CHAPTER 2

Chapter 2: A Promise to Herself

ARIA POV

I said, "I will not be a pawn again," to the empty room.

Fragile yet determined, the pledge lingered in the air. With trembling hands, I packed a tiny suitcase with the necessities: clothing, a concealed cash hoard in my drawer, and the silver blade I had taken from the armory years before. It was for rogue protection back then. It was for defense against the mate bond now.

I was a fool five years ago, thinking that a mate's relationship was unshakable. I was weak and blinded by it. However, it was before I realized how quickly love might turn into treachery.

Never again.

The Golden Claw Pack was the group I had to quit.

I walked around the room, going over my strategy. The packhouse will be busy tonight as the Moonshine Pack had their welcoming feast. It would be simple to go away undetected as everyone would be preoccupied. I would go east, away from him and the packs.

I felt sick to my stomach at the idea of Darius. My anger had been rekindled when I saw him downstairs, his wolf-like grin around its victim. I was cruelly bound to a guy who had stabbed me in the heart by the mate connection.

But my body still deceived me. His thick, earthy smell, reminiscent of smoke and cedar, clung on my memory like a narcotic recall of the past.

I shook my head and whispered, "Stop it." He is a liar and a killer. Nothing else is important.

I was startled by a knock at the door.

"Aria?" Cassie said softly but strongly. "Are you coming? I'm already getting the stink eye from the Alpha for not bringing you down.

Hesitantly, I looked at the luggage on the bed. I was not yet able to attract attention to myself.

I called, making an effort to sound steady, "I'm coming."

Cassie's worried expression greeted me as I entered through the door. Her eyebrows knitted together as she looked me over from head to toe.

She remarked, "You look pale." "Are you sure you're okay?"

I passed her by and fibbed, claiming, "I'm okay." "Let's complete this now."

Currently, the sound of conversations, clinking glasses, and laughter filled the main hall. My stomach growled as the scent of warm bread and roasting meat wafted through the air. While we navigated through the crowd, I remained near Cassie and lowered my head.

Before I saw him, I sensed him.

My skin began to tingle slightly as the mate link tugged at me like a magnet. I stumbled and balled my fists, pushing myself to pay attention to Cassie's conversation.

Did you see Alpha Marcus's expression when the Moonshine Pack arrived late? Invaluable. Cassie laughed without seeing my anxiety.

Then his voice came to me.

"Ariana, it's been a long time."

The world seems to slow down.

My heart thumping in my chest, I turned. Darius's golden eyes met me as he stood a few steps away. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and had a commanding presence that attracted everyone's attention—exactly as I recalled.

My throat constricted. I was reminded of his treachery by the knife, the blood, and his emotionless, icy eyes.

I said, "Darius," in a chilly tone.

He stepped forward, a sneer forming on his lips. "You appear...different."

"I could say that about you, too." I made myself look him in the eye without flinching.

He grinned more broadly. You've become more observant. I like it.

Refusing to lash out, I tightened my fists. "What are you looking for?"

"To speak," he said with ease. "After all, we are still friends."

My chest constricted. A harsh reminder of who we were meant to be, the mate link surged between us.

I turned on my heel and said, "I have nothing to say to you."

However, his hand grabbed my wrist before I could move. I felt a shock from the touch, the relationship igniting.

"Ariana, you can't avoid me forever," he remarked in a low, menacing voice. "You are aware of that."

I glared at him as I jerked my hand free. "Observe me."

I left without saying anything more, my heart pounding.

Cassie's eyes were wide when she caught up to me close to the buffet table. "What was that about?"

"Nothing," I clinched my teeth and murmured. "Just someone that I would prefer to forget."

She arched an eyebrow but didn't say anything more.

Forced grins and courteous nods filled the remainder of the evening. I stayed as far away from Darius as I could, blending in with the others.

However, I couldn't get rid of the sensation that his eyes were on me, waiting and observing.

I snuck out as the feast came to an end and made my way back to my room. My luggage remained on the bed, prepared for departure. I looked at the time. Midnight.

The moment has come.

Keeping to the darkness, I threw the bag over my shoulder and slipped along the corridor. The packhouse was quiet now, most of the visitors either gone or sleeping. The chilly night air brushed my cheeks as I arrived at the side entrance, my pulse thumping in my chest.

It was just a few steps to freedom.

"Going out so quickly?"

I was halted in my tracks by the voice.

My breath caught in my throat as I slowly turned.

With his arms folded over his chest, Darius leaned against the doorway. In the moonlight, his golden eyes shone with a mixture of curiosity and a deeper quality.

His voice was surprisingly calm as he inquired, "Where are you going, Aria?"

With my head racing, I tightened my grasp on my bag's strap. "It is none of your concern."

He moved closer, pushing off the wall. "You're my friend. I don't care about anything about you.

"I am not your partner," I growled. "No longer."

The slightest glimmer of emotion appeared on his face as his jaw clenched. "You know it doesn't work that way."

I yelled, "I don't care how it works." "I'm done with you, and I'm done playing the role of the Moon Goddess' puppet."

He outran me as I turned to go. Suddenly he was ahead of me, obstructing my way.

"Ariana, you can't flee from this," he murmured quietly. "You can't escape me."

My fury was more intense than my terror as I gazed at him. "Observe me."

Then, as if my words had touched a nerve, his face softened for the smallest instant. But before I could figure it out, his hand sprang out and grabbed my bag's strap.

"You're not going anywhere," he said firmly.

I pulled on the bag, but he held on to it. "Darius, let go."

"Not until you explain the reason."

I spat, "Because I don't trust you." "Because you ended my life."

A flash of bewilderment and something else—guilt?—crossed his face as his eyes expanded.

His voice was hardly audible above a whisper as he said, "What are you talking about?"

I froze for a second. He was unaware.

The understanding was like a kick to the stomach.

How could I show what he had done if he couldn't recall?

With my pulse pounding in my chest, I ripped the bag free and took a step back. "Darius, keep away from me."

I turned and fled without waiting for an answer, vanishing into the darkness.

However, his words rang in my head as I ran away, freezing me to the core.

"Ariana, you cannot flee from me. I will always locate you.