Chapter 277

Chapter 277

Chapter 277

ARIA

I stood alone in the shattered mirror chamber, surrounded by broken glass that reflected broken versions of myself from a thousand different angles. Each piece showed me exactly what I was, a backstabber, a liar, someone who had taken what she had been offered and threw it back on their faces.

The pack was dispersing around me, the show was over, they were moving on, heading back to their houses, holding their loved ones, people from the hunt, that I assumed died, but surprisingly did not.

I could hear their whispers, and could feel their stares even when I wasn’t looking directly at them. Some were sympathetic. Most were not.

I’d confirmed what many had suspected from the beginning, from the moment that UI had stepped into Shadowmere and stolen ivory’s position–that I didn’t deserve to be Luna, that I was inadequate in ways that went beyond just capability or training. I wasn’t the one they wanted, I was the one they were stuck with.

I betrayed Kael’s trust. That was the core truth that everything else spiraled from, there was no two ways about it. He’d been patient with me, kind to me, had tried so hard to build something real despite the awkward circumstances of our bonding and the pressure from everyone else, while fighting his feelings and his wolf who had chosen ivory then and still wanted her now. He had put his foot down and treated me like I mattered, that other opinions were irrelevant as long as I listened to what he was saying. And I’d repaid that patience by sneaking off to visit my former mate in secret, by keeping that visit hidden from everyone and him, out of pure spite, because I was still aggrieved that he didn’t chose to stand by me, but by ivory, when I was almost executed, by proving that I couldn’t be trusted to put the pack’s interests above my own. emotional needs.

You weren’t good enough because you couldn’t be honest. Couldn’t be trusted. Couldn’t commit to what you had because you were too busy mourning what you’d lost.

Kael’s words kept echoing in my head. The cruelty of them. The fact that they were also accurate and he hadn’t lied. He’d taken my deepest insecurity–the fear that I would never be enough for anyone–and confirmed it in front of the entire pack. Had looked me in the eyes and told me that my inadequacy wasn’t about capability or strength or any of the surface things I’d been worried about.

It was about character. About integrity. About my inability to be present in the life I had

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because I was too consumed with mourning the life I’d lost.

And he was right.

I had visited Damon looking for closure, for answers, for some explanation that would make the rejection hurt less. But what I’d really been looking for was validation that I wasn’t as worthless as I felt. That someone–even someone who’d rejected me–could give me reasons that made sense, that I could understand, that would let me move forward without carrying all this weight.

Instead, Damon had just confirmed everything I’d feared. Had spelled out in detail why I’d never been good enough for him as first choice, that I mattered as a side piece. Why Sera was better in every way. Why choosing her had been so obvious that he’d felt comfortable humiliating me publicly because my inadequacy was that apparent.

And I’d carried that conversation with me for weeks, letting it poison everything I was trying to build with Kael, letting it reinforce every doubt and insecurity until I couldn’t distinguish between truth and lies.

“Aria p>

The voice made me flinch. I turned to find Nina approaching cautiously, her expression a mixture of concern and something I couldn’t quite identify. Behind her, Elite stood at a respectful distance, clearly uncomfortable with this whole situation, but not leaving her partner behind.

“We completed the Hunt too,” Nina said quietly.

“Elite and I. We’re one of the three teams that made it through all five trials. But everyone’s talking about what you confessed instead of about the actual accomplishment. Figured you might need someone to… I don’t know. Make sure you’re not planning to do something stupid now that everything’s come out p>

“Something stupid like what?” I asked, my voice coming out hollow. “I’ve already done the stupidest thing possible. Betrayed my mate’s trust. Proven I’m exactly as inadequate as everyone suspected. There’s not much stupider I can get from here p>

“You could run,” Nina suggested. “Could decide the shame is too much and try to leave Shadowmere. That would be pretty stupid given that Kael just used his authority to keep you here despite having every reason to exile you p>

She was right. Kael could have called for my removal. Could have demanded I be stripped of the Luna position and expelled from pack territory. Could have made me face the full consequences of my betrayal instead of just confining me to the pack, but with supervision. I got out easy especially when there were so many consequences, locked in the dungeons,

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exiled…execution.

He’d chosen mercy. Or something like mercy. Had decided that keeping me here, making me earn back trust I’d destroyed, was better than the satisfaction of throwing me out.

I didn’t know if that made it better or worse.

“I’m not running,” I said, though the thought had crossed my mind. “I’m not giving anyone the satisfaction of proving I’m a coward on top of being a liar and a betrayer p>

“Good,” Nina said. “Because running would just confirm that you’re not cut out for this position. That you crack under pressure and take the easy way out when things get hard p>

“Things are already hard,” I pointed out. “The entire pack heard me confess to visiting Damon. They all heard Kael confirm that I wasn’t good enough because I couldn’t be honest. Pretty sure things can’t get much harder from here p>

“They can always get harder,” Nina said with the certainty of someone who’d seen worse. “Ivory’s memories are back. All three years of them. She remembers everything she did with Kael during his curse. Everything she built with him. Everything she lost when you bonded with him instead. Once she’s recovered from the trauma of getting those memories back all at once, she’s going to be dealing with that loss fresh and raw. And you’re going to have to face her knowing she has every reason to hate you p>

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