Aria's POV
I threw up for the third time in an hour, clutching the edge of my small bathroom sink until my knuckles turned white.
There was no denying it anymore. The nausea, the exhaustion, the way my body felt different - I was definitely pregnant with Damon's child.
"Aria!" Riley called through the bathroom door. "Are you okay in there?"
"I'm fine," I lied, wiping my mouth with a shaky hand. "Just nervous about leaving."
But I wasn't fine. I was carrying the future heir to the Blackwood Pack, and I was about to disappear into the night like a thief. This baby would grow up never knowing they were royalty, never knowing their father was a powerful Alpha, never knowing they had a pack that would love and protect them.
I pressed my hand to my still-flat stomach. "I'm sorry, little one," I whispered. "I'm sorry your parents are such a mess."
Another wave of nausea hit me, and I barely made it back to the sink in time. This was getting worse, not better.
"That's it," Riley said, barging into the bathroom despite my protests. "You're sick. Really sick. Maybe you shouldn't travel tonight."
"I have to go," I said firmly. "Isabella gave me until dawn. If I'm still here when the sun comes up, she'll make sure I disappear permanently."
Riley studied my face carefully. "This isn't just stress sickness, is it?"
I tried to lie, but Riley had known me too long. She could read me like an open book.
"Oh my God," she breathed. "You're pregnant."
I closed my eyes, defeated. "Please don't say it out loud."
"Aria, this changes everything! You have to tell Damon. He has a right to know."
"No." I grabbed her shoulders desperately. "Riley, you can't tell anyone. Not anyone. Do you understand?"
"But it's his child!"
"It's also the reason hundreds of people will die if he finds out," I said fiercely. "Do you think Damon will let me leave if he knows I'm carrying his baby? Do you think he'll choose his pack over his child?"
Riley's face crumpled as she understood. "He'll start a war to keep you both safe."
"Exactly. And innocent people will die because I couldn't keep my mouth shut." I turned away from her, unable to bear the pity in her eyes. "This baby deserves to live in a world without war. Even if that means growing up without their father."
"This is so unfair," Riley whispered, tears streaming down her face. "You shouldn't have to choose between love and peace. Between your child's father and their future."
"Life isn't fair," I said, trying to sound stronger than I felt. "But I can make sure this baby has a chance at a good life, even if it's not the life I dreamed of."
I walked back to my bedroom and continued packing my meager belongings. Everything I owned fit into one small bag - a few clothes, some money I'd saved, and a picture of my parents I'd never actually met.
"Where will you go?" Riley asked.
"I don't know. Somewhere far away where no one knows about werewolves or pack politics." I tried to smile. "Maybe I'll live like a human for a while. Get a normal job, raise my baby in peace."
"But you're moon-blessed," Riley protested. "You have incredible power. You can't just pretend to be human."
"I can try." I zipped up my bag and slung it over my shoulder. "My power has brought me nothing but pain. Maybe it's time to let it go."
"Aria-"
A soft knock on the front door interrupted whatever Riley was about to say. We both froze, staring at each other with wide eyes.
"Who could that be at this hour?" Riley whispered.
I crept to the window and peeked through the curtains. My heart nearly stopped when I saw who was standing on my doorstep.
Damon.
He looked terrible - like he'd been crying or fighting or both. His hair was messy, his clothes were wrinkled, and his hands were shaking.
"I can't do this," I heard him say to himself. "I can't marry her. I can't live without Aria."
Panic shot through me like lightning. If Damon was here, if he was changing his mind, everything would be ruined. The war would happen. People would die.
And if he saw me, if he looked into my eyes, he would know about the baby. I'd never been able to hide anything from him.
"Back door," I whispered to Riley. "Now."
We crept through my cottage like burglars, trying not to make any noise. But just as we reached the back door, Damon's voice came through the front window.
"Aria, I know you're in there. Please. I need to see you."
I pressed my back against the wall, holding my breath. If I was very quiet, maybe he would think I'd already left.
"I spoke to Isabella," Damon continued, his voice breaking. "I told her I couldn't go through with the wedding. I told her I'd rather fight a war than live without you."
No. No, no, no. This was exactly what I'd been trying to prevent.
"Isabella laughed at me," Damon said. "She said it was too late to change my mind. She said the wedding would happen whether I wanted it or not."
I heard footsteps as he paced back and forth on my small porch.
"But I don't care what she says. I don't care about the consequences. I love you, Aria. I choose you. I choose us."
Tears were streaming down my face, but I forced myself to stay silent. This was the hardest thing I'd ever had to do - listening to the man I loved beg for me while I hid from him like a coward.
"If you're really leaving, then I'm coming with you," Damon announced. "Pack politics, duty, responsibility - none of it matters without you. We'll figure out the rest later."
Riley grabbed my arm and mouthed, "Answer him!"
But I couldn't. If I opened that door, if I looked into Damon's desperate golden eyes, I would cave. I would tell him about the baby, and we would run away together, and hundreds of innocent people would pay the price for our happiness.
"Aria!" Damon's voice was getting more desperate. "Please, just talk to me. Don't disappear without saying goodbye."
I heard him try the door handle, and my heart nearly exploded with panic. I'd forgotten to lock it after Riley arrived.
The door opened, and I heard Damon's footsteps in my living room.
"Aria?" he called softly. "Are you here?"
Riley and I pressed ourselves against the back door, hardly daring to breathe. If he found us, everything would be over.
But then, miraculously, another voice came from my front yard.
"She's already gone, cousin."
Kai. Damon's cousin Kai was here.
"What do you mean, gone?" Damon demanded.
"I saw her leaving about an hour ago," Kai said calmly. "She took a bag and headed toward the main road. She's probably miles away by now."
I heard Damon make a sound like a wounded animal. "Which direction did she go?"
"Does it matter?" Kai asked gently. "She made her choice, Damon. She chose to leave so you could do your duty. Don't make her sacrifice meaningless."
"I don't care about duty anymore!" Damon shouted. "I care about her!"
"And she cares about the pack," Kai replied. "About the innocent families who would die in a war. She loves you enough to let you go. The least you can do is respect that choice."
There was a long silence. Then I heard Damon's broken whisper: "How am I supposed to live without her?"
"One day at a time," Kai said softly. "Like the rest of us."
I heard footsteps leaving, and then the sound of my front door closing. After a few minutes, Riley crept to the window and peered out.
"They're gone," she whispered.
I collapsed against the wall, shaking with relief and heartbreak. Kai had saved me from making a terrible mistake. But hearing the pain in Damon's voice nearly killed me.
"We should go," I said, wiping my eyes. "Before anyone else shows up."
Riley helped me gather my things, and we slipped out the back door into the dark night. I was about to start the long walk to the main road when a familiar voice spoke from the shadows.
"I know you're leaving," Kai said quietly, stepping into view. "And I know why."
My blood turned to ice. How long had he been watching? How much did he know?
"Let me help you," he continued, his voice gentle but determined.
"I don't need help," I said, trying to sound confident.
"Yes, you do." Kai moved closer, and I could see his face in the moonlight. His expression was kind but serious. "Especially now that you're carrying my cousin's child."