Aria's POV
The words left my mouth before I could stop them: "I'm pregnant, Damien."
Silence crashed over the pack like a wave. Every eye turned to me. The pregnancy test in my pocket felt like it weighed a thousand pounds.
Damien's face went white. "What?"
"Pregnant." My voice sounded strange. Distant. Like someone else was speaking. "I found out this morning. I was going to surprise you tonight."
Surprise. The word tasted like ashes.
Selene's hand dropped from Damien's arm. Her violet eyes widened with something that looked almost like guilt. Almost.
"Aria—" Damien started toward me.
"Don't." I held up one hand. My Luna training kicked in like armor. Smile. Stay calm. Don't fall apart in front of the pack. "Welcome home, Alpha Damien. And welcome to Silvermoon, Miss Moonshadow."
My voice didn't shake. My hands didn't tremble. Five years as Luna taught me how to hide.
"Let's continue this celebration inside," I announced to the stunned pack. "Everyone to the Great Hall. Food's getting cold."
Nobody moved.
"That's an order from your Luna." The command in my voice made several wolves flinch. "Move."
They moved.
Pack members filed past me, whispering. I caught fragments:
"—fated mate bond—"
"—poor Luna Aria—"
"—the baby—"
"—what happens now—"
Lyssa grabbed my arm as she passed. "Aria, are you—"
"I'm fine." The lie came easily. "Make sure everyone gets fed. I need a moment."
I walked into the packhouse on legs that felt like wood. Down the hallway. Past the healing room where I'd bandaged Tommy's knee just hours ago. Past the office where I'd planned festivals and solved disputes and built a life.
Into the bathroom. Lock the door.
Then I shattered.
My legs gave out. I slid down the wall, pressing both hands over my mouth to stop the screams. My wolf howled inside—confused, hurt, terrified.
*Our mate brought home another female. Our mate's fated mate. What does that mean? What about our pup?*
I didn't have answers.
The pregnancy test fell from my pocket, landing on the tile. Two pink lines. Proof of the future I thought we'd have.
A knock rattled the door. "Aria? It's me."
Damien.
"Go away."
"Please. Let me explain."
"Explain what?" I stood up, fury replacing shock. "That you found your fated mate? That you brought her home? What's there to explain?"
"I didn't plan this! The bond just—it happened. At the Northern Pack three weeks ago. I tried to fight it, but—"
"Three weeks?" My voice cracked. "You've known for three weeks and didn't tell me?"
Silence.
"The mind-link," I whispered. "It's been fuzzy for two weeks. That was you. You were blocking me."
"I didn't know how to tell you." His voice broke through the door. "I love you, Aria. That hasn't changed. But the bond—"
"Is sacred. I know." Bitterness filled my mouth. "Everyone knows fated mate bonds are sacred."
"Let me in. Please."
Against my better judgment, I unlocked the door.
Damien looked awful. His green eyes were red. His hair messy like he'd been running his hands through it. He'd aged ten years in three months.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm so, so sorry."
"For what exactly? Finding your fated mate? Or bringing her home without warning me?"
"Both. Neither. I don't know." He stepped closer. "I tried to reject the bond. I swear I tried. But every time I open my mouth to say the words, I physically can't. My wolf won't let me."
My heart cracked wider. "So what happens now?"
"Nothing changes. You're my Luna. My wife. The mother of my child." He took my hands. "I chose you, Aria. That still matters."
"Does it?" I pulled away. "Because you brought your fated mate home. You're asking me to share you."
"I'm asking you to trust me. We'll figure this out together."
"Together?" A harsh laugh escaped. "There's three of us now, Damien. That's not together. That's me being the third wheel in my own marriage."
"You're not—"
"Then reject the bond." I met his eyes. "Right now. Say the words. Choose me."
He opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.
No words came out.
His face twisted with pain. His wolf was fighting him. The bond was too strong.
"I can't," he finally whispered. "Goddess help me, I can't."
