AURORA’S POV
I woke up the next morning in Trevor’s bed, with the warmth of his body still pressed against mine, and I felt a slow smile spread across my face.
The night had been exactly what I needed, an escape from the frustration and anger that Zane had caused me.
Trevor knew how to make me forget everything, how to make me feel wanted and desired in a way that Zane never could.
But as the sunlight streamed through the curtains, reality came crashing back, and I knew I could not stay.
Trevor stirred beside me and wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me closer gently.
His voice was thick with sleep when he spoke.
“Do you really have to go?
Stay a little longer.”
I sat up and swung my legs over the side of the bed.
“I cannot.
Someone might notice I am gone.
I need to get back before anyone starts asking questions.” I said quickly.
He sighed but did not argue.
“So when will I see you again?” he asked.
“Soon baby,” I said softly, turning to look at him.
“I will call you when I need you.”
Then suddenly, he sat up and reached for my hand, with all traces of sleep gone from his eyes, and said with a stern voice.
“Aurora, I meant what I said last night.
I am not going to share you with anyone, not even the Alpha Prince.
If you think I am going to step aside so you can play Luna with him, you are wrong.”
I leaned down and kissed him softly.
“Do not worry, Trevor.
I know exactly what I am doing.
You just focus on being patient.”
He pulled me closer and kissed me again, deeper this time, and moaned on my lips.
“I will be waiting for you.”
I pulled away and dressed quickly, leaving his house before the sun was fully up.
I moved through the dark streets, making sure no one was watching, with my mind already racing with thoughts of Aria and what I was going to do to her.
When I reached the Sinclair house, I crept inside and headed toward my room.
But before I could make it to the stairs, my mother’s voice stopped me cold.
“Aurora.
Where have you been?” She asked angrily, with a frown on her face.
I turned around and saw her standing in the hallway, her arms crossed tightly on her chest and her eyes sharp.
She had been waiting for me.
I forced a smile and kept my voice light.
“I told you, Mother.
I was with a friend.”
She stepped closer, and kept her voice low as she spoke in a worried voice.
“A friend?
At this time of night?
Aurora, you cannot afford to make any mistakes.
You are about to become Luna.
If anyone sees you sneaking around, it could ruin everything.
Do you understand how important this is?”
I felt my patience thinning.
“I know what I am doing, Mother.
You do not need to worry about me.” I snapped at her.
“Do I not?” She asked, her voice rising.
“You are my daughter, Aurora.
I have spent years preparing you for this moment.
I will not let you throw it all away because of some reckless behavior.”
I stepped closer, and said sharply, “I am not throwing anything away.
I am being careful.
I know exactly what I am doing.
Now, if you will excuse me, I have things to attend to.”
Then I turned and walked away before she could say another word.
I had more important things to focus on.
I went to my room and closed the door, sank into my bed and letting out a long breath.
I was just starting to relax when my phone buzzed on the nightstand.
I grabbed it and saw Derek’s name on the screen.
I answered quickly, with a sharp voice.
“Tell me you have news.”
“I have finished investigating Aria’s movements,” Derek said, his voice low and careful.
“She has been staying at Mira’s house since she left the Sinclair house.
And she has been working at a small café on the main street.”
I felt a surge of satisfaction and scoffed.
“So she thinks she can hide from me.
What else?”
“She has not been seen with any man,” Derek continued.
“There is no sign of anyone visiting her at Mira’s house, and no one has been seen with her at the café.
I could not find any evidence of who the father of her pup could be.”
I clenched my jaw, with frustration building up in my chest and said in irritation, “That is not possible.
She must have been with someone.
A pregnancy does not just happen on its own.”
“I am telling you what I found,” Derek said carefully.
“She has been alone this whole time.
If she is pregnant, she is hiding it well.”
I paced my room, with my mind racing and ordered.
“Keep watching her.
I want to know everything.
If she so much as looks at someone, I want to know about it.”
“Understood,” Derek said.
“I will report back if I find anything.
But there is something else you should know.
Your friend Chloe visited the café yesterday.
She and some of the other girls went in there while Aria was working.”
I felt a flicker of curiosity and stopped my pacing.
“Oh, really?
And what happened?”
“I do not know the details,” Derek admitted.
“I was not inside.
I only saw them go in and come out later.
But they were laughing when they left, so I assumed they had fun.”
I smiled slowly.
If Chloe and the others had gone to see Aria, I knew exactly what had happened.
They had probably torn her apart, reminded her of exactly how pathetic she was.
I could imagine Aria’s face, red with shame, trying to hold back tears while Chloe and the others laughed at her.
“Good,” I said.
“That is good.
Keep watching and let me know if anything else happens.”
I ended the call with Derek and immediately scrolled through my contacts until I found Chloe’s name.
She answered on the second ring, her voice bright and eager.
“Aurora!
I was just thinking about you.
How are you?”
“I am well,” I said, keeping my voice smooth.
“I heard you visited a certain café yesterday.”
Chloe laughed mockingly and asked with feigned surprise.
“Oh, you heard about that?
Yes, we saw your pathetic sister working there like a common servant.
It was hilarious.
She was standing there, serving coffee, looking miserable.
We decided to remind her of her place.”
I smiled, enjoying the thought.
“Tell me everything. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
What did she do?”
Chloe laughed again and said lazily, “She tried to stand up to us, can you believe it?
She told us to leave and said she would not let us bully her.
It was so pathetic.
The look on her face was priceless.
But honestly, Aurora, I think she has changed.
Maybe it is because she knows you are going to be Luna Princess and she cannot stand it.
That is probably why she has this newfound strength.
She is desperate.”
I laughed coldly and scoffed, “Desperate.
That is exactly what she is.
She has always been desperate, always trying to be something she is not.
But no matter how much she pretends, she will never be me.
She will never have what I have.”
“Exactly,” Chloe agreed.
“She is nothing.
And we made sure she knows it.
She probably cried herself to sleep after we left.”
I smirked, satisfied with her answer.
“Good.
Keep reminding her of her place.
And let me know if anything else happens.”
“Of course, Aurora.
I will always have your back.”
We ended the call, and I felt a wave of satisfaction wash over me.
Aria thought she was strong?
Aria thought she could stand up to me?
She was a fool.
I would show her exactly how weak she really was.
But first, I needed to know what she was hiding.
I stood up and walked to my closet, with a cold smile on my face.
I was going to visit the café where she worked.
I wanted to see the fear in her eyes, wanted to watch her squirm when she realized I had found her.
I dressed carefully and made my way to the café, with my heart pounding rapidly with anticipation.
When I arrived, I stood across the street, hidden in the shadows, and watched.
There she was, Aria, wearing a simple apron and serving customers with a smile on her face.
But there was something different about her, something that made me pause.
She was not shrinking.
She was not hiding.
She stood tall and moved with a confidence I had never seen in her before.
Her eyes were bright, and she carried herself like someone who had found a purpose.
She laughed at something a customer said, and the sound of it made my blood boil.
How dare she be happy?
How dare she look like she was thriving while I was here, plotting her destruction?
I felt a flicker of unease, a cold knot forming in my stomach.
This was not the Aria I knew.
This was not the weak, pathetic sister who had always cowered in my shadow.
She looked stronger.
She looked like she was ready to fight back.
I clenched my fists and whispered to myself, my voice so cold and determined.
“I will break you, sister.
No matter what it takes.
But first, I need to know what you are hiding.”
Then I turned and walked away, with my mind already racing with different plans.
Whatever Aria was hiding, I would find it.
And when I did, I would destroy her completely.