ARIA POV
The morning of the coronation arrived with a air of excitement that I could not being myself to share.
I lay in bed, still replaying every moment from that night with Zane.
The way he held me, the way he whispered that I was beautiful, the way he made me feel like I actually mattered.
And then the note.
‘You are mine now.
I will find you.’ But he had not found me.
Aurora’s excited voice drifted through the house loudly.
“Mother, do you think the Alpha Prince will notice me right away?
Should I wear my hair up or down?”
I sighed and dragged myself out of bed.
In the kitchen, Aurora was already dressed in her finest gown, with her blonde hair perfectly curled.
She looked like she had just stepped out of a magazine.
“Up,” Mother said, as she circled Aurora like she was a masterpiece.
“It shows off your neck.
You look regal and elegant, darling.
The Alpha Prince will not be able to look away.”
Aurora beamed with glee.
“Do you think he will chose me?”
“Ofcourse he will,” Mother said without hesitation.
“You are the most beautiful wolf in this pack.
He would be a fool to choose anyone else.”
Then Aurora turned to me and smiled sharply, “So what do you think, Aria?
Should I wear the blue dress or the gold one?
Not that your opinion matters anyway.”
I forced a smile on my face and replied, “The gold one.
It matches your personality.”
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously as she wondered if I was insulting her or not.
But before she could respond, Mother spoke sharply, “Aria, at least try to look presentable.
You represent this family too, even if you are not the one anyone will be looking at.”
I bit my tongue and said nothing.
The ceremony was held in the center of the pack, and there was a grand stage decorated with our pack symbols.
Every one had gathered to witness the coronation of the Alpha Prince and the air was thick with excitement.
I stood in the crowd, pressed between the wolves who were all taller and more important than me.
Aurora was near the front, positioned perfectly to be seen.
Mother was beside her, beaming with pride.
I felt small and invisible, just like always.
Soon, the crowd fell silent as the ceremony began.
Then the pack elder stepped forward and announced in a loud voice.
“We gather here today to welcome the Alpha prince, the son of our beloved Alpha Alaric, who has returned to take his rightful place as the future leader of the Nightcrest Pack.”
A wolf beside me whispered to her friend.
“I heard he is even more handsome than his father, and he has been away for years training.”
Her friend giggled.
“I hope he notices me.”
I rolled my eyes at them, but said nothing.
And then he walked out.
The world stopped instantly and I almost fainted.
Zane stepped onto the stage, dressed in thick ceremonial robes, his dark hair catching the sunlight.
His silver eyes were sharp and commanding, as they scanned the crowd with the authority of a leader.
He was magnificent, powerful, and completely out of my league.
My heart shattered into a thousand pieces as I remembered the event of that night.
It was him.
The man from the bar.
The man I had given my body and soul to.
He was the Alpha Prince.
The crowd erupted into cheers as everyone shouted in unison.
“Long live the Alpha Prince!
Long live Zane Blackthorn!”
I heard the whispers around me.
“Look at him.
He is so powerful.”
“He will make a strong Alpha.”
“He needs a Luna now.
I wonder who he will choose.”
Zane stepped forward and accepted the crown, with a controlled and unreadable expression on his face.
The pack elder spoke words of blessing and Zane nodded.
And then he looked out at the crowd, his silver eyes sweeping over the sea of faces, searching.
And then they found me.
I saw the exact moment he recognized me.
His jaw clenched and his eyes became wide, as he stared at me with such intensity that I felt it like a physical blow.
Then a wolf beside me whispered to her friend.
“Who is he looking at?”
Her friend replied, “I do not know.
But I wish it was me.”
For a moment, it was just the two of us.
I saw him take a step forward, and opened his lips slowly like he was about to speak.
But then the mate bond snapped into place, a shimmering bond that tied him to someone in the crowd.
He stopped suddenly and shook his head, as if he was in a trance and called out, loud and confused.
“Aurora Sinclair?”
The crowd gasped.
“Aurora Sinclair!
He called her name!”
Aurora stepped forward with a triumphant smile on her face, and walked to the front of the stage.
“Yes, my prince.
I am here.”
Like fireworks, the crowd erupted into cheers.
“The Luna!
The Luna has been found!”
Wolves around me began to shout.
“Aurora Sinclair!
The Alpha Prince chose Aurora Sinclair!”
“She is so beautiful.
They will make a perfect pair.”
“I heard she has been preparing for this her whole life.”
I stood frozen, unable to move, and unable to breathe.
Zane stared at Aurora with a look of disbelief on his face.
His silver eyes kept glancing at me, and I saw the desperation in them.
He was trapped.
Bound by a bond he did not choose.
Bound to my sister.
The pack elder raised his hands and everywhere became quiet instantly.
“The Alpha Prince has found his mate!
Let the pack celebrate!”
The crowd cheered and clapped.
“Long live the future Luna!”
Aurora smiled and waved at the crowd, as her perfect life began unfolding before her eyes.
I felt my world crumble to dust, unable to believe that the man I had given everything to, the man who had whispered that I was beautiful and that I was his, was now bound to my sister.
I pressed a hand to my stomach as a wave of nausea hit me suddenly, and the whispers around me grew louder.
“She is so lucky.
Aurora Sinclair.
What a dream come true.”
But to me, it was not a dream, it was a nightmare.
I pressed my hand harder against my stomach as another wave of nausea washed over me.
Then my mind became unsettled as I tried desperately to find an explanation.
Maybe it was just stress.
Maybe I had eaten something bad.
Maybe I was just overwhelmed by the shock of seeing Zane again and watching him bond with my sister.
But then I remembered.
I had not had my cycle in weeks.
I had been so consumed by the breakup and the chaos of my life that I had not even noticed.
I had been so focused on my pain, on my heart break, on trying to survive each day, that I completely ignored what my body had been trying to tell me.
I counted the weeks in my head and my heart dropped as it dawned on me.
I am pregnant with my sister’s mate pup.