DANTE'S POVAria opened her mouth to say something to the elders, and something inside me snapped.This had gone too far. Way too far."Just shut up!" I shouted at her, my voice echoing in the suddenly quiet hall. I saw the shock on her face, quickly replaced by hurt, but I couldn't stop now. The embarrassment was burning through me like wildfire.Without thinking, I grabbed her hand and started pulling her away. This time, I made sure my grip was iron-tight. There was no way she was slipping away, not until we were out of this mess."Dante, let go!" Aria hissed, struggling against my hold. "Leave me alone!"I ignored her protests, feeling self conscious as I felt the eyes of everyone in the hall on us. The whispers started as soon as we passed, but I kept my eyes straight ahead. Just a few more steps...Finally, we burst out of the hall. I didn't stop, though, not until we were far enough away that I was sure no one could overhear us. Only then did I release my grip on Aria's wrist.
ARIA'S POVI watched as Dante's face crumpled in disbelief. His eyes, usually so confident, now looked lost and scared."You don't actually mean that," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Do you?"I took a step closer to him, steeling myself. "I meant every word, Dante."Silence fell between us, heavy and suffocating. As I looked at him, I felt a wave of self-pity wash over me.Here I was, pregnant with his child, and I couldn't even tell him. How could I, when he was acting like such a prick? I wanted to tell him, God knows I wanted to, but the words just wouldn't come."Why?" Dante's voice cut through my thoughts, sharp and demanding."Why what?" I asked, even though I knew exactly what he meant."Why do you want a divorce?" He looked at me as if I was a stranger, and maybe I was. Maybe we had both become strangers to each other.I took a step back, letting out a deep sigh. "I'm tired, Dante. Tired of everything."His face softened a bit, and for a moment, I saw a glimpse of
ARIA'S POVAs Dante angrily left, my heart sank. We still had to talk. I needed to know what I was going to do next, but thanks to Linda, we didn't finish talking.I decided to leave too, desperate to get away from the chaos, when Linda suddenly reached out and grabbed my arm. Her fingers dug into my skin, and I flinched."Let go of me. Now!!" I shouted, trying to pull my arm away.Linda's eyes narrowed. "You need to leave. Leave Dante, leave the pack. Just go."I looked at her from head to toe, taking in her perfectly styled hair and designer outfit. This woman who had taken everything from me. My lip twisted in disgust."Don't you dare touch me with your filthy hands," I spat. "Ever again."I pulled my arm away and turned to go, but Linda quickly stepped in front of me, blocking my path."You can't talk to me like that," she said, drawing herself up to her full height. "I am the Alpha Luna of this pack. Dante's mate. You must show me respect.”I let out a harsh laugh. "You think I c
ARIA'S POVThe pain in my hand was nothing compared to the ache in my heart as Sabrina's voice cut through the chaos.I was stunned by the hatred in her words. The tears I had been fighting so hard to hold back finally spilled over, hot and shameful on my cheeks. I quickly turned away, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of seeing me cry.But the hits just kept coming. Elder Grayson, his face creased with disappointment, stepped out of the crowd."Young lady," he said, his voice heavy with disapproval, "what you did to Linda was unforgivable. She's with child, for heaven's sake!"The injustice of it all made me want to scream. I looked up at him, my vision blurry with tears. "But I didn't do anything to her," I choked out. "She's lying. Please, you have to believe me."However, looking around at the crowd of hostile faces, I knew it was hopeless. They had all made up their minds. In their eyes, I was the villain, the jealous wife who had attacked a pregnant woman out of spite.Da
DANTE'S POVI couldn't believe my eyes as I watched Aria. Who was this woman?The Aria I thought I knew would never strip down in front of everyone, would never throw away her wedding ring like it meant nothing.As she reached for the door, my feet moved of their own accord, taking a step towards her.But Linda's grip on my arm tightened, and my mother shot me a look that could have frozen hell itself.Did they really expect me to just let her walk out like this? I understood their point, but why did my heart feel like it was being torn in two?As Aria pulled the door open, I held my breath. And then, to everyone's surprise, Adam Griffith, the eldest son of the most powerful pack in the region was standing at the entrance."Adam?" I gasped, my mind reeling. What… what was he doing here?However, that wasn't even the most surprising part. Adam wasn't alone. Behind him stood a small army of wolves, each carrying beautifully wrapped gifts.It was pack custom to bring gifts when visiting
DANTE'S POVThe room fell silent, the tension thick enough to choke on. I wanted to argue, at least try to defend myself and my family. But the words died in my throat as I looked at Aria, pale and trembling in Adam's arms."This isn't over," Adam said, his voice filled with a quiet threat. "Not by a long shot. You had all better pray to the Goddess that Aria and her child are okay. Because if they are not..."He let the threat hang in the air, unfinished but crystal clear. Then, without another word, he turned and walked out the door, holding Aria protectively against his chest.As the door slammed shut behind them, I felt like I was waking from a bad dream. But this was no dream. It was all too real. And as I looked around at the shocked faces of everyone, I realized that Adam was right about one thing:This was far from over. And I had a sinking feeling that the worst was yet to come.I needed a moment by myself to think things through so without a word, I let out a deep sigh and d
DANTE'S POVI was already on my way to the pack's meeting room before the sun had even risen.My head was pounding from a sleepless night filled with worry and fruitless phone calls. As I got closer to the door, I could already hear the heated voices of the elders inside.Taking a deep breath, I pushed the door open. The arguing stopped suddenly as all eyes turned to me.Elder Sarah gave me a tight smile. "Alpha Dante, we've been waiting for you."I nodded and took my seat at the head of the table. The way they all looked at me made me feel quite uncomfortable.Clearing my throat, I began, "Uhmm, I know you are all looking for answers. But I'm afraid my investigations haven't turned up much."Elder Marcus leaned forward, his bushy eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean, 'not much'? Surely you must have found out something about this so-called Adam Griffith, right?"I shook my head, frustration clear in my voice. "That's just it. I still don't know if the man who showed up yesterday is a
ARIA'S POVI blinked slowly, allowing my eyes to adjust to the soft light coming through the unfamiliar curtains.For a moment, I couldn't remember where I was or how I had gotten there. Then, as the fog of sleep cleared, I realized I wasn't alone.Gathered around my bed were familiar faces I hadn't seen in years - my father and the highest-ranking elders of our wolf tribe. They all looked at me with a mixture of worry and relief."Aria," my father's deep voice rumbled, filled with emotion. "You're finally awake."I tried to sit up, but my body felt heavy and slow. "Dad? What... what's going on?"He leaned forward and took my hand in his. His touch was warm, familiar, yet strange after so long apart. "You've been out for a while, sweetheart. We were starting to worry."Elder Marissa greeted with a warm smile. "It's good to have you back, child. The pack hasn't been the same without you.""Yeah," Elder John chimed in, his usually hard voice softening. "It's been downright boring around