Chapter 278

Chapter 278

Chapter 278

ARIA

I hadn’t let myself think about that yet. Had been too consumed with my own shame and Kael’s

anger to process what Ivory’s memory restoration meant. But Nina was right-Ivory would remember now. Would remember falling in love with Kael. Would remember the partnership they’d built. Would remember expecting that when the curse broke, they’d finally be together properly.

And then she’d remember waking up with those memories gone and me in her place.

The rage I’d seen in her eyes during the trial-when she’d tried to kill me with that dagger- that had been real. That had been three years of suppressed hurt finally allowed expression. She’d wanted me dead and I couldn’t even blame her because from her perspective, I’d stolen everything she’d worked for.

“What am I supposed to do?” I asked Nina, genuine desperation in my voice. “How am I supposed to fix this? I can’t undo visiting Damon. Can’t take back keeping it secret. Can’t change that I betrayed Kael’s trust. And I definitely can’t give Ivory back what she lost. So what do I do p>

“You start being honest,” Nina said bluntly. “About everything. About what you’re feeling, what you’re struggling with, what you need. You stop trying to handle everything alone and start actually trusting the people around you to help. You prove through actions rather than words that you’re committed to being here, to being Luna, to building something real instead of just going through the motions p>

“That sounds exhausting,” I said, which was true. The idea of being that vulnerable, that open, that honest when I’d just been publicly humiliated for my failures-it made me want to crawl into a hole and never emerge.

“Being Luna is exhausting,” Nina countered. “Leading is exhausting. Building trust after you’ve destroyed it is exhausting. If you’re not willing to do exhausting work, then you should step down and let someone who is take the position p>

The words stung because they were accurate. I had been half-assing the Luna position. Had been going through the motions, doing what was required but not really committing, not really investing in the role or the pack or the future I was supposedly building with Kael.

Because some part of me had still been holding back. Had still been mourning what I’d lost with Damon. Had still been unable to fully commit to what I had because I was too busy

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comparing it to what I’d wanted.

“I don’t want to step down,” I said, surprising myself with the certainty in my voice. “I don’t want to give up just because this is hard. I want-” I paused, searching for the right words. “I want to actually be good at this. Want to be someone worthy of the position instead of someone who just happened to be convenient when the curse needed breaking p>

“Then you have a lot of work ahead of you,” Nina said. “Starting with facing Ivory once she wakes up. Starting with figuring out how to rebuild what you’ve broken with Kael. Starting with proving to the pack that you’re more than the sum of your failures p>

She turned to leave, then paused. “And Aria? For what it’s worth-completing the Hunt despite being injured and inexperienced and dealing with all the sabotage Aryada threw at you? That took strength most people don’t have. Don’t let the confession overshadow that

accomplishment. You did something impressive today even if the way it ended makes you want to forget it all happened p>

She walked away with Elite, leaving me alone again in the shattered mirror chamber. But her words stayed with me, echoing in the space where self-recrimination had been consuming everything.

I had completed the Hunt. Had survived trials that killed most competitors. Had collected four fragments-more than anyone in recorded history. Had faced my fears and inadequacies and the truth of my betrayal, and I was still standing.

Barely standing. Covered in blood that wasn’t mine. Emotionally devastated. Facing consequences that would define my life going forward.

But standing.

I forced myself to move. To leave the chamber. To walk through the assembled pack members who stared and whispered as I passed. To hold my head up despite wanting to hide, despite knowing they all knew my shame, despite the crushing weight of having my inadequacy confirmed so publicly.

I needed to wash off Ivory’s blood. Needed to change into clothes that weren’t torn and stained from trials and confessions. Needed to figure out where I was supposed to go when Kael had ordered me confined to pack territory under guard.

A guard appeared beside me as I walked-one of the warriors I vaguely recognized but had never spoken to directly. He didn’t say anything, just fell into step beside me, making it clear he was my assigned supervision. Making sure I couldn’t go anywhere without being observed, without being monitored, without being constantly reminded that I’d lost the right to freedom of movement.

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“Where are we going?” he asked, his tone professionally neutral.

“My chambers,” I said. “To clean up. To change clothes. To-” I didn’t finish. Didn’t know how to articulate what I needed beyond the practical basics.

He nodded and continued walking beside me, maintaining respectful distance while also making his

presence unavoidable. This was my life now. Constant supervision. Constant awareness that I was being watched. Constant reminder that trust had to be earned back rather than assumed.

We reached the Luna chambers—mine and Kael’s shared space—and I hesitated at the door. Would he even want me here anymore? Would he have moved my things out already, reassigned me to different quarters, made it clear physically that our bond was damaged beyond what shared space could pretend to fix?

“He didn’t move anything,” the guard said, apparently reading my hesitation. “Alpha Kael gave explicit instructions that your belongings remain where they are. That you’re still Luna despite everything. That the physical space you share represents the bond that still exists whether either of you wants it to or not p>

I didn’t know if that made it better or worse. That Kael was committed to maintaining the appearance of our bond even though he’d made it clear he thought I was inadequate. That he was forcing both of us to continue coexisting in shared space despite the betrayal hanging between us.

I entered the chambers, the guard remaining outside to give me privacy for bathing and changing while still being close enough to ensure I didn’t try to escape or do something foolish.

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