The Alpha’s Agreement

Chapter 4

ARIA

My shoulders sagged as I stumbled out of the guest quarters. My legs were barely holding me up. I felt hollow—like someone had reached into my chest and torn out everything that made me human. I couldn’t cry anymore. I couldn’t feel.

I was numb.

Just as I reached the edge of the corridor, a figure stepped in front of me, blocking my path with that all-too-familiar smug grin. Seraphina. Of course.

I moved to sidestep her, but she grabbed my wrist—tight enough to bruise. I didn’t flinch. I simply closed my eyes and exhaled slowly, trying to summon the last bit of patience I had left.

“Well, look who finally grew a spine,” she said sweetly, tilting her head like a curious predator.

I didn’t respond. What was the point?

Releasing my wrist, I murmured, “I loved him, Seraphina. More than he ever deserved and I made sure to do whatever the pack needed but now all of them turned their back against me.”

Her smirk faltered for a fraction of a second before sliding back into place like a mask.

“Of course you did,” she said coolly. “That’s what makes this so delicious. You gave him your heart, your body, your future—and still, he looked at me.”

I shook my head, a bitter laugh escaping my throat. “No. He didn’t choose you. He just didn’t choose me. There’s a difference.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Keep telling yourself that if it helps you sleep.”

“You came back to the pack and ruined everything I have built,” I snapped, my voice cracking. “I haven't been happy ever since I lost that pup. I lay awake last night replaying it all—what I could’ve done differently, if I should’ve seen the signs. And you—”

I stepped closer, the storm raging behind my eyes now matching the rain outside. “You stood there and smiled at my pain. You made it worse. You knew I was bleeding that night, and you still didn’t let Kael protect me, luckily Ryker did.”

“Oh, please, I don’t care if you die, you have enjoyed enough,” she scoffed. “You were the Luna. You had the title, the respect, the mate— I would love to be in your position so it’s best that you rejected Kael.”

“I had nothing!” I shouted, my voice echoing through the corridor. “I had the illusion of love. I had a pack that turned its back the moment you started whispering in their ears. I was dying inside, Seraphina. And none of you noticed.”

She blinked, visibly startled by the rawness in my voice.

I took a breath, chest heaving. “I never hated you, Seraphina. Not truly. I pitied you. Because for all your games and cruelty, you still needed to steal what I had—because you were never enough on your own.”

The venom in her gaze was instant. “You’ll regret saying that.”

“No,” I said, my voice low, firm. “I already regret trusting Kael.”

She took a step toward me. “You think you’re so righteous, so noble. But you’re leaving. Tail tucked. Defeated.”

“No,” I said simply. “That makes me free.”

“At least you lost your pup.” She shot back at me.

That one cut through me like a blade. My fists clenched at my sides, nails digging into my palms as I fought to stay still.

Seraphina had always been like this—vicious beneath a painted smile. She played the perfect lady around Kael, but the moment his back was turned, she bared her fangs. She twisted every truth, every moment, into something vile.

She’d been like that since we were teens. Sneering behind closed doors. Spreading rumors. Whispering poison until everyone turned their backs on me. Even then, I had tried to rise above it. I tried to be the Luna this pack deserved. Quiet. Composed. Loyal.

And still… She came back. And she won.

“Seraphina, please,” I said, softer this time. “Just move, I already gave up, don't I? You won, I agreed.”

“No,” she snapped, stepping closer.

I turned to walk around her—but then she gasped and flung herself to the ground with a dramatic cry.

I blinked, confused, as Kael came running, panic etched into every line of his face. He knelt beside her, voice strained with concern.

“Seraphina! Are you alright?”

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she clutched her arm, voice trembling. “I… I only wanted to talk to her. I begged her to stay… but she snapped and shoved me. I—I didn’t mean to upset her…”

My mouth fell open.

I hadn’t even touched her.

Kael’s gaze snapped to me, his golden eyes blazing with fury. “How could you?” he growled. “You rejected me, Aria. You ended this. And now you’re blaming her?”

I stared at him, heart aching, throat burning with the words I couldn’t speak. He wouldn’t hear them anyway.

So I did the only thing left—I turned and walked away.

The night was bitter. Rain poured down in heavy sheets, soaking me to the bone. I didn’t care. I kept walking, no destination in mind. Only forward.

Tears blended with the rain as I trudged down the dark road.

No family.

No pack.

No mate.

Only me. Aria. Shattered and silent. Lyra, my wolf, whimpered weakly within me, too heartbroken to speak.

I tilted my head to the heavens, as if the Moon Goddess herself might answer me.

Had I not given enough? Was my suffering some kind of divine punishment?

Three years of loyalty. Three years of loving a male who never once chose me.

No fated mate. No future.

Let the rogues come. Let the forest swallow me whole.

Just then, a sleek black car pulled up beside me. Its tires splashed cold water across the road. I didn’t even blink.

The window rolled down slowly.

“Aria.”

My heart stalled.

The voice was deep, commanding—foreign. I turned, cautious. All I could see were a pair of piercing gray eyes staring back at me through the darkness. Eyes that saw too much.

“Who are you?” I asked, my instincts prickling.

His lips curved into a slow, dangerous smile. “Someone who is willing to bet his life on the line for you to take your revenge.”