"Oh, Tara, this smells wonderful," Ariana murmured, taking a tentative sip of the steaming mug Tara placed on her bedside table. Cinnamon and something else warm and comforting. Months had passed since she first arrived, scared and frail. Now, snow dusted the window panes, painting the world outside in quiet white.
Tara smiled gently. "Just a little something to warm you, Luna. Elder Freya's recipe."
Ariana glanced at the wardrobe. Inside weren't just the few dresses she'd arrived in and the ones Alpha Darius got for her, but also warmer clothes Tara had quietly provided. Life here hadn't become easy, but it had settled into a rhythm. The coldness was still there, the distance from Darius a constant ache, but the sharp edges of fear had softened.
As she left her room, moving through the quiet halls, she passed Kane, standing guard near a large window overlooking the snowy grounds. He used to avoid her gaze, shift uncomfortably. Now, he simply nodded, a silent, almost respectful acknowledgment. Small things, but they meant something. She wasn't invisible anymore. Not completely.
She walked taller now, her steps more confident. The fear hadn't vanished, but she refused to let it rule her. She had survived her family, she was surviving the beast's cage. She was still Ariana.
She found herself near the study. The door was ajar, and she could see Darius inside, sitting at a large desk, papers spread before him. He looked different in the daytime light – still formidable, but focused, absorbed in his work. Colder, perhaps, than that moment by the fire months ago, but also less actively hostile than that first night. He hadn't acknowledged the coat. He hadn't acknowledged anything that night. Just silence and distance.
Gathering a courage she hadn't known she possessed, fueled by months of unspoken frustration and a growing, complicated curiosity about the man who was her husband, she pushed the door open wider.
He looked up, his golden eyes sharp, surprised to see her there.
"Ariana," he said, his voice low, a question in it.
Ariana walked into the room, closing the door softly behind her.
"can I ask a question Alpha Darius?"
She clasped her hands in front of her, feeling the familiar tremor, but ignored it.
"yes, what's that?" he responded
"Ever since I came into this house, you have never asked how I feel why?," Ariana began, her voice quiet but clear. "You just do you from afar. I know I am not the one you wanted. I know you wanted my twin sister Elena, and I am just her substitute. But I want you to know that I am still a lady. I only have Tara as a friend, and Lucien your beta is the only pack member that likes me, but you are my husband. It's been over two months now, still yet you are still distant. You don't really care about me."
Darius watched her, his expression unreadable. The sharpness in his eyes softened infinitesimally. He didn't deny her words.
"I didn't care before," Darius said, his voice rough.
Ariana took a small step closer. "What about now? Do you think you would have a change of heart? Is it actually just business to you? I don't know about you, but I am curious about you. I want to be close to you."
Darius inhaled slowly. His golden eyes held hers. For a brief, intense moment, the silence between them stretched, filled with unspoken things. He leaned back in his chair, his gaze unwavering.
"I..." Darius began, then stopped. He looked away for just a second, towards the window, then back at her.
*I love you, Ariana, have always loved you, you have been the one I have always loved and wanted, even though my family chose Elena, I wanted it to be you, but thank God you are here now, but I hope you understand that I am not who you think I am, when the world finds out that I cherish you, you will be in danger, I don't want you to be hurt, I just want to protect you, and this is the only way, you are not just a substitute to me*.
He didn't say any of it out loud. The silence returned, thick with unspoken thoughts and emotions. Their eyes locked, a silent conversation passing between them, one Ariana couldn't fully understand.
Just as the tension in the room reached a peak, a figure appeared at the front window overlooking the drive. Lucien.
"We've got a guest," Lucien's voice announced through the closed study door, somehow still audible. "And she has your eyes."
Ariana's blood ran cold. Her eyes. The only person with eyes like hers...
The distant creak of the large gates opening echoed through the silent manor. A moment later, the crunch of tires on the snowy gravel announced the arrival of a car. It was sleek, expensive, completely out of place against the rugged backdrop of Blackthorn Manor.
