HARDIN
Enor was the first to erupt with anger like she was about losing it.
"What kind of joke is that, Hardin? Is everything a game to you?" Her laugh came out sharp, and definitely forced, as if she was trying to cover how shaken she really was. "Everyone knows marriage was never your thing, so please, don't even start."
I scoffed. "And yet here I am, changing that because of you. Is it so hard to believe I'd want to marry you?" My gaze shifted to my mother's. "After all, no one said it had to be only Aaron's decision. If he doesn't want you, then I do."
She clapped her hands slowly, a manic little gesture that showed just how absurd she found it all, but before she could say anything else, her father cut in smoothly.
"Are you sure about that decision, Alpha Hardin?"
Very typical of him. I knew he didn't care who got his daughter, as long as someone did. Either me or Aaron, it didn't matter to him.
What mattered to him was his precious alliance. Quite fine by me.
I'd be the hero of the day, and soon enough, she'd reject me herself. I could live with that. Better she hates me than puts Elara in danger. At least Lyon would stop clawing at my mind.
I nodded once. "Yes, I am. I'll mark Enor and make her my wife. That settles it, doesn't it?"
"This isn't something to decide on a whim, Hardin," my mother said firmly. "Bonding with your mate is sacred. You can't just—"
"Mom, please," I interrupted. "I understand all of that. We don't need another lecture. I'll marry Enor—"
"No! I won't allow that! I want Aaron! He's mine!" Enor snapped, her voice breaking as she yelled like she'd totally gone crazy.
Before anyone could react, Kimberly shot to her feet. Her hand came down hard across Enor's face. The sound cracked through the room like thunder.
Honestly, I never thought she'd go that far. Not Kimberly, the same woman who never let a soul raise their voice at her daughter.
Enor froze, clutching her cheek, her eyes wide in disbelief.
"Did you just slap me?"
"You will stop this foolishness at once, Enor!" Kimberly's voice trembled with fury. "Do you even realize you're standing before His Majesty right now? No matter how close Luna Serena is to you, you will not overstep your place. Do you understand me?"
The room fell silent. A tense, breathless quiet hung in the air before tears began to roll freely down Enor's face.
She turned to my father, her voice soft and shaky now. At first, I thought she wanted to turn to my father for help, but she said the opposite.
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but I can't do this marriage. I apologize for my behavior." She lowered her head respectfully.
Thomas was the next who shot to his feet, his face red with rage. "You've lost your mind! This wedding will be held, do you hear me?"
But Enor didn't listen. She turned and began walking toward the door.
"Come back here now, Enor!" Kimberly shouted after her, but she was already out of sight.
"Did she just walk out on me?" Thomas roared, his anger echoing through the room.
Father didn't even move. He just sat there, watching quietly, like it was all a performance meant for him alone.
"She just disrespected His Majesty, Alpha Thomas," my mother added after the shouting died down.
Thomas and his wife quickly bowed. "We apologize, Alpha King Desmond. We'll take care of this matter."
Father still didn't speak. He simply rose to his feet and started walking toward his chambers.
Kimberly, still shaken, moved closer to my mother. "Luna Serena—"
"Please, just go home for now," Mother said quickly, cutting her off. "We'll deal with this later." Then she followed after Father without another word.
Aaron didn't hesitate; he left the room soon after and I followed behind him.
He walked straight past the small gate, then the main one, still not saying a single word to me.
That silence was worse than him shouting. It carried weight; sharp, cold, and dangerous type, I'd gotten used to over the years.
Everyone had their own way of showing anger. Mine? I deal with it head on and maybe with a little violence But Aaron… his anger was a silent storm. A killer that crept beneath the skin. Most people wouldn't even notice it until it exploded.
But I knew. I always knew when he was mad.
And right now, I could feel it boiling inside him. So I didn't say a word either.
If silence was what he needed to breathe, then I'd let him have it for now, rather than let him deal with the explosion that might probably scatter everything.
AARON
When we reached the gate to our quarters, I stopped.
I knew going inside still burning with anger wasn't the best way to face Elara.
I needed to deal with Hardin first, whether I liked it or not.
With the last calmness in me, I turned to him, my glare sharp enough to cut through his throat if it was a real knife.
"What?" he muttered, pretending nothing had just happened.
"So… you're really going to marry Enor, huh?" My voice trembled slightly, anger lacing every word.
"You heard me say it in there. Why ask again?" he shot back, his tone flat but still nonchalant.
I gave a bitter laugh. "Do you actually think this is funny? You claim Elara as your mate and now you want to marry her sister? That's not being thoughtful, Hardin, that's just pure madness."
He scoffed, slipping one hand into his pocket like he couldn't care less. "You don't get to lecture me, Aaron. How is me trying to fix the situation a joke?"
"Fix it? You call that fixing things?" I snapped, stepping closer. "I was going to talk Enor down, make her see reason, or better still, offer her anything just to stop this. But now? You've turned everything into chaos. Father's furious, and we might end up losing Elara too."
Hardin's eyes darkened, his voice rising. "Are you even hearing yourself? You think I ruined everything? You have so much to learn, Aaron. Especially about women like Enor. She's never going to let you go. The girl is so obsessed with you, and you still can't see it. So tell me, how exactly were you planning to change her mind?"
The heat in my chest surged until I could feel it burn behind my ribs.
That was Hardin, always one step away from driving me insane.
That was exactly why Father wanted me to go through with this. Because Hardin always had a way of ruining things, sometimes just to get back at him.
And I knew why.
But this time, he'd gone too far. Not when the cost could destroy everything we'd been trying to hold together.
"I know you, Hardin," I said slowly. "You're not doing this to save anyone. If this stunt is still because of—"
I stopped myself.
No. I'm not gonna bring that up, doing that would only pour oil into the fire.
He turned to me sharply. "No, say it. Don't hold back. You want to talk about Sophia again, then do it. I won't stop you this time."
There it was. That name again. Sophia.
The ghost that haunted every corner of Hardin's soul. The one none of us dared to mention again. We buried her name long ago, but Hardin never did. He carried her like a wound that refused to close, and that wound was the reason he never agreed with Father or Mother about anything.
I was broken by her loss too… but Hardin? He drowned in his grief, and no matter how hard I tried, I could never pull him back to the surface.
So, I didn't take the bait.
"You're not pushing me down that lane," I said quietly, warning him with a look before storming into the house.
The air inside was still. Too still. I went straight to my room, but the bed was empty. The sheet looked like no one ever slept on it, whereas that was where I left Elara.
And now, she was gone.
My chest tightened. "What the hell—" I muttered and rushed back to the sitting room. Hardin was still there, lounging like he didn't have a care in the world.
"I think Elara's gone."
His head snapped up instantly. "What do you mean gone? She was in your room before I left."
"Well, she isn't anymore," I shot back. "She's gone."
His eyes darkened, the calm slipping from his face. "What?"