mate?" Mira asks, leaning forward with interest.
Something dark flashes across Aaron's face. "No. No mate."
"That's unusual for a man your age," Tara observes. "Most wolves find their mates by twenty-five."
"I suppose I'm not most wolves," Aaron says quietly.
He still hasn't looked at me. Not once since dinner started.
It's like I don't exist to him. Like I'm just another piece of furniture in this house.
The rejection stings more than I want to admit.
"Well, you're part of our family now," Tyron says, raising his glass. "To Jake. My new Beta. My brother."
Everyone raises their glasses. Even Aaron.
I stand in my corner, hands clasped in front of me, watching this bizarre scene unfold.
My husband is toasting the man I loved. The man I almost eloped with.
And that man is smiling. Pretending. Lying to everyone in this room.
---
After dinner, I'm clearing plates on the dinning table when I feel eyes on me.
I look up and catch Aaron watching me from across the room.
Our eyes lock. And in that moment, everything else fades away. The noise. The people. The house.
It's just him and me. Like it always used to be.
His expression is unreadable. But his eyes—those dark brown eyes I used to get lost in—they're filled with an emotion I can't quite name.
Sorrow? Regret? Longing?
"Jake!" Tyron calls from the hallway. "Come. I'll show you to your room."
And just like that, the moment breaks.
Aaron looks away and follows Tyron out of the dining room.
And I'm left standing there with a stack of dirty plates in my hands, my heart pounding so hard I feel it in my throat.
I have to talk to him. Tonight.
I can't take anymore of this stress.
---
I wait until the house is quiet. Until everyone has gone to their rooms and I'm sure no one will see me.
Then I slip out of the bedroom I share with Tyron. We still don't share a bed. I think he finds me dirty after finding out about my past.
I make my way down the hallway to the room they gave Aaron. The guest room at the end of the east wing.
My bare feet make no sound on the expensive carpet as I move like a ghost through my own house.
When I reach Aaron's door, I pause. My hand hovers over the handle.
This is dangerous. If Tyron catches me standing in front of his Beta's room at this late hour...
But I have to get to the bottom of this. Until Aaron is in this house, I won't be able to sleep in peace.
I knock softly. Three gentle taps. Our old signal.
Silence.
Then footsteps. The door opens.
Aaron stands there in just his pants, his chest bare. For a second, I forget to breathe. I've seen him shirtless before. Many times. But somehow, it's different now. He's different. His body is more defined. Harder. Like he's been through something that changed his physique.
"Sanya," he whispers, glancing past me into the hallway. "What are you doing here?"
"We need to talk," I say, my voice barely audible.
He hesitates. Then steps aside, letting me in.
I slip into his room and he closes the door quietly behind me.
For a second, we stand there in the darkness, neither of us speaking. The only light comes from the moon through the window, casting silver shadows across the floor.
"Why are you here?" I finally ask.
Aaron runs a hand through his hair. That same gesture he always made when he was stressed.
"I came back for you," he says simply.
My heart clenches. "That's not the answer I want."
"But it's the only answer I can give you right now."
"That's not good enough!" My voice rises slightly. I catch myself, lowering it again. "You left me, Aaron. You didn't show up that night. And now you come to my house to work for my husband under a fake name? What kind of sick game is this?"
"It's not a game, Sanya. I never abandoned you. I tried to come. I swear I tried—"
"Then why didn't you?" Tears sting my eyes. I refuse to let them fall. "Do you have any idea what I went through? What I'm still going through?"
"I see it every day," Aaron says quietly, his jaw clenching. "I see the bruises. The fear in your eyes. The way you flinch when Tyron raises his voice. You think I don't notice?"
"Then why are you working for him? Why are you helping the man who—" I can't finish the sentence. It hurts too much.
Aaron steps closer. Close enough that I can feel the heat radiating from his body.
"Because I'm trying to fix this," he says. "I'm trying to make things right. I thought if I could get close to Tyron, if I could earn his trust, maybe I could—"
"Could what? Convince him to forget my past with you?" I laugh bitterly. "You can't fix this, Aaron. This is between Tyron and me. Your presence here will only make things worse."
"Sanya," Aaron reaches out, his hand hovering near my face. But he doesn't touch me. "I would never hurt you. Besides, you're the most wonderful person I've ever known. Tyron just needs to see that. Once he does..."
"I don't need your pity. I don't need anything from you, Aaron. What you've already given me is enough to last me for a lifetime."
We stand there in the moonlight. So close. Yet so far apart.
"I'm sorry," Aaron says finally. "For everything. But believe me when I say this Sanya. If I had a choice, I swear I—"
A floorboard creaks outside the door.
We both freeze.
Someone is in the hallway.
- Writer