Something inside me died. "Then you've already chosen."
"That's not fair—"
"Fair?" My voice rose. "I'm pregnant with your baby, and you brought another woman home! Don't talk to me about fair!"
Damien flinched like I'd slapped him. "I love you."
"But you can't reject her." The truth hung between us like poison. "You love me, but you're bound to her. So where does that leave me?"
"Here. With me. Nothing has to change—"
"Everything already has." I touched my stomach. "This baby deserves a father who isn't torn between two women. I deserved a husband who chose me without hesitation."
"I did choose you! Five years ago, I chose you!"
"And now you're choosing her too."
We stared at each other. Five years of marriage crumbling in the silence.
"She's staying in the guest wing," Damien said finally. "Far from our room. I'll barely see her."
"Until the bond drives you insane." I remembered stories of rejected fated mates. How the pull became unbearable. How wolves went mad fighting it. "How long before you need to be near her? A week? A month?"
He didn't answer. He couldn't.
"Get out," I whispered. "I need to be alone."
"Aria—"
"Get out!" The command carried Luna power. "That's an order, Alpha."
He left.
I locked the door again and slid back down the wall. Silent tears ran down my face. My hand pressed against my stomach where our baby grew.
"I'll protect you," I promised the tiny life inside me. "No matter what happens, I'll protect you."
Hours passed. The celebration outside my door faded. Pack members went home. The packhouse grew quiet.
Finally, I stood. Splashed water on my face. Fixed my hair. Put the Luna mask back on.
When I opened the bathroom door, Lyssa was waiting in the hallway.
"Everyone's gone," she said softly. "Damien's in his office. Selene is in the guest wing."
"Good."
"Are you okay?"
"No." At least I could be honest with her. "But I'll survive. I always do."
Lyssa hugged me hard. "If you need anything—"
"I know. Thank you."
She left.
I walked toward the bedroom I shared with Damien. Our bedroom. Five years of memories soaked into the walls.
But when I opened the door, I froze.
The room smelled wrong. Not like Damien's usual pine scent.
It smelled like jasmine and moonlight.
Selene's scent.
She'd been in here. In my bedroom. In my space.
My wolf snarled with rage.
On the nightstand sat a note in unfamiliar handwriting:
*"I'm sorry this is happening. I never wanted to hurt you. But the bond can't be ignored. We should talk tomorrow. Get to know each other. Maybe we can all make this work. —Selene"*
Make this work. Like we were negotiating a business deal instead of destroying a marriage.
I crumpled the note in my fist.
That's when I noticed something else on the nightstand. Something that made my blood run cold.
The framed photo of our wedding day—me and Damien laughing, his arms around me—had been turned face-down.
And placed on top of it was a small silver bracelet that wasn't mine.
Selene's bracelet.
Marking her territory.
My hands shook with fury. With fear. With the horrible realization that this was just beginning.
A sound made me turn.
Damien stood in the doorway, looking exhausted. "Can we talk?"
But before I could answer, his phone buzzed. He glanced at it.
His face changed. Went soft.
"Who is it?" I asked, even though I knew.
"Selene. She's asking if I can help her with something in her room."
"It's midnight."
"I know, but—" He stopped. Realized what he was about to say.
"Go ahead." My voice was ice. "Your fated mate needs you."
"Aria, don't—"
"I'm tired, Damien. We'll talk tomorrow."
He hesitated. Torn between the wife in front of him and the fated mate calling him.
The bond won.
"Okay. Tomorrow. I love you." He kissed my forehead and left.
To go to her.
I stood alone in our bedroom that smelled like another woman. My hand on my pregnant belly. My heart breaking into smaller and smaller pieces.
Tomorrow, I'd be the perfect Luna again. Smile. Stay strong. Handle this with grace.
But tonight, I let myself cry.
Hours later, I finally fell asleep.
I dreamed of fire. Of burning. Of rising from ashes.
I woke to screaming.