Chapter 5 Between Two

Theme: Divided Loyalties

Aria's POV

My skull whirl-turned. Everything feels surreal. One minute, Damian, the only mate I had ever considered, rejected and embarrassed me in front of the whole pack. And Xander has claimed me now. A second mate link? It feels impossible, like some twisted dream I can't wake up from. My knee pulled to my chest; I sat at the edge of the woodland. The sky is grey, clouds full of rain, and the breeze feels cool on my skin. Still, the cold is little compared to the uncertainty whirl-around inside me. "How can this be real?" I whisper to myself. My voice cracks, my heart aching. "How can I have two mates?" It's a question I can't answer, one that feels like it will split me apart if I think too hard about it. I don't know Xander. He's a stranger. He's frightening and powerful, and yet... there's a pull between us, just like there was with Damian. The bond. I can feel it, but I'm too terrified to embrace it. Luna appears alongside me, sitting down calmly. She's been my rock through all of this, but even she appears lost for words. She's never seen anything like this either. "You're stronger than you think, Aria," Luna adds quietly, her eyes full of concern. "But you need to decide what you want." "What do I want?" I chuckle cruelly. "I don't even know who I am anymore. How am I expected to pick between them?" Aria's POV Later that day, I returned to the pack. The tension is palpable, and I know something is coming. As I walk near the center of the area, I notice Damian charging across the grass. His face is a mask of hatred, his eyes burning with fury. And then I see Xander, standing there, calm as ever, his eyes following my every move. My heart skips a beat. The relationship between Xander and me is apparent, but Damian... the ache at his rejection is still raw. How could he turn his back on me so casually, and now, why does he appear so furious? "Damian," I murmur, my voice shaking as he storms up to Xander. I can feel the wrath radiating off him like he's barely holding it together. "You can't just take her!" Damian snarls, his fists clutched at his sides. Xander doesn't even flinch. His serenity in the face of Damian's wrath only appears to make matters worse. "You rejected her, didn't you?" Xander's voice is smooth, controlled, and his eyes flash with a menacing glimmer. Damian growls low in his throat. "That's not the point! You can't simply walk in here and claim her like she's some prize!" "I don't play by your rules," Xander responds coldly, his eyes never leaving mine. "You threw her away. Now she's mine." I take a step back, my heart thumping in my chest. The intensity between them is suffocating. I don't know what to say, what to do. Damian rejected me, certainly, but the tie between us hasn't faded. I can still feel it tugging at my heart, even though I wish it would stop. "Damian, please," I say, my voice barely above a whisper, but it's like he doesn't hear me. Damian turns to me, his eyes filled with something I can't place-regret? Anger? Desperation? "Aria, you don't belong with him. He's dangerous." I look at Xander, who's still studying me with his intense, impenetrable gaze. Part of me is terrified of him, but there's something more too, something I can't understand. I feel drawn to him, much like I felt drawn to Damian when we first met. "I... I don't know what to do," I admit, my voice breaking. Xander steps forward, his voice low but forceful. "You don't have to decide now. But know this-I won't let anyone hurt you again." The way he says it sends a chill down my spine, and I don't know whether to be reassured or afraid. Aria's POV Word of Xander's claim has spread like wildfire among the pack. Everywhere I go, I feel eyes on me. Whispers follow me, and I can sense the split. Some are faithful to Damian, their leader, and consider me as nothing more than a complication. Others are interested in Xander, about this unique second mate link. But no one knows what to do with me. I'm torn. One moment, I'm thinking about Damian, about the sorrow of his rejection and the relationship we shared. The next, I'm thinking about Xander, the mysterious, deadly man who stepped in when no one else would. "Why is this happening to me?" I grumble under my breath, pacing back and forth outside my cabin. My hands are shaking, my mind racing with questions I don't have answers to. I've always been the weakest one, the one everyone neglected. And now, I'm in the thick of this disaster, caught between two powerful men who may destroy each other if this goes any further. Luna comes, her eyes warm with sympathy. "You're stronger than you realize, Aria. You've survived so much already." I shake my head, frustration boiling up inside me. "But this? This is different. I don't know what I'm meant to do. Damian rejected me, but now he's acting like he cares. And Xander... he's a stranger, but I can feel the bond. It's real." Luna nods slowly. "It's not easy, but you'll figure it out. Just trust your instincts." My instincts? I don't even know what they're saying to me anymore. All I know is that my heart is being pushed in two separate directions, and I'm frightened of making the wrong choice. As the sun sets, I sit alone, staring out into the horizon. The breeze is chilly, yet I scarcely feel it. My mind is too busy, my heart too heavy. What am I going to do now? I can't continue like this forever, stuck between two mates, two worlds. Eventually, I'll have to make a choice. But right now, I don't know whether I can