Chapter 2
Aria's POV
"Break the mate bond?"
Elias's face went dark.
Next second, his hand was around my throat, slamming me against the wall.
"Aria Whitmore," he growled through clenched teeth. "Say that again. I DARE you."
Everyone scattered. Only Vivienne stayed, holding Asher a few feet away.
I couldn't breathe, but I locked eyes with him. "I said... I'm leaving Shadowcrest Pack."
"Like HELL you are!" Elias roared.
He let go. I dropped to my knees, coughing hard.
"Three years, Elias." My voice was shot. "I'm done."
He laughed—cold and bitter—and poured himself a whiskey, downing it in one gulp. "Done? You know what leaving means? No status. No protection. You'll be a rogue!"
"Still better than THIS!" I got to my feet. "Better than being called crazy! Better than being accused of ARSON!"
Vivienne laughed. She slid her arm through Elias's, all cozy.
"Aria, you're so naive." She shook her head. "You think leaving the pack means freedom? Those rogues at the border can smell an Omega in heat from miles away."
She paused, smile turning wicked. "And they won't be as... restrained as Elias."
Elias's eyes went cold. He sneered. "Or maybe that's what you want? To see what it's like getting fucked by other wolves?"
CRACK.
I slapped him hard across the face.
"How DARE you!" I screamed. "What happened to the Elias who got exiled for me?!"
Seven years ago, there was an accident. My fault. Elias's father banished him to the wastelands for it.
Four years later, he came back covered in scars. His right shoulder bore a wolf bite that went almost clean through the bone.
That was the price of surviving out there.
"Where's the Elias who said 'Aria, wait for me'?" Tears streamed down my face. "Remember? When you came back and saw those warriors harassing me? You took them ALL down!"
Elias went rigid. Pain flashed in his eyes.
Then he turned away with a bitter laugh. "Don't bring up ancient history."
"WHY NOT?!"
"Because it reminds me how STUPID I was!" He whipped around, eyes blazing. "Aria, you know how many times someone gets to be eighteen? Those promises? Just teenage bullshit!"
"Four years in hell, and what did I come back to? You, surrounded by males. Wearing pretty dresses, smiling like you didn't have a care in the world!"
"But I never—"
"You never took their gifts?!" Elias cut me off, roaring. "Never talked to them? Never let them walk you home?!"
I stared at him, speechless.
"You think I know what I thought about every day out there?" He laughed bitterly. "Whether you'd wait. And what did I find? You laughing with other males!"
"I WAS waiting for you!" I screamed back. "Everyone told me to move on, but I NEVER gave up on you!"
"You fought for me! You challenged three warriors—you clawed your way to Alpha! Was ALL of that just to get back at me?!"
"YES!" Elias's roar shook my eardrums. "To show you that the damn murderer could become Alpha too!"
"Including giving our son to Vivienne!" My heart was tearing apart. "That was revenge too?!"
He sneered. "He'll be a better heir with her raising him."
"Because she's Damien's widow? So you'll sacrifice ME? Sacrifice OUR child to make it up to her?!"
"ENOUGH!" His eyes flashed with rage. "Listen the fuck up! Breaking the bond? NOT happening! You're not going ANYWHERE!"
He stormed out, door slamming behind him.
I collapsed on the floor.
The boy I loved had died in the wasteland after all.
I don't know how long I sat there before dragging myself back to my shabby quarters.
I wiped my tears and pulled out a small vial—the potion to break a mate bond.
Both people drink it, and the bond dissolves.
If he hated me this much, I'd set him free.
I gripped the vial and headed to his bedroom.
The light was still on. I followed it to his door, hand raised to knock—
"Elias... mmm..." A woman's moan.
"I can make you forget all that ugliness..." Vivienne's voice, syrupy sweet.
"Shit... Vivienne..." A man's rough breathing.
My hand froze. Then came the sound of flesh slapping against flesh.
"Tell me... ah... who's tighter? Me or Aria?" Vivienne gasped.
Silence.
Then harder, faster thrusts.
"You, of course." Elias's voice was rough. "She could never compare... the way you... fuck..."
"Ah!" Vivienne giggled. "Harder... Elias... I want... I want a baby..."
"What?"
"I want... ah... a baby with you..." Her voice broke into gasps. "Don't you want one? A child... just ours..."
"Yeah. I'll give you one." Elias panted. "I'll get you pregnant... Vivienne..."
CRASH.
The vial slipped from my hand and shattered on the floor.
I ran. Tears blurred everything.
He wanted to give HER a baby?
The boy who once killed for me was now fucking another woman, promising her a child.
What did that make me? What about the child I gave him? Why? Elias, WHY?
I don't know how long I ran. How long I cried.
When I stopped, Vivienne was standing in front of me.
Her robe hung loose. Her neck and collarbone were covered in bite marks and hickeys.
"Enjoy the show?" She smiled, tracing the marks. "Pretty hot, wasn't it?"
"Get away from me."
"Why should I?" She tilted her head. "Thanks to you, Elias feels so guilty about his brother's death. Thanks to you giving birth to Asher, he handed the kid over to me—gave me something to hold onto. Shouldn't I thank you?"
"You—"
"Oh, and Elias doesn't even love Asher." Vivienne cut me off. "Every time he looks at that boy, all I see is disgust. Because he looks too much like you."
"SHUT UP!"
"But it's fine." She stroked her belly. "Once I have Elias's baby, Asher's useless. And then I'll make Elias kick that little bastard out himself."
"You're DEAD!" I lunged at her.
Before I could touch her, Vivienne screamed and threw herself backward, head slamming into the corner of the wall.
"HELP! Elias! She's trying to KILL me!"
Footsteps thundered from every direction.
Elias and several elders burst onto the scene.
"What the hell happened?" Elias saw Vivienne on the ground, blood running from her forehead. His face went white.
"I just told her to stop harassing me and Asher..." Vivienne sobbed. "And she said she'd kill me..."
"I DIDN'T!" I protested desperately. "She threw herself—"
"ENOUGH!" Elias snapped, crouching down to check Vivienne's wound. "Still making excuses?"
"Get witnesses!" I screamed. "The patrol just passed by! They SAW!"
Elias opened his mouth—
"Bad lady!"
Asher came running, pointing at me and shrieking. "YOU hurt Mommy! I SAW you! I saw you PUSH her!"
