ARIA’S POV
I sat on the floor of my room, with my cheeks still stinging from the slap and my heart still aching from the betrayal, but I had finally stopped crying.
There was nothing left inside me, no more tears to cry and no more hope to cling to.
My mother had taken Aurora’s side, just like she always did, and Aurora had won, just like she always did.
I pressed my hand to my stomach and felt the life growing inside me, the only thing that mattered anymore, and I knew I could not stay in this house.
If I stayed, Aurora would eventually discover my secret, and she would destroy me and my pup without a second thought.
I forced myself to my feet and began packing a small bag, grabbing only the essentials like a change of clothes, some money I had saved, and the positive test strip hidden in the back of my drawer.
I tucked it into my bag and whispered to my pup that I would protect it no matter what.
I waited until the house was silent and everyone had gone to sleep before I tiptoed out of my room, moving quietly through the dark hallways, with my heart pounding with every step.
I paused at the front door and looked back one last time, at the house that had never felt like a home, at the family that had never truly loved me, and then I walked out into the night.
The streets were empty and dark as I walked quickly towards Mira’s house.
My feet moved on their own, carrying me through the familiar paths that I had walked a thousand times before.
I thought about Zane and wondered if he would ever know about the life growing inside me.
I wondered if he would even care.
But I pushed the thought away and kept walking.
When I reached Mira’s house, I knocked on the door with trembling hands.
The door opened and Mira stood there, her eyes wide with confusion and worry as she saw me.
“Aria?
What are you doing here at this hour?
What happened?” She asked, pulling me inside.
I opened my mouth to speak, but the words would not come.
I just stood there, shaking with fresh tears in my eyes.
Then Mira closed the door and led me to the couch, sat me down and knelt in front of me.
“Aria, talk to me.
What happened?”
I took a shaky breath and told her everything, about Aurora’s visit, about the slap, about Mother walking in and taking Aurora’s side.
I told her how they both turned against me and how I knew I could not stay there any longer.
Mira listened, as her expression shifted from shock to anger.
“I can not believe they did that to you.” She hissed.
“How dare they?”
But I shook my head and said in a broken voice, “it doesn’t matter anymore.
I am out now. The source of this chapter is g.com.
I just….I do not know what to do next.”
Mira sat beside me and shook my hand.
“You are safe here.
You can stay as long as you need to.
But we need to figure out what you are going to do.”
I nodded, with my hand moving instinctively to my stomach.
Mira noticed, and her eyes softened.
“Aria, I need to ask you something,” she said gently.
“Are you going to keep the pup?”
I looked down at my stomach and felt a sudden surge of love for the tiny life growing inside me.
“Yes,” I whispered.
“I want to keep it.
I know it is crazy and I know I have no idea how I will manage, but I want this pup more than anything.”
Mira squeezed my hand with a serious expression on her face.
“I understand that, Aria, and I support you no matter what.
But you need to be prepared.
If you keep this up, you will face public scrutiny.
Everyone will talk, everyone will whisper.
They will call you names and shame you for having a pup without a mate.
Are you ready for that?”
I looked at her smiled sadly, “I have been living with public scrutiny my whole life, Mira.
I am used to being whispered about, used to being compared to Aurora and found lacking.
I have been shamed and mocked and belittled for as long as I can remember.
At least, this time, it will be for something worth fighting for.”
Mira stared at me for a moment, with a mixture of admiration and sadness in her eyes.
And then she gasped, and her eyes brightened up like she had just been struck by a brilliant idea.
“What don’t you tell Prince Zane?” She exclaimed in excitement.
“That is the perfect solution to all your problems!
If you tell him about the pup, he will have to protect you.
He is the Alpha prince, Aria!
He could claim you as his, and then no one will dare to whisper about you again.”
But I shook my head immediately, with my heart racing again.
“I can not do that, Mira.
He is bound to Aurora.
If I tell him, he might not even believe me.
Or worse, he might believe me and then Aurora will find out and she will destroy me.
I can not take that risk.”
“Aria, you are not thinking clearly,” Mira said in frustration and grabbed my hands.
“He deserved to know.
If he is the father, he has the right to know about his pup.
And more than that, if you are carrying the Alpha Prince’s pup, you have a right to his protection.
You can not so this alone.”
I felt hot tears gather in my eyes again, and before I could stop myself, I cried out brokenly, “I am terrified, Mira.
I do not know how to tell him.
I do not even know if I will ever see him again.”
Mira pulled me into hug and held me tightly.
“You will figure it out.
You are stronger than you think.
But you need to promise me that you will tell him.
Not today, not tomorrow, but when you are ready.
He needs to know.”
I nodded against her shoulder and said in a voice barely above a whisper.
“I promise.”
Then she pulled back and looked at me with determination.
“Good.
Now let us get you settled.
Tomorrow, we will figure out the rest.”
I lay down on the couch, with exhaustion finally taking over.
For the first time in weeks, I felt safe.
But in the back of my mind, I knew the hardest part was still to come, because I had to tell Zane.
And I had no idea how he would react.