Because deep down, he already knew the truth.
He was the one who had destroyed everything.
After a long moment, Caleb slowly reached for the parchment with trembling hands.
His chest tightened painfully as he pricked his own finger and let his blood fall onto the document beside hers.
The rejection rite was complete.
The mate bond between them shattered.
Far away from the house, as Aria walked beneath the fading evening sky, she felt the invisible thread connecting their souls finally snap.
Her wolf let out a long, mournful howl inside her mind.
But Aria did not stop walking.
Because in that moment, she realized something with absolute clarity.
From this day forward, her only goal was to fight for her brother’s justice.
She would do whatever it took to prove Marcus’s innocence—
Even if it meant standing against the entire pack alone.
Third Person's POV
Everything in Aria and Marcus’s lives was collapsing piece by piece—like a pack left leaderless beneath a darkened moon.
Nothing that had happened over the past months felt just or right. Misfortune followed them like a shadow, each new blow heavier than the last, until even breathing felt difficult.