POV Aria

Three months in Silver Lake, and my life has transformed completely. My training program now has thirty regular students, my belly has a noticeable curve, and the bond with Drake has faded to almost nothing.


This morning, I'm demonstrating knife techniques to a group of young wolves when Elena appears at the door, her expression tense.

"Visitors," she says simply.

I nod to my senior student to continue the class and follow Elena outside.


"Who?" I ask, though something in my wolf already knows.

"Your Alpha. With three others."


My heart pounds. "He's not my Alpha anymore."

"The bond may be weak, but it's not gone," Elena reminds me. "You don't have to see him."

I touch my stomach, feeling the slight flutter that started last week. My child. Our child.

"I do," I say finally. "But on my terms."

---

I make him wait.

I finish my class, shower, and change into clean clothes—practical training gear, not the delicate dresses Drake preferred me in. I pull my hair back in a warrior's braid and stand tall.

Elena leads them to the training yard, where I'm setting up for the afternoon session. I sense him before I see him—that familiar presence that once meant everything.

I turn slowly, keeping my expression neutral.

Drake looks terrible. Thinner, paler, with dark circles under his eyes. His wolf is close to the surface, agitated and desperate. Behind him stand Marcus and two guards I recognize from the mansion.

For a moment, we just stare at each other.

"Aria," he finally says, his voice rough.

"Drake," I reply coolly. "What brings you to Silver Lake?"

He flinches at my tone. "You."

"I made my choice clear when I left."

"I know." He takes a step forward, then stops when Elena growls softly. "I'm not here to force you back."

This surprises me. "Then why?"

"To apologize. To explain. To..." he looks around at the training yard, at the students watching curiously from the windows. "To see you. The real you."

I cross my arms. "You're looking at her."

"I see that now." His eyes hold genuine regret. "You're thriving here."

"I am."

An awkward silence falls. Drake shifts uncomfortably.

"The child?" he finally asks, eyes dropping to my belly.

"Healthy. Growing."

He nods, swallowing hard. "Good. That's... good."

Another silence. I wait, letting him struggle.

"Lilith lied," he finally says. "About many things. I never said you were just an obligation. I never agreed to let her raise our child."

"But you moved me to the guest room," I counter. "You let her take my place."

"I was wrong." The admission seems to pain him physically. "I was blind. Caught between obligation to her father and... and not seeing what was right in front of me."

I study him, searching for deception. I find none.

"It doesn't matter anymore," I say finally. "I've built a life here."

"I can see that." He looks around again. "'Silver Blade' Aria. They speak of you with respect."

"Something I never had at home."

He flinches again. "I was a fool."

"Yes," I agree simply. "You were."

Elena steps forward. "It's getting late. You should find accommodations in town if you're staying."

Drake nods. "May I... may I speak with you again tomorrow, Aria?"

I consider refusing. But the child in my womb deserves better than parents who can't even speak civilly.

"One hour. After morning training."

He bows his head, accepting my terms. As they turn to leave, I call out:

"Drake."

He turns back, hope flashing in his eyes.

"Lilith isn't with you?"

His expression hardens. "Lilith is no longer welcome in my territory. Or my life."

With that, he leaves, and I release the breath I didn't know I was holding.

---

POV Drake

Silver Lake is nothing like I expected. Smaller, rougher, but with a vibrant energy. Independent wolves move with confidence here, no Alpha hierarchy constraining them.

And in the center of it all, Aria.

When I first see her in the training yard, I barely recognize her. Not physically—she's still beautiful, perhaps more so with the pregnancy glow—but in her bearing. She stands tall, confident, commanding. Students look to her with respect I never gave her.

"She's different," Marcus murmurs beside me.

Different. Stronger. Free.

Our conversation is painful. Every cool word from her is deserved. Every boundary she sets is one I should have respected years ago.

The town's only inn has one room available. The innkeeper, a gruff Beta, makes it clear we're only welcome because "Instructor Stone" hasn't objected.

"Instructor Stone," I repeat, tasting the unfamiliar title. Not Luna. Not wife. Instructor.

"Best tactical mind in three territories," the innkeeper says proudly. "Saved us from rogue Alphas last month."

I remember how I dismissed her strategic suggestions for our own territory's defense. How I insisted Luna duties were more important than "playing soldier."

What a fool I was.

In my room, I stare at the ceiling, unable to sleep. Tomorrow I have one hour to say everything I should have said years ago. One hour to apologize for five years of blindness.

One hour to meet the woman I married but never truly knew.