Aurelia had a way of grating his nerves with her sheer existence.
It was almost impressive.
She had only been in the North for a day, yet somehow she had managed to turn his pack upside down.
She interrupted his wedding, made enemies of half his people before sunrise, and somehow found the time to exchange insults with Elena over breakfast.
It felt like she woke up every morning looking for a new way to make his life harder.
Darius sat alone in his study, a cigar resting between his fingers as the beginnings of a headache settled behind his eyes.
He took a slow drag, the bitter smoke filling his lungs before he exhaled.
It curled lazily through the warm room, carrying the rich scent of tobacco before disappearing into the air.
His study was the only place in the mansion that ever felt quiet.
Just the steady crackle of the fireplace and the occasional whistle of the northern wind against the windows.
Yet even here, he couldn’t escape thinking about her.
She had actually thrown him out of her room.
His room.
After slamming the door in his face.
His jaw tightened at the memory.
Insufferable.
He had only asked her to stop provoking Elena.
Somehow, that had turned into him becoming the villain.
A sharp knock echoed through the study.
Before Darius could answer, the door opened.
Alpha Frisk stepped inside.
The older Alpha wore a heavy black coat lined with wolf fur, a light dusting of snow still clinging to his broad shoulders.
He shut the door behind him before helping himself to the chair opposite Darius’ desk as though he had every right to be there.
“I hope I’m not interrupting.”
Darius sat up, taking the cigar from between his fingers.
He pressed the glowing tip into the ashtray, the ember dying with a soft hiss.
“Yes,” he answered.
“But I don’t think you’d care.”
Frisk didn’t bother replying.
Instead, he crossed the room toward the window.
His hands rested behind his back as he stared out at the snow-covered courtyard below.
For a long moment, he said nothing.
The silence stretched between them, broken only by sound of wood cracking in the fireplace.
Darius kept his eyes on him.
His shoulders had just begun to tense when Frisk finally spoke.
“Elena had been looking forward to this alliance long before you even proposed it.” His voice held a certain calmness that made Darius uneasy.
“She had already begun preparing for this life.” he turn to face Darius.
“And yesterday…”
His jaw hardened.
“…she was humiliated.”
“Elena is still Luna,” Darius interjected, rising to his feet.
“Regardless of what happened yesterday, she still holds that title.”
Frisk scoffed.
The sound was short and disbelieving.
“Yet you stood there and let that witch make a mockery of her.”
“I’ve already spoken to Aurelia.
She wo—”
“Send her away.” The words were spoken so casually they almost sounded like a suggestion.
Frisk stepped closer. Find the original chapter at novelping.com.
“My daughter will not live under the same roof as her.”
“You can’t be serious.” Darius’s jaw tightened.
“She’s pregnant with my child.”
“Then let her be pregnant somewhere else.” Frisk didn’t so much as blink as he spoke.
“But not here.”
The room fell silent.
A short, dry laugh escaped Darius at his words.
“You expect me to just send her away?”
The older Alpha didn’t hesitate.
“Yes.” His shoulders lifted into a casual shrug.
“I don’t particularly care where she goes.
Give her gold, hire her some guards, send her to another territory.
Just not near my Sunbeam.”
Darius’ jaw tightened, his fingers slowly curling into fists at his sides.
It was true, Aurelia was an arrogant thorn in his flesh.
She had tested his patience from the moment she arrived and somehow managed to throw his entire life into chaos in less than a day.
But driving her out had never crossed his mind.
Like it or not, she still carried his child.
Yet Frisk spoke about her as though she were some inconvenience that could simply be discarded once she had outlived her usefulness.
Frisk noticed the way Darius’ hands had balled into fists.
A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips, one that held no warmth whatsoever.
His blue eyes locked onto Darius’, silently daring him to refuse.
“Or,” he said calmly, “would you rather I shut down your pack’s trade routes?”
Darius’ expression darkened.
“You would cripple the Crimson Fang Pack over this?”
“I would do far worse for my daughter.”
The answer came without the slightest hint of hesitation.
“I have spent years building those trade agreements.
I supplied your people with fertile land when your harvests failed.
My merchants have crossed dangerous roads every winter to make sure your pack never went hungry.”
Frisk took another step closer until only the desk separated them.
“Do not mistake my generosity for weakness, Darius.
Everything I have given your pack can be taken back just as easily.”
The room fell silent.
The fire continued to crackle in the hearth, filling the space between them, while the scent of burnt tobacco still lingered in the air.
“You would start a trade war over Elena?” Darius asked.
Frisk’s gaze never left his.
“No.” A faint smile crossed his face.
“I would start one because someone made my daughter cry.”
___
It was so damn cold in the North.
Standing outside while Clover and Diane bent over patches of frozen earth picking weeds they insisted were herbs wasn’t helping either.
Aurelia had her arms wrapped tightly around herself, her back pressed against a stone pillar that had long since lost whatever warmth the afternoon sun had given it.
Every gust of wind slipped beneath her cloak and bit into her skin, making her nose sting and her fingers ache.
Her grey eyes followed Clover as she carefully uprooted another stubborn weed.
“These don’t grow on the isle,” Clover explained without looking up.
That only confused Aurelia. This story is hosted at g.com.
She had always thought everything grew on the isle.
“Hurry up, you two,” Aurelia called, rubbing her hands together.
“I might freeze to death out here.”
“Would be better if she just died.”
Her head snapped toward the voices.
A pair of maids stood a short distance away with baskets hanging from their arms.
They weren’t even trying to lower their voices anymore.
They stared at Aurelia with open disgust before turning away as though she wasn’t worth another glance.
Aurelia looked away first.
Their hatred wasn’t exactly surprising, it wasn’t new either.
Clover and Diane had finished gathering the herbs and walked over.
“Aren’t the people here lovely?” Diane remarked loudly enough for the maids to hear.
One of them scoffed before moving on to wherever they were going.
Clover let out a tired sigh as she dusted the dirt from her hands.
“Coming here feels like a bad idea.” She said quietly.
“It was,” Aurelia admitted, pushing herself away from the pillar.
“But what choice do I have?
Until I figure things out, I have to stay here.”
The three of them started walking through the courtyard.
Diane moved a little closer to her while Clover reached for Aurelia’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.
Aurelia barely noticed.
Soon they would both return to the isle.
Soon she would be left here.
Alone.
It wasn’t today, maybe not tomorrow.
But the thought settled heavily in her chest all the same.
“It’s apparently warmer in the South,” Clover said after a while.
Aurelia had considered going south but that was vampire territory, and she wasn’t exactly a fan of bats.
The West had crossed her mind too.
The towns there welcomed all kinds of people, witches, werewolves and humans alike.
It would’ve been easier to disappear there and start over.
If only she had enough gold.
Starting a new life was expensive and starting one while carrying a child was even worse.
Lost in thought, Aurelia walked straight into something solid.
She frowned when she looked up and realized it was a person, her eyes met a pair of cold blue ones.
The man had broad shoulders and greying temples, his mouth stretched into a smile that somehow felt colder than the wind itself.
She recognized him immediately.
The bride’s father.
“You should really watch where you’re going, Priestess.” There was a subtle mockery in the way he spoke her title.
Aurelia said nothing.
Alpha Frisk stepped around her and continued walking.
After only a few steps, he stopped.
He looked back over his shoulder, that same cold smile still resting on his face.
“I truly hope we don’t cross paths again, Priestess.”
Then he walked away, disappearing into the falling snow.
For reasons she couldn’t explain…
Aurelia felt colder than she had a moment ago.