Aria's POV
As I approached Ethan's office, voices drifted through the half-open door.
A woman's voice.
"Ethan—yes—right there—"
His voice, ragged and raw. "You feel so good, Clara."
Clara. My best friend!He cheated on her!
I never imagined that cutting my business trip short and rushing home would mean walking in on the two of them betraying me.
For two years I had swallowed everything the Silver Creek Pack threw at me.
The whispers behind my back. The wolves who wrinkled their noses when I passed, as if my human scent offended them.
The council members who refused to meet my eyes when I spoke, because a human had no business sitting where a Luna should sit.
I told myself it was worth it. I was going to be the first human Luna in living memory. I had studied their laws until my eyes burned.
I had rebuilt the Pack's finances from nothing, learned their customs, memorized every unwritten rule about bloodlines and hierarchy and mate bonds.
I did it all because Ethan told me the Moon Goddess had chosen me. Because he swore I was his True Mate.
I believed him.
Then, something even worse than being betrayed by my best friend and mate hit like a freight train.
"When are you going to get rid of her, Ethan?"
"Our son is already three years old. I'm tired of pretending." Clara's voice was sharp with impatience.
Marcus. The little boy Ethan claimed we'd adopted because my human body supposedly couldn't handle pregnancy, and the pack needed a pup to serve as the Alpha's heir.
I couldn't breathe. The pup I had lovingly raised was Ethan and Clara's biological child! My heart was bleeding—how dare they!
Inside the office, Ethan sighed. "Just a little longer."
His voice was cold. "We still need her. The Pack's finances are stable because of her work. Once we've locked everything down, I'll cut her loose."
"What am I supposed to do until then? Keep playing victim while she parades around as Luna?"
"You know she's nothing to me. Just a tool. Once we've squeezed every last drop of value out of her..."
I didn't wait to hear more.
I shoved the door open.
Clara was perched on Ethan's desk, her blouse undone, skirt pushed up to her waist.
Ethan was buried inside her, his hips driving into her as she gasped against his mouth, her legs wrapped tight around him.
It made me want to throw up.
"Sorry to interrupt."My voice sliced through the air like a blade.
They froze. Clara scrambled to cover herself, nearly falling off the desk. Ethan jerked upright, his mouth wet, his eyes wide with shock.
I leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, a cold smile on my lips.
"Don't stop on my account. I'd hate to ruin the mood."
"Aria. You shouldn't be here," Ethan said with mild annoyance.
"Shouldn't I?" I said, my voice shaking with rage."I think you owe me an explanation."
"You told me I was your True Mate. You pursued me for months. You convinced me the Moon Goddess chose us.But now you're sleeping with my best friend?"
"There's nothing to explain. I've always loved Clara,"Ethan said flatly, "let's not beat around the bush. "
"The deal with V&A Group need final signatures. We need you for one last meeting as Luna. After that, we'll give you reasonable compensation for your... services."
"Compensated?" The word tasted like poison.
"You lied to me for two years. You used me to build your Pack's business portfolio.And now you want to pay me off like a servant who's served her purpose?"
Clara walked toward me, adjusting her clothes with deliberate slowness.
"You should be grateful, honestly. A human orphan with no family, no packs? Where else would you have ended up? If you're smart, you'll take whatever he offers and leave quietly. Otherwise—"
I moved.
I was across the room before Clara could finish the threat, my hand fisting in her golden hair. Clara yelped, stumbling backward into the desk.
"Aria!" Ethan grabbed my arm, twisting it hard enough to make me gasp. Then he shoved me backward. Hard.
I hit the floor, the impact jarring through my spine. Pain exploded in my tailbone. I looked up at him, stunned.
Ethan stared down at me, his light blue eyes ice cold. "Touch her again and I'll break your wrist."
The words hit harder than the fall.
Something inside my chest cracked. Not my ribs. Something deeper.
I pushed myself to my feet, my hands shaking. My tailbone throbbed where I'd hit the floor. Everything hurt. Not just my body.
"You're going to regret this," I said quietly. "Both of you."
I turned and walked out before either of them could respond.
I made it to the parking lot before my legs gave out. I sank onto my car, and let the tears come.
Two years. Two years of biting my tongue, of being the human they tolerated, of believing that one day the Bonding Ceremony would come and Ethan would finally mark me in front of the whole Pack.
I had thought his hesitation was protection. I had thought he was waiting for the right moment.
He'd never planned to claim me at all.
That was when my phone rang.
The number was unfamiliar. For a second I almost let it go to voicemail. Then I answered, my voice thick.
"Hello?"
"Am I speaking with Miss Aria Smith?" A crisp, professional voice. Older. Human.
"Speaking."
"My name is Richard Castellano. I'm the executor of the Smith family estate. I represent the late Mr. Vincent Smith." A pause. "Miss Smith, I'm calling because you have been named the sole legal heir to his estate."
I wiped my face with the back of my hand. "I think you have the wrong person. My father—I don't have a father. I grew up in an orphanage."
"There's no mistake. A DNA test conducted through the estate confirmed the match. Vincent Smith was your biological father. His will names you the sole heir to the entirety of the Smith family holdings, including commercial interests spanning several Pack territories in North America."
The world went very quiet.
Vincent Smith. Even I knew that name. The human who had built an empire inside the wolf world, the one businessman the Packs actually let through the door.
"That's—that can't be right."
"I assure you it is. Time is a factor, Miss Smith. Certain parties are already contesting the will. It would be in your interest to formalize your claim as soon as possible."
"I can meet you now," I said, before I even knew I'd decided. "Today. I'll sign whatever needs signing."
"Excellent. I'll send a car. I'll need your full legal information for the paperwork." A brief rustle of pages. "Just to confirm our records—your current status is listed as single, unmarried. Is that correct?"
The concrete seemed to tilt beneath me.
"Single," I repeated slowly.
"Yes. No registered union of any kind. Should I correct the file?"
I closed my eyes. Two years. A wedding I remembered walking through. A marriage certificate Ethan had waved in front of the council. A title I had worn like a crown of thorns.
None of it had ever been real.
"No," I said, and for the first time in two years my voice didn't shake. "The file is correct. I'm single. I always have been."
I ended the call and stared at the office building, at the window where the two of them had thought they'd buried me for good.
They had no idea who they'd just thrown away.
My chance had come.
