Chapter Eleven
Aria’s POV
Much later in the night, the hall felt suffocating so I decided to step out a bit. The cool night air wrapped around me as I stepped outside. Nicho was there, sitting under the pale glow of the moon, his shoulders hunched and his head bowed. His wolf was near the surface–I could feel the restless energy radiating from him. When he saw me, he sprang to his feet, his wet, tangled hair glistening under the moonlight.
“I brought back the necklace that Selena stole from you! Look!” He extended his hand, revealing the delicate silver chain, its pendant glinting like a shard of ice.
My heart didn’t so much as twitch. That necklace had once held meaning–a symbol of trust, of promises whispered under the moonlight. But now? It was a relic of betrayal, something tainted by the
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Chapter Eleven
lies that had separated us.
Nicho seemed to feel my indifference. His wolf stirred, and desperation bled into his voice. “Aria, please! I checked the security footage. That day, you didn’t touch her! It was all staged–Selena set you up. I was blind, I didn’t see it. I didn’t trust you when I should have. It’s my fault!”
He stepped closer, his eyes pleading. “You have to believe me–I understand now. After you left, I couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep. I went back through everything, and I saw how she manipulated me, how I hurt you. I’ll do anything to make it right. Anything, Aria.”
I crossed my arms, leaning against the stone railing. The wind shifted, carrying his scent–pine and desperation. My wolf stirred but didn‘ t rise to meet his energy. She was tired of him, of the stress he had been under.
“You can blame me,” he said, his voice cracking. “Hate me if you need to. But
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Chapter Eleven.
don’t end it like this. We’ve known each
other for ten years! Ten years, Aria. Wel grew up together, we made promises to each other–promises to be mates, to lead the pack together. Have you forgotten all of that?”
The memories he invoked flashed in my mind, images of us as children running through the forest, shifting together under the full moon, dreaming of the future. But those dreams had burned away, reduced to ash by his rejection and my own resolve to move forward.
I nodded slowly, meeting his gaze. For a brief moment, hope flickered in his glowing eyes.
“Fine,” I said. “Let’s just say I forgot.
Maybe I fell out of love first. You can
believe whatever you want–it doesn’t
matter anymore.
His face fell, the glow in his eyes dimming.
I shrugged, gesturing toward the
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Chapter Eleven
ceremonial hall behind me. “As you can
see, I’m already mated. We’re over, Nicho. We ve been over. There’s no reason for you to keep chasing ghosts.”
Nicho looked shattered, but he wasn’t done. He fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a small leather–bound album. My breath caught as he opened it. Inside were thousands of tiny photos, memories of us- pictures I had long since destroyed, burned in the fire of my heartbreak.
“I had them reprinted,” he said softly. “Every single one. I know you burned the originals, but I couldn’t let them go. Aria, these are us. These are proof of what we had, of what we can still have.”
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