Elda: "Aaron…"
Aaron: "You can leave now."
He didn't raise his voice, yet the room suddenly felt colder.
He returned his attention to the papers on his desk as if the conversation had already ended.
Then he spoke again.
Aaron: "A king—an Omega—can rule without his mate or queen."
His tired eyes lifted toward them.
Aaron: "It doesn't mean I'll abandon you two. I know I'm punishing you for something you haven't done yet. But I'll still give you my best."
He exhaled softly.
Aaron: "I'll find your true partners. I'll make sure your futures are worth something."
He paused.
Aaron: "But… forget about me." 😐
The words struck like a blade.
Elda's fingers trembled at her sides.
For someone who had faced battlefields without fear, standing in front of the man she loved and hearing him tell her to forget him was unexpectedly painful.
Elda: "Your decisions… are mine too, Aaron."
Aaron looked at her.
Elda lowered her eyes before continuing.
Elda: "But don't search for a partner for me."
Aaron: "Elda—"
Elda: "I'm… planning to join the war field." 🥲
Aaron's head snapped up.
Aaron: "Huh?" 😐
For the first time in the conversation, his composure cracked.
Aaron: "The war field? You?"
Elda: "Yes."
Aaron: "You're the Defence Princess. You command the entire military strategy. You don't need to personally—"
Elda: "I know."
She gave him a small, painful smile.
Elda: "I knew one day you'd say something like this. I knew there might come a time when you wouldn't want me beside you anymore."
Her voice wavered.
Elda: "But I didn't know it would happen like this." 🥲
Aaron fell silent.
He remembered a much younger Elda, the little girl who had followed him everywhere with a wooden sword, insisting she would protect him when they grew up.
He had called her his little devil because she never backed down from a challenge.
And now, that same little devil was preparing to leave him.
Aaron finally gave her a tiny smile.
It was barely there, but it was genuine.
Aaron: "It's your choice, little devil." 😊
Elda looked down.
Her lips trembled as she tried to smile back.
Elda: "I don't feel like a devil today…" 😞
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Ashley stepped forward.
She had been standing silently, listening to every word, her hands clenched so tightly that her knuckles had turned pale.
Ashley: "You can break the bond, Aaron."
Aaron turned toward her.
Ashley swallowed.
Ashley: "But… can you forgive me for the spying thing?" 😨
Aaron's expression changed.
Aaron: "What happened to you? Don't say something like—"
Ashley: "You're my mate, Aaron!"
Her voice broke through his words.
She took a trembling breath, trying to steady herself.
Ashley: "I know the trauma I caused in the future is horrible. I know you have every reason to be afraid of what might happen."
Her eyes began to fill with tears.
Ashley: "But I never chased other Omegas. Never."
She shook her head desperately.
Ashley: "Not once. I wouldn't do that to you."
Aaron stared at her.
Ashley: "Aaron, trust me."
A tear slipped down her cheek.
Ashley: "One day… I'll make you feel safe again." 😨
Elda watched silently, her heart sinking.
She knew Ashley's feelings were genuine.
But genuine feelings couldn't erase the pain someone might suffer in the future.
And Aaron had already seen that pain.
Aaron leaned back in his chair.
His gaze sharpened.
Aaron: "Who ordered you…"
Ashley froze.
Aaron: "To spy on me?" 😐
The question changed everything.
Until that moment, they had been discussing love, betrayal, and the possibility of ending their relationships.
But Aaron had noticed something.
Ashley had admitted that spying had happened in the future.
Yet she had never explained who had ordered it.
And if someone had instructed her to spy on him, then perhaps the betrayal wasn't as simple as the history book had claimed.
Aaron folded his hands on the desk.
Aaron: "Ashley. Look at me."
Slowly, she raised her eyes.
Aaron: "Who gave you the order?"
Ashley opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
Her face had gone pale.
Elda turned toward her, suddenly alert.
Elda: "Ashley…?"
Ashley swallowed hard.
Ashley: "It… it was…"
Her voice cracked.
She looked at Aaron, then at Elda.
For the first time, the fearless Alpha seemed genuinely terrified.
Ashley: "I can't…"
Aaron's eyes narrowed.
Aaron: "You can't, or you won't?"
Ashley flinched.
And in that moment, Aaron understood something.
There was a secret here.
A secret serious enough that Ashley was afraid to speak it aloud.
Aaron slowly rose from his chair.
Aaron: "Then let me ask you one more question."
He stepped closer.
Aaron: "Was the person who ordered you to spy on me someone I trusted?"
Ashley stopped breathing.
Elda's expression hardened.
Neither woman answered.
But their silence was enough to make Aaron's heart sink.
Perhaps his future wasn't merely a story of betrayal.
Perhaps someone had been pulling the strings long before the betrayal began.
To be continued...