Aiden POV

I was burning with frustration, the kind that clamped down on my chest and refused to let go. I couldn't wrap my head around why my parents were doing this to me. Marissa was my mate. The bond we shared was undeniable.

How could they just sweep that aside and expect me to be okay with marrying Selene? It felt like a betrayal—not just to me, but to Selene too. She didn’t deserve this mess.

I had known Selene since we were children. She was warm, loyal, and honestly… beautiful in ways words struggled to describe.

There was a time when I imagined a future with her. Back then, before the mate bond revealed itself, I thought maybe—just maybe—Selene could be the one. But everything shifted the day I met Marissa. My wolf, Czar, immediately recognized her as our fated mate, and that was that. He’d never been the same since.

Yet even now, Czar was torn. He still harbored an inexplicable pull toward Selene. He never rejected her entirely, never dismissed her the way he should have if Marissa was truly the only one for us. That uncertainty was beginning to gnaw at me.

Despite everything, I couldn’t just let the Elders and my parents dictate my future like this. It wasn’t just about me—it was about all three of us.

This wasn’t a love triangle; it was a landmine.

I hurried out of Crescent Hollow Manor, trailing Marissa as she stormed home in tears. Her sobs echoed in the silent halls of Darius’s house, and my heart sank as I watched her crumble in the living room.

“Marissa, please… just listen to me,” I begged, grabbing her hand.

She yanked it away as if my touch burned. “Aiden, how could you let them do this to us?” she cried, her face red with anguish. “I’m your mate—not Selene! Tell your father to reverse this insanity. We’re supposed to be the ones getting married!”

“I know,” I said, running a hand through my hair in frustration. “I know this is wrong. But my father—he’s made up his mind. And with the Council of Elders involved, there’s no easy way out.”

Her eyes flared with disbelief. “So what, you’re just going to go along with it? You’ll marry her?”

I hesitated, then gave a slow nod. There was no use pretending otherwise.

She slapped a hand over her mouth to muffle the sob. “And what about me?” she whispered.

I stepped closer, voice low and desperate. “I might marry Selene, but my heart belongs to you. Always. I swear I’ll never touch her, never share a bed. I’ll be yours and only yours.”

Marissa flinched as if I’d struck her. “So now I’ll be your secret? Your Luna in the shadows?” Her voice cracked. “You’ll make me your mistress while she wears the crown?”

“No,” I said firmly. “You’ll bear my heirs. Not her.”

“Damn it, Aiden!” she screamed. “I want to be your wife, not some hidden shame!”

“Please, try to understand—”

“Understand what?” she interrupted. “That you’re choosing her? That you’ll let this happen? No, Aiden. No! I won’t stand for this. If you marry her, I swear I’ll end it. I’ll end myself!”

“Marissa, don’t say that,” I whispered, my throat tight. “You know I love you.”

She glared at me with teary eyes. “Then prove it. Do something. Get her out of the picture. Frame her. Lock her away. Kill her, if you have to. But don’t let her take what’s mine.”

I froze. Her words struck me like a punch to the gut. I stared at her, shocked. Marissa—my mate, the woman I adored—just suggested framing her own stepsister. Murder wasn’t even off the table for her. My stomach churned.

Still, I understood her pain. I knew this wasn’t really her—it was the desperation speaking. So I gently pulled her into my arms and held her tight. “Shhh… You’re overwhelmed. I get it. This isn’t easy for me either. I thought tonight would be about us. I had no idea it would all flip like this. Just give me some time to think.”

She shoved me away roughly, rage etched on her face. “Don’t patronize me, Aiden. I don’t care what you think. I want Selene gone. Gone! If you won’t do it, I will.”

I turned away and walked to the window, staring blankly into Duskwatch Valley’s shadowy skyline. There had to be another way. I couldn’t hurt Selene. She hadn’t done anything wrong. And yet, this arranged marriage was ripping us all apart.

Just then, my phone buzzed.

Rowan: Selene just left for the forest. She’s doing her first shift with Alpha, Luna, and Darius.

“Shit,” I muttered under my breath.

Selene’s first shift. How could I have forgotten? We’d been talking about it since we were pups at Crescent Ridge Academy. We’d promised to be there for each other’s first transformation. Despite everything, I’d made that promise.

“I have to go,” I said quickly, stuffing my phone into my pocket.

“What?” Marissa gasped. “You’re going to watch that little witch shift? After everything I just told you?”

She dashed to me, clinging to my shirt. “Please, Aiden, don’t leave me. Not like this.” She kissed me hard, breath ragged, tears on her cheeks. “Don’t go.”

I hesitated. Her body was flush against mine, her desperation pouring out in waves. I cupped her face gently, brushing the tears away with my thumbs. “You mean the world to me. You are my mate, Marissa. But I gave Selene my word. I don’t break promises.”

Her lips trembled. “So she matters more?”

“You matter most,” I said. “But right now, I have to be there—for her. For something we talked about our entire lives. I promise I’ll be back soon.”

She didn’t answer. She just stared, betrayed and broken. As I left her behind, her silence echoed louder than any scream.

My chest ached as I stepped outside into the night. I cursed Selene under my breath—for the chaos, the guilt, the impossible choices. But as I sprinted through the trees toward the clearing where she would shift, something inside me stirred. My heart pounded. My breath grew shallow.

And what happened when I got there left me speechless.