ARIA’S POV
I stood in the middle of Mira’s living room, frozen in place, with my heart pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears.
Zane had just left, and I could still feel the warmth of his hands on my face, and the intensity in his eyes when he told me he would fight for me.
His words echoed in my mind, over and over again, and I did not know what to believe anymore.
Part of me wanted to run after him, to to tell him everything, to let myself believe that maybe, just maybe, I could be happy.
But the other part of me, the part that had been broken and bruised by tears of neglect and rejection, told me to be careful.
It told me that this was too good to be true, that Zane was bound to Aurora, and that I was nothing but a mistake he would eventually regret.
I pressed my hand against my stomach and whispered to myself.
“What am I supposed to do?”
The door clicked shut behind me, and I heard Mira’s footsteps as she walked back into the room.
She looked at me with a mixture of concern and curiosity, and she asked, “Aria, are you okay?
You look like you have seen a ghost.”
I shook my head and said in a voice barely above a whisper.
“I do not know what I am feeling right now.
He came all this way.
He told me he does not love Aurora.
He told me he would fight for me.
But how can I believe that?
He is bound to her.
The whole pack saw it.”
Mira walked closer and placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Aria, I saw the way he looked at you.
That was not the look of a man who is confused or playing games.
That was a man who is in love with you.
You cannot ignore that.”
I pulled away from her and started pacing the room, with my hands trembling.
“You do not understand, Mira.
Even if he means what he says, what happens next?
He is the Alpha Prince.
He has a duty to the pack.
If he rejects Aurora for me, he will loose everything.
His title, his position, his family.
I cannot be the reason he destroys his life.
Mira crossed his arms and looked at me with frustration.
“Aria, he is a grown man.
He can make his own choices.
You are not forcing him to do anything.
If he wants to be with you, that is his decision.
Stop acting like you are the villain in in this story.”
I stopped pacing and turned to face her and shouted, “You do not get it Mira?
This is not just about me and Zane.
This is about my sister, my mother, and the entire pack.
If I let him do this, I will be the one everyone blames.
I will be the sister who stole her sister’s mate.
Do you know what that will do to me?”
Mira stepped closer, and said firmly but not in an unkind manner.
“Aria, I know you are scared.
I know you have been hurt before.
But you can not keep running away from every chance at happiness because you a are afraid of what people might say.
You deserve to be happy.
You deserve to be loved.
And if Zane is willing to fight for you, then maybe you should let him.”
I shook my head, with tears burning in my eyes, and said in a trembling voice.
“I can not do this, Mira.
Every time I hope, I get hurt.
Gavin left me because he could not stop comparing me to Aurora.
My mother has never loved me.
The pack has always treated me like I am invisible.
And now, when I finally feel something real, it comes with this impossible situation.
It is like the universe is punishing me for daring to want more.”
Mira grabbed my shoulders and forced me to look at her.
Then she said sternly, “Listen to me, Aria.
I have known you for years.
I have watched you shrink yourself down and make yourself small so that Aurora could shine.
I have watched you accept less than you deserve because you thought that was all you were worth.
But you are not small.
You are not invisible.
And you are not the villain here.
You are the one who has survived all of it.
You are strong, Aria.
Stronger than you know.”
I stared at her and finally asked the words that had been eating me up for the longest of time.
“What if I tell him about the pup and he rejects me?
What if he looks at me with disgust and walks away?
I do not think I could survive that.
I have been rejected so many times, Mira.
I cannot take it again.”
Mira pulled me into a hug and said softly, “He is not Gavin, Aria.
Gavin was weak and selfish.
Zane came all the way here in the middle of the night to find you.
He stood here and told you he would fight for you.
That is not the action of a man who would reject you.
He deserves to know the truth.
You owe him that much.”
I pulled back and looked at her, my heart aching.
“What if I am not ready?
What if I need more time?”
Mira shook her head and replied softly, “The longer you wait, Aria, the harder this becomes.
You are carrying his pup.
He has a right to know.
And you deserve to have his support, whether he chooses to stay or walk away.
But you will never know unless you tell him.
You cannot keep running from this.”
I felt the weight of her words pressing down on me, and I knew she was right.
I had been running for so long, hiding from the truth, hiding from my feelings, hiding from the life I was carrying inside me.
But I could not run forever.
Mira looked at me with her eyes searching my face, and asked gently, “Aria, I need you to be honest with me.
Do you truly feel a bond with him?
Not just attraction or longing, but something deeper?”
I thought about it for a moment, and I nodded, and said in a voice barely above a whisper.
“Yes.
I do.
I have never felt this way about anyone before.
It is like something inside me recognizes him.
It is strange and terrifying and I can not explain it, but it is there.”
Mira nodded her head slowly, as she processed my words.
Then she asked, in a more softer voice, “And do you truly intend on keeping his pup?”
I looked down at my stomach and placed my hand over it. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
The life growing inside me was small and fragile, but it was real.
It was his.
It was ours.
And despite everything, I knew my answer.
“Yes,” I said, my voice firm from the first time that night.
I want to keep this pup, I do not know how I will do it, but I will.”
Mira looked at me with concern on her face, and said seriously, “Aria, you need to hear me.
If you want to keep this pup and raise it, you can not afford to be weak anymore.
You can not afford to shrink and hide and let people walk all over you.
You have to be strong.
You have to be willful.
You have to be more like Aurora.”
I looked up at her, stunned.
“More like Aurora?
She is cruel and selfish and manipulative.
How can you tell me to be like her?”
Mira shook her head and laughed.
“I am not telling you to be cruel or selfish.
I am telling you to take what you want and fight for it the way she does.
Aurora has never let anyone stand in her way.
She takes what she wants without apology.
You need to find that same fire, Aria.
Not to hurt people, but to protect yourself and your pup.
You cannot afford to be the quiet, forgotten twin anymore.
You have to be fierce.
You hav to be bold.
You have to be a mother who will do whatever it takes to keep her child safe.”
I stared at her, her words sinking deep into my soul.
She was right.
I had spent my whole life being quiet and invisible, hoping that someone would notice me.
But that had never worked.
The only person who had ever truly seen me was Zane.
And if I wanted to keep him, if I wanted to keep my pup, I had to stop being weak.
I took a deep breath and nodded.
“You are right.
I have been weak for long.
I have let people walk all over me and treat me like I do not matter.
But that ends now.
I will tell Zane about the pup.
And I will fight for my child, no matter what it takes.”
Mira smiled and hugged me tightly.
“That is my girl.
I am so proud of you.”
I pulled back and wiped my eyes, feeling a small spark of hope flicker in my chest.
But before I could say anything else, I heard a noise outside, and my heart stopped, and I froze.
Mira noticed my reaction and walked to the window.
She looked out, and her face went pale.
“Aria, someone is coming.
It is not Zane.”
My blood ran cold.
I rushed to the window and looked out, my heart sinking as I saw a figure approaching the house.
It was not Zane.
It was someone else.
And I knew I was not safe.