chapter 6

Mom and Dad looked at me like they could see right through the lie. Their eyes held questions I wasn’t ready to answer.

Mom sighed softly. “Derick, the coronation is in four days. You can’t walk into it alone. The pack will expect your Luna by your side.”

“I know,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “I’ll figure it out before then. You have my word.”

Dad’s gaze hardened a bit. “You better figure it out before then, please.”

I gave a small nod, forcing a half-smile. “I will, Dad. I promise.”

Mom smiled faintly, kissed my forehead, and walked out with Dad worried.

The second the door closed, I let out a deep breath and slumped back on the couch. My chest felt heavy. My head was a mess.

I didn’t even know what I was promising anymore or what I was supposed to do.

“Why has the Moon Goddess decided to punish me? What did I do wrong?” I muttered under my breath, running a frustrated hand through my hair.

Without thinking, I got up and walked straight toward her room.

***

Aria’s POV

I had gone to bed early, hoping sleep would quiet my thoughts, but somewhere in the middle of the night, I felt someone watching me.

My eyes fluttered open, and my heart jumped to my throat when I saw Derick Standing right beside my bed.

I gasped and clutched the blanket tightly. “What the hell are you doing here?”

He didn’t even flinch, he just smiled

“You see,” he said in a low, firm tone, “you can’t even handle a simple visit. And you think you can be Luna?”

My breath caught. “What are you talking about?” I asked, completely confused.

His gaze locked with mine, so intense it made my chest tighten. “You’re my fucking mate, Aria,” he said quietly, his voice rough. “I don’t even know how, why did you have to come here in the first place?”

I froze, staring at him. “What did you just say?”

“You heard me,” he said, stepping closer. “How am I supposed to tell my people that the Moon Goddess gave their Alpha a human mate? How the hell am I supposed to protect you when you cannot even protect yourself?”

I felt my heartbeat go wild. It was like the room got smaller, the air heavier. I could barely breathe.

“Derick…” I whispered, not even sure what I wanted to say.

He clenched his jaw, fighting something inside him. “My coronation is in four days, Aria. And I’m supposed to stand beside my Luna when I’m crowned.” He looked at me, his eyes flickering with something raw. “But that can’t be you. You’re… too weak to be that person .” I said fighting my emotions

Aria’s POV

I stared at him, my heart pounding so hard it hurt.

“What do you mean by that?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Derick looked away for a moment, his hands tightening into fists. When he looked back at me, his eyes were cold, but I could see the pain hiding behind them.

“You’ll never survive this world, Aria,” he said quietly. “You don’t belong here.”

“Derick, stop,” I said, shaking my head, trying to understand. “You’re scaring me.”

He took a step closer, his voice breaking slightly. “I wish things were different, but they aren’t.”

“Derick…”

He cut me off, his jaw tightening as his eyes glowed faintly. “I, Derick Scott, reject you, Aria, as my mate.”

For a second, I didn’t understand what he had just said. The words hung in the air, sharp and cold. But then it hit me like a knife straight to my chest.

Pain ripped through me, spreading fast, burning in every vein. I gasped, clutching my chest as my knees gave way.

“Stop… please,” I whispered, tears blurring my vision. “Why are you doing this?”

Derick looked at me, his expression twisted in agony even though he tried to stay strong. His breathing was uneven, his hands trembling slightly.

“I have to,” he muttered, his voice low

And then he turned and walked out, slamming the door behind him.

The sound echoed in my head long after he was gone.

I fell to the bed, the tears finally spilling down my cheeks. My chest felt like it was being torn apart from the inside. I didn’t understand why it hurt so much, why his rejection felt like death itself.

I pressed a hand against my heart, gasping for air as the pain surged again.

“Why does it hurt this bad?” I whispered to no one, shaking.

The room was too quiet and all I felt was pain only the sound of my shaky breathing filled the space as I sat there, trying to hold myself together. My chest ached like someone had reached inside and ripped something out.

His words wouldn’t stop echoing in my head.

You’re too weak.

You don’t belong here.

Each one cut deeper than the last.

I pressed my hand against my chest, trying to ease the pain, but it only grew worse. It burned, spreading through my veins until I could barely breathe.

My vision blurred with tears. “Why does it hurt this bad?” I whispered, trembling.

My chest ached like it was being stabbed over and over again.

And then, in the middle of that pain, a soft voice calm, quiet, and gentle spoke.

“Don’t cry.”

I froze. My heart jumped as I looked around the room. “Who’s there?”

No answer. Just the still air and my uneven breathing.

“Hello?” I said again, my voice shaking.

“Don’t be scared,” the voice whispered, this time clearer, not from outside, but from somewhere deep inside me.

I gasped, clutching the blanket tighter. “Who… who are you?”

There was a pause, and then the voice spoke again soft, steady, and warm.

“My name is Amiela … and I am your Fae spirit.”