As the doors slid shut, I caught a fleeting glimpse of their reflection. Selena’s wide-eyed gratitude and Nicho’s protective stance. The image stirred an unwelcome memory—of a younger me, back when Nicho had first marked me as his mate. He’d been just as attentive then, carrying my belongings into his den with a wide grin, calling me “the future Luna of the Shadowclaw Pack.”
Aunt Lyra sighed, her expression tinged with regret. “Are you really okay with this, Aria?”
I turned to her with a tight smile. “I don’t have a choice. If this is where his loyalty lies, then so be it.”
After delivering the supplies to Aunt Lyra, I decided to leave before losing my patience. Yet as I stood outside waiting for the driver, Nicho and Selena were still upstairs, their absence gnawing at me. Out of courtesy to what we once had, I pulled out my phone and sent him a short message.
“When are you heading back?”
The response came almost immediately, though not in the way I’d expected. A voice message.
When I hit play, Selena’s sweet, high-pitched voice filled my ears.