Chapter 3 The Night She Chose Freedom

The sky was black silk above the forest, dotted with stars that seemed to whisper secrets. Moonlight poured through the trees like silver blood, casting long shadows on the estate's walls. It was the kind of night when wolves hunted. When instincts ran wild.

But Aria wasn't hunting.

She was escaping.

Her heart thundered as she moved barefoot down the servant's corridor, her cloak tight around her shoulders. Every step was calculated. Every breath, a prayer. Lila's map burned in her memory: the gate by the eastern ridge opened briefly during night patrol. She had fifteen minutes. No more.

The small pack on her back held nothing sentimental-just food, herbs, and the tiny blanket Lila had stitched for the child growing inside her.

Her child.

A secret she'd protected with everything she had. From Kael. From Selene. From the vicious claws of a future she didn't want to survive.

She reached the iron door and pressed a hand to its cold frame. On the other side was the forest. And freedom.

Behind her, the estate loomed-stone, power, silence. Kael's world. A world she would no longer be prisoner to.

You're stronger than they ever knew, Lila had whispered.

Aria pressed forward.

The door creaked open.

And she ran.

Kael stood in his study, staring into the fire.

He had not seen Aria all day. Not since their cold exchange at breakfast, when she'd said nothing and he'd grunted a command about attending the next Elder's forum. She had nodded, eyes lowered.

Just like always.

Just as she should.

So why did the silence feel heavier than usual tonight? Maybe it was the way the moon hung lower, swollen and blood-tinged, casting shadows that clung like secrets. Or maybe it was the weight of unspoken words-the ones Aria could feel pressing against her chest, clawing to escape. The pack stood still, but their gazes were sharper than blades, their silence not reverent, but watching. Waiting. Judging. And in that moment, Aria realized-this wasn't unity. It was a warning.

Why did his wolf pace beneath his skin?

A knock.

Lucien.

"She's gone."

The words hit harder than they should have.

Kael turned slowly. "What?"

Lucien looked grim. "The guards found the eastern gate open. Her scent trails to the forest. Lila's gone too."

Something inside Kael shifted. Snapped.

He crossed the room in seconds, grabbing Lucien by the collar. "How long?"

"Hours. Enough for her to be beyond our borders."

Rage boiled in Kael's chest. Not at her. Not at Lila.

At himself.

Because a part of him had known. Had watched the signs. And done nothing.

He released Lucien. "Track her. Get Dorian and the scouts. I want her found."

Lucien hesitated. "Kael... she was pregnant."

The room spun.

Kael staggered back a step.

"Say it again."

"She was carrying your heir. That's why she ran."

The fire roared louder.

And Kael's soul cracked open.

Aria ran until her legs gave out.

The forest swallowed her. Wrapped her in mist and moss. But it did not offer comfort.

Only distance.

Only the blessed silence of no one calling her weak.

She collapsed beside a stream, her legs giving out the moment she reached the edge. The sound of rushing water was deafening in the quiet woods, but it was a comfort compared to the chaos inside her chest. Her hands trembled violently as she cupped the icy water and brought it to her parched lips. It dripped through her fingers before it reached her mouth, but she managed to drink, swallowing between shallow gasps.

The cold water hit her stomach like a rock.

She hunched forward, eyes squeezed shut, as nausea rolled through her. The sickness had always been worse when she was afraid, and tonight, fear clung to her like a second skin. Her body ached from running, her lungs burned, and her heartbeat hadn't calmed since she left the Alpha's estate. But it wasn't just the exhaustion that turned her stomach. It was something deeper-something growing.

Her hands slid down to her belly, pressing gently, protectively.

Still flat. Still small. But she knew. She had known for days now.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to the child within her. Her voice cracked in the cool night air. "I didn't mean for any of this. I just... I had to leave. For you."

The tears came then-quiet and hot, falling down her cheeks without resistance. She wasn't crying for herself. Not entirely. She cried because she was alone. After all, the father of her child didn't care. After all, every step forward felt like walking through fire. She cried for the fear of what lay ahead, and the guilt of leaving behind the only home she had ever known-even if it had never truly been home.

A rustle in the trees made her flinch. She turned sharply, every nerve alight.

But it was just the wind.

Still, she didn't relax. She couldn't afford to. The Hollow Pack was out there. And Kael... Kael might come after her. Or he might not.

He hadn't even noticed she was fading.

Aria curled in on herself by the water's edge, knees to chest, arms wrapped around her middle.

She wasn't just running anymore.

She was protecting.

And even if the whole world hunted her, she would not let it touch the life blooming quietly inside her. Not again. Not ever

"We're free now," she whispered. "I'll keep us safe. I promise."

A howl echoed in the distance.

Not a call of rage.

A call of loss.

And Aria, for the first time, let herself cry.

Not for Kael.

But for the girl she used to be.

The one who thought she had no power.

That girl was gone.

Only the mother remained.

And she would never be weak again.

Not for them. Not for him. Not even for the girl she used to be-the one who bowed her head, bit her tongue, and accepted the silence as her place. That version of Aria had died somewhere between the bruises and the heartbreak. In her place stood something new. Something forged in fire and fear, but no longer ruled by either. She wasn't just surviving now-she was rising. For the child growing inside her. For the life she had yet to live. For the future, no one would hand her. She would claim it. With claws, if she had to.

To be continued...