The car door opened, and a figure stepped out. Perfect. Polished. Radiant. Elena.
She wore a designer coat that looked utterly impractical for the weather, her dark hair perfectly coiffed. In one hand, she carried a small, silver case.
Ariana felt the air shift around her. In the entrance hall, where she and Darius had just been, Tara stiffened, her kind face hardening. By the window, Kane let out a low, guttural growl deep in his chest. Across the hall, Amara emerged from a room, her lip curling into a sneer as she recognized the newcomer. The entire manor seemed to hold its breath, sensing the disruption, the intrusion.
Ariana walked out of the study, Darius following silently behind her. She descended the stairs as Elena ascended the steps to the front door.
"What are you doing here, Elena?" Ariana asked, her voice tight with disbelief and a rising wave of old hurts.
Elena smiled, a sweet, artificial thing that didn't reach her sharp green eyes. "Ari, sweety," she purred, her voice overly bright. "Well, I brought your medicine and I thought I should come say hi." She held up the silver case.
Medicine. The 'medicine' Dr. Hart had given her, the one that was supposed to make her feel better.
"Okay, thanks for the medicine," Ariana said, trying to keep her voice steady. "You've said your 'Hi' now leave."
Elena's smile didn't falter, but there was a flicker of something calculating in her eyes. "Leave where? Mom and Dad thought I should stay a while—to help."
"Help with what?" Ariana shot back, the sweetness of Elena's tone grating on her nerves. "I am doing fine. I am okay. So what do you want? And besides, who is Mom? She is just Lila and not Mom."
Elena laughed, a tinkling sound that grated on Ariana's ears. "Easy, why are you barking? It's just a twin visit. I missed my twin. And I also got curious" she stopped and continued "I thought you would be back home begging by now, but you seem comfortable. Like you like it here. So I thought I should come see for myself."
"See what?" Ariana's voice rose slightly. "You are my twin for God's sake, not my stepsister! So why are you bothering me, why are you doing this to me? It's not even up to six months yet!" The unspoken accusation hung in the air – six months until I was supposed to be dead.
Before Elena could reply, Mr. Vincent Blackthorn emerged from the shadows near the stairs, a thin, welcoming smile on his face that didn't reach his cold eyes.
"What's the issue?" Vincent said smoothly. "oh it's your sister, come on Let her in. She is welcome anytime, any day."
"Thank you Mr blackthorn " Elena's smile widened, genuine now, as she met Vincent's gaze. She stepped past Ariana and into the manor, the silver case still in her hand, leaving Ariana standing in the cold air of the open doorway, a knot tightening in her stomach.
Later that night, the manor felt even colder, despite the roaring fires. Elena's presence was like a chill wind, stirring up dust and disturbing the fragile peace Ariana had found. Ariana sat in the quiet sitting area she sometimes used, the one with the fireplace where Darius had found her asleep. Elena sat across from her, looking entirely too at ease, sipping tea like she owned the place.
Ariana looked at her twin, really looked at her. The perfect hair, the expensive clothes, the carefully constructed facade. The anger she felt was a cold, hard thing in her chest.
Ariana was still, calm—but her voice cut clean through the quiet room.
"You asked me to take your place," Ariana said, her voice devoid of emotion, making it all the more impactful. "I didn't want to. They forced me. And You begged, After I was brought here like offering You vanished, you never bothered to check on how I was doing. And now that I'm finally breathing again, you're back? For what, Elena?"
Elena lowered her teacup, her expression softening into something that might have fooled anyone who didn't know her. A look of concern, of sisterly care. But Ariana knew better.
Above them, on the landing of the grand staircase, a figure appeared. Darius. Silent. Watching. His golden eyes fixed on the scene below.
Elena's mask slipped—just for a second. The carefully crafted concern dissolved, replaced by a flicker of something else. Something hungry. Something possessive.
"To make things right," Elena said softly, her voice dripping sweetness, but her eyes were on Darius at the top of the stairs. "Alpha Darius isn't as ugly as I thought, and you know I always like the good things."