5 The Last Person I Wanted to See

Aria’s POV

The uneasy feeling from the hot spring still clung to me like a second skin as I made my way back home. Even after scouring the tree line until my eyes stung, I hadn’t seen anyone even though deep down, I knew I hadn’t imagined it. Someone had been there. Watching. Waiting. And it was definitely not just one shadow lurking in the woods. It was two.I felt a chill crawl over my skin despite the warmth of my damp clothes sticking to me. I hugged myself tighter, trying to make myself less tensed and anxious. Maybe I’d just been outside too long, letting my mind spin stories in the moonlight.I forced myself to leave the lake, the gentle rush of water fading behind me as the cold night air hit my skin. I passed the familiar trail, each step heavier than the last, the memories that refuse to let go, messing with my thoughts.It's been three days. Three days since my world split at the seams. Since Lucas Carter, the boy who once traced my scars with gentle fingers, decided I wasn’t good enough to stand by his side. Three days since he tore my future to shreds with a single word: Rejected.The memory was acid in my throat. I couldn't even bare to remember it.I took the long way back to the packhouse, hiding behind trees and avoiding the training grounds. I knew the gossip had already spread like weeds. My humiliation picked apart over plates of food and loud laughter. The Alpha’s perfect daughter, tossed aside like she didn’t matter.I couldn’t stand the thought of pitying glances and whispered jokes trailing after me anytime I passed by. So I chose to hide. To stay silent. Maybe if I stayed invisible long enough, the whispers and the ache would fade too.By the time I reached the front porch, my legs trembled with exhaustion. I climbed the steps and slipped inside, praying not to be disturbed. I wanted to pretend none of this had ever happened.But the universe has never been kind to me.I collided with a wall of muscle and warm scent the second I stepped inside. Familiar. Torturous.Lucas.His scent was strong and hit me hard, it was a mixture of cedar and mint. His eyes, those piercing blue eyes that once made my knees weak and now made my heart want to shrivel up and die.We froze. For a breathless second, neither of us moved. The air between us buzzed with everything we hadn’t said and never would.My wolf whined deep inside me, the bond pulling painfully tight despite how badly I wanted to rip it out, root and stem.He opened his mouth, maybe to speak, maybe to apologize but I couldn't let him. Not this time.I turned on my heel and ran.I heard the sharp inhale behind me, but I didn’t stop nor slow down. I fled up the stairs, taking two at a time until I reached my bedroom. I slammed the door, locked it, and pressed my back against the wood, gulping down breaths that didn't help in making me feel better.I told myself I wouldn’t cry again. I had already given him enough tears to drown us both. But as soon as I slid down to the floor, I felt a single traitorous tear slip free, carving a path down my cheek.Never again, I swore to the empty room. He won’t see me break.

Matthew’s POV

Three days.Three days since Lucas humiliated my twin sister in front of everyone we’ve ever known. Three days since my fists itched to introduce his smug face to the back of my knuckles.I’d spent every spare moment since then pounding my anger into punching bags, sparring with warriors twice my size, and doubling my training schedule until my muscles ached. It was that or putting Lucas in the ground. The only thing stopping me was Aria.But today, the pack demanded my best behavior. Lucky them.The annual council meeting brought together every pack in the region, an exhausting parade of politics and polite threats disguised as agreements. This year, it was our turn to host, and I was supposed to represent strength, unity, leadership.What a joke.Our warriors had polished every hallway until it glittered, the kitchens were overflowed with food, and the elders strutted around like peacocks, pretending everything was perfect. But beneath the fresh flowers and polite smiles, the air was polluted with gossip and sympathy no one asked for.Aria had been so excited for this meeting. She’d planned to make new friends, learn more about other packs, maybe even show the council she was more than the Alpha’s daughter, that she could lead beside me one day.Lucas had stolen that from her too.I clenched my fists so hard my knuckles popped as I stalked down the hallway toward the main meeting hall.I spotted him the moment I entered: Lucas Carter, Beta-to-be, future second-in-command,my ex best friend. He stood near the far wall, head bent toward one of the visiting Alphas, speaking in that soft tone that had always made people trust him.It made me sick.I waited until the visiting Alpha stepped away, then closed the distance between us in three strides. Lucas turned, his cold eyes landing on me without a flicker of surprise.“Matthew,” he greeted, his voice very calm. Like nothing had changed. Like he hadn’t gutted my sister’s heart for sport.I ignored the greeting. I didn’t owe him politeness.“Why?” I asked, my voice low but sharp enough to cut.Lucas’s jaw flexed. He didn’t break eye contact. Didn’t flinch. He never did.“You know why.”A bitter laugh clawed out of my mouth. “Don’t insult me. Enlighten me, since clearly I missed the part where betraying my sister became acceptable behavior for you.”A few heads turned our way. I didn’t care. Let the whole damn pack hear this.Lucas sighed, long and slow, like I was the one testing his patience. “She’s better off, Matthew.”“Don’t you dare,” I snapped. “Don’t stand there and pretend you did her a favor. She hasn’t eaten for days. She won’t leave her room. She won’t even look at me. All because you couldn’t keep your word for five seconds.”His eyes flickered, but the mask didn’t crack. “Would you rather I lied to her forever?”“I’d rather you’d never touched her at all!” I roared, grabbing the front of his shirt and slamming his back against the wall hard enough to rattle the paintings.The room fell silent. Even the council members froze, eyes wide, lips clamped shut.Lucas didn’t push me off. He just stared back, his face was blank except for the faintest flicker of regret that vanished before I could grab it.“You think this is funny?” I hissed. “She thought you were her future. You were family, Lucas. She trusted you. I trusted you.”He scoffed, cold and unbothered. “Then she was wrong. I told you once, Matthew,I’m not built for forever. Not with her. Not with anyone.”My vision tunneled. I heard my wolf’s growl rip through my chest.“I should rip your damn throat out.”“Do it.” His tone was flat, daring. “Go on. Prove I’m the monster she thinks I am.”I shoved him harder, my teeth bared inches from his face. For one wild second, I wanted to do it. To end this betrayal with blood and bone.But a flash of Aria’s tear-streaked face snapped me back. If I killed him, I’d become the story whispered through the halls next as the Alpha who lost control. And Aria needed me sane, not chained up for murder.I released him with a shove. He stumbled, but caught himself, straightening his shirt nonchalantly like I hadn’t just threatened to paint the walls with his blood.“This isn’t over,” I snarled. “Stay the hell away from her. If you so much as breathe near her door again, I swear to the Moon Goddess, I’ll finish what I started tonight.”Lucas didn’t argue. He just nodded once, an empty gesture that didn’t make me feel a damn bit better.I turned on my heel and stormed out of the hall, my fists still aching for a fight that would have to wait.But one thing was clear as the moon above us, I wouldn’t let him hurt my sister ever again. Not while I was still breathing.