Chapter 341
Chapter 341
Aria’s POV
0
+8 Pearls
The campfire burned low, casting wavering shadows across Carmen’s fierce face, Duke’s brooding silence, and Lucien’s unyielding stare. They were all the same–unyielding, protective, determined to follow me back into the maw of the West.
“I’m coming with you,” Lucien said, his voice iron. His wolf aura pressed against mine, a declaration of dominance and loyalty all at once. “Aedric will never listen to you alone. If he sees me, he will know the East stands behind you p>
I shook my head sharply. “If he sees you, Lucien, he’ll see an enemy Alpha–an invader. He’ll strike first and ask questions never. You know this p>
Carmen stepped forward, jaw tight. “Then I’ll go. Sister, I’ve fought beside you, bled beside you. Don’t you dare think I’ll sit back while you walk into a den full of vipers p>
Her voice cracked, the endearment sister digging deep into my half–healed memory. She’d always called me that, even before I remembered my true name. My heart twisted, but my resolve did not.
“No,” I whispered, softer but firmer. “If he sees you, he’ll kill you. He won’t hesitate. The same for Duke, the same for Lucien. You three are his enemies, his rivals, his nightmares. If you enter West Pack territory with me, there will be blood before I open my mouth p>
Silence settled, thick and heavy. I could feel their wolves resisting, straining against my words. But I would not let them follow me into slaughter.
“I’ve worn the West’s colors for three years,” I reminded them, my voice bitter with memory. “I’ve led their armies south and north, painted the snow with blood until I forgot my own reflection. If anyone can walk into Aedric’s hall and leave alive, it’s me. But only me p>
Lucien’s jaw ticked. Duke’s eyes flashed. Carmen shook her head in disbelief. But Maeryn–the Professor, the woman who’d both saved and damned me–stepped forward, her presence calm and grounding.
“I’ll go with her,” Maeryn said. “I brought her into that world. I’ll see her out of it p>
I turned to the three who wanted to stand at my back more than life itself. “Trust me,” I said, my throat tight. “We’ll come out alive. I swear it on my wolf p>
Their resistance cracked, barely. Lucien’s gaze burned holes into me, Carmen’s fingers twitched like she wanted to drag me back, Duke only growled low in his throat. But in the end, they stayed.
And I walked into the West with Maeryn at my side.
The West Pack’s fortress rose against the twilight, black stone jagged as teeth, banners whipping in the wind. The closer we drew, the more my heart twisted. Every brick in those walls was soaked with war, with blood I had spilled at Aedric’s command.
The gates groaned open. Wolves watched from the shadows, their eyes hard, their nostrils flaring at the scent of betrayal clinging to me.
Inside, the air was colder. The hall was exactly as I remembered–wide, firelit, heavy with the weight of Aedric’s presence. And there he was.
Aedric Stormbane. Alpha of the West. My commander. My jailor.
His dark hair caught the firelight, his shoulders a mountain wrapped in the pelt of a slain rival Alpha. His eyes–those storm- grey eyes–locked onto me the moment I entered. For a heartbeat, I saw joy. Then fury, sharp and consuming.
“Aria,” he said, voice like steel drawn from its sheath. “You came back p>
I swallowed hard, every nerve screaming to run. But I didn’t. “Not Aria,” I answered, my voice steady despite the quake inside me, “Riley. My name is Riley. And I’ve come to end this war p>
His face twisted, torn between rage and something softer, something dangerous. “You dare-” He stood, his aura filling the
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Chapter 341
+8 Pearls
hall, crashing into me like a storm tide. “You dare come back here after what you’ve done? After betraying the Pack that gave you life p>
“I never betrayed the Pack,” I shot back, wolf–fire rising in my chest. “I fought your wars for three years. I slaughtered in your name. I buried myself under blood to pay the price you demanded. But no more. This war will destroy East and West alike. I won’t let it p>
For a moment, his fury faltered. His eyes searched mine, and I saw it–the ache, the longing, the memory of what had almost been between us.
“You could still stay,” he said, softer now, coaxing. “You could still be mine. Be Luna of the West. Together, we would be unstoppable p>
The words cut deep. Once, I might have dreamed of them. Once, before the lies, before the chains of memory loss, before I remembered who I truly was.
“No,” I said, my voice breaking but resolute. “You don’t love me. You love the weapon you made of me. I won’t be that for you anymore p>
His expression cracked. Pain, disbelief, then fury, sharp enough to wound.
“You were mine, Riley!” he roared, the walls trembling with his wolf’s snarl. “I pulled you from death, gave you life, gave you power. And you throw it all back in my face p>
His aura slammed into me, suffocating, but I held my ground. “You gave me chains,” I whispered. “And I’ve broken them p>
The hall went silent, save for the echo of our breathing, the clash of wolves straining inside us both. For a heartbeat, I thought he might strike me down. For another, I thought he might fall to his knees.
Instead, he turned away, his fists clenched, his shoulders shaking. “Get out,” he said finally, his voice raw. “Before I forget that I ever cared for you p>
My chest ached, but I did not falter. I turned and walked from the hall, Maeryn close at my side. My wolf trembled, my heart bled, but my steps did not waver.
Behind me, I could feel Aedric’s storm raging, tearing the hall apart. But I was no longer his weapon.
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