The bond is gone, or is it?
Ethan’s POV
The bond is gone. I told myself that would bring peace, that without Aria tethering me, without her haunting every thought, I could finally breathe, finally live the life I wanted. But I was wrong.
Every breath tastes like ash. Every night, when I close my eyes, I see Aria's eyes. Those wide, broken eyes stared at me as I spat words I can’t take back. I hear her wolf’s cry in my skull, a sound I thought I’d relish. Instead, it guts me. Cuts me into pieces. And Lilith’s touch? It’s fire without warmth. Flesh without soul. A distraction that lasts minutes before the emptiness claws back, deeper than before. Lilith was supposed to be enough. She isn’t. She is not Aria, with her warm heart and beautiful smile. I walk into my office. Marcus, my beta, is waiting for me. I gave him instructions to find Aria.
I pace the length of my office, fists clenching, claws threatening to break skin. My Beta, Marcus, keeps his eyes down, wisely silent as I snarl under my breath. He’s waiting for orders, but I have none. Because for the first time in years, I don’t know what the hell I’m doing. He could not find her. We looked everywhere. Aria is weak. There are rogues in the bushes and other packs. I wonder if she is still alive. It has been weeks since she left. Marcus is nervous as he stares at me. Then one of my men storms into my office.
"Alpha, there is a rogue. The rogue walked bleeding, limping into our territory, babbling about a woman. He says something about a she-wolf ambushed beyond the borders, left for dead, until The Lycan King found her," The warrior says. The Lycan King! Darius Nightborn! What was he doing so close to our territory? He never comes here! The name alone makes my teeth grind. The bastard has no reason to be near my land, no reason to meddle in my affairs! I go outside to question the rogue myself. The rogue tells me everything that happened, and he swears that Darius took her and carried her away. Was it Aria? I am not afraid of Darius! Everyone else may be, but not me! The rogue describes that he and I know it is Aria, my Aria, my Luna! My chest seizes.
“No! She’s dead. She was supposed to die!” I growl, shaking my head. But my wolf launches forward, snarling, alive with sudden hunger. He knows Aria is alive and with another man! The rogue doesn’t make it out of the room. My claws rip through his throat before I realise what I’ve done. The floorboards are slick with blood, Marcus stiff beside me, but I don’t care. Rage, relief, jealousy, it all hits like a tidal wave. How dare she take another man! How dare he touch my mate! She survived, and she’s with The Lycan King! I slam my fists against the desk, splintering the oak.
“She’s mine!” The words rip free, savage and desperate, even as my wolf howls in bitter denial. Because I threw her away. I told her she wasn’t. I rejected her! Why was I so stupid? But the bond isn’t gone, not really. I still feel her in the edges of my mind, muted, faint, but there. Like a scar that still aches when it rains. Now that I know Darius has her, it burns like hellfire. Lilith finds me hours later, draped in silk, lips curved in a knowing smirk. She runs her fingers along my shoulders, purring like she has a bond with me. We don’t have a bond. I thought we had, but all I feel is emptiness when I look at Lilith.
“I heard a rumour that the Lycan King has taken in some stray little wolf. Could it be the one you threw away? Could it be Aria?" Lilith asks. Her words drip poison. I shove her off, my glare silencing her protest.
“She’s mine. Aria is my mate! She is my Luna!” I shout. Lilith laughs, low and cruel.
“You rejected her. Don’t tell me you’re jealous now that another man sees her worth,” Lilith says. Her taunts cut deeper than claws. My wolf snarls inside me, but Lilith doesn’t flinch. She likes this. She likes seeing me unravel. She likes seeing me in pain. Why? I thought she loved me.
“Be careful, Ethan. Kings don’t give up what’s theirs. If he’s claimed her, you may have lost more than a mate. You may have lost your Alpha title," Lilith croons, pressing a kiss to my jaw, I don’t want. She leaves me with that venom swirling in my gut. This woman poisoned me. She played tricks with me. Who is Lilith? Do I even know her? I thought I did, but obviously, she is more dangerous than I thought. For once, I don’t dismiss it.
What does Darius want with Aria? Darius won’t just keep her. The Lycan King never took a Queen. He’s too ruthless, too wild for tradition, but what if he makes her his queen? My pack will see it as a weakness on my part. They’ll question me, even challenge and abandon me. I can’t allow that. I rejected, now I can’t undo it. But I can’t let him have her, either. I’ll drag her back, whether she hates me or not. Because if I can’t live without her, I’ll make damn sure no one else has her. I will have to go to war with Darius and the Lycans. I have no choice. I need to keep the respect of my pack. Besides, I need Aria. I need her to come back. Even if I have to tie her up with silver chains and make her stay with me, I will do that. I will not reject her again! She will become mine again. I have not taken Lilith as my Luna yet. Thank the Moongoddess for that. I do not want her. She is full of darkness and something else. Maybe evil. Perhaps something even darker. However, I cannot allow Darius to keep Aria. I will fight for her! I will go and fetch my Luna! I will defeat the feared Lycan King. I will battle him until one of us stops breathing!