KAIDEN
"Stop them, Kaiden. Don't let them take me away!" Aria screamed, her voice broken, tugging at my heartstrings.
I groaned inwardly, watching as the guard gripped her hand, dragging her to the car.
"Get your damn hands off me!" she screamed, kicking the air, but they didn't let her go.
Aria was roughly shoved inside the car. She opened the door, rushing out, but she was nudged inside again. She stuck her head out of the wound-down window, her eyes locked on me, furious, teary, and filled with regret.
"You're such a bastard, Kaiden. I hope you rot in hell with your Luna!" She cursed.
I flushed, scowling at her. The window was wound up immediately, while I watched as she thumped on it several times until she was retrained.
I stood frozen, torn between running after the car and letting it go. I should be happy. At least the traitor was out, and no gossip would fly around due to her. But my heart ached.
You messed up this time. Such a fucking wrong move.
I ignored Red, still staring at the car until the last one faded in the distance.
You're unkind and weak. An alpha will only do what he believes is right, not what people say.
Red was right. I was a fucking weak alpha. I had wanted to prove to the pack members that I could be even crueler than my father; I had done the unthinkable. Not only did I cause Aria great pain, but I had given her off as though she was some goods.
You don't deserve her. I hope she doesn't forgive you.
That pissed me off. "Don't you think I should be the one using that forgiveness line? She betrayed the pack house, Red. Don't be fucking sentimental and overlook all the evil she did. Even her mother!"
She isn't her mother! Red growled.
My fists clenched at my side. I didn't care if Aria wasn't her mother. She had her blood running through her veins, and she had committed treason just like her mother. She fucking failed me.
I believed I was pitiful, else she'd have suffered the same fate as her mother, who was burnt alive and her ashes used as manure.
Nonetheless, I believed I had saved her from impending doom because the council called for a meeting, informing me of the members' displeasure with letting her live. They all wanted her dead. However, I might have gone a bit overboard.
"Oh, Aria," Lyra wailed, throwing herself on the ground.
I rolled my eyes as she twisted, getting sand in her hair and staining her dress. Maybe she was sad about all that had happened since she had jumped in her defense. But between the two of us, I knew she didn't care that much for Aria and would rather see her gone. She was one of the people who had called for her murder. I wondered why she was crying now.
The crowd that gathered began to murmur.
"Poor Luna. I hope I can comfort her."
"How can that traitor make her cry so much?"
"Why not? They're sisters. Besides, she's soft-hearted, unlike that ugly witch who's evil and tried to kill her several times."
"How can I live without my sister?" Lyra choked out. "What do I do, Kaiden?"
I grimaced, pinching the bridge of my nose. Her tears were beginning to irritate me. I was also tired of hearing the members speak highly of her.
So, I turned to the maids who had tried their best to pick her from the ground. "When she's done, escort her to her room."
"Yes, Alpha." They bowed, and I left.
Inside, I poured myself a glass of brandy, slipped out of my jacket, tossing it on the bed, before undoing the top three buttons of my shirt. I rolled up my sleeves, picked up the brandy glass, and walked to the window.
I downed the content, wincing as it burned my throat. My eyes fixed on the sky, shades of orange and red streaked across it, the same hue as her hair. I miss her. It would be stupid to say that out loud. But it was the truth.
I stiffened, feeling Lyra standing behind me. What does she want? I mused, staring at the empty cup in my hand.
"Are you worried about Aria and the decision you made?" She questioned, her arms wrapped around my lower body. I felt the steady strum of her heartbeat.
Twisting in her arms, I gazed down at her. "I don't want to hear you speak her name anymore," I warned.
Lyra nodded. "That's fine by me."
She let me go, taking a step backward, then she slipped out of her dress. Also, I noticed it wasn't the blue she had worn before. Her hair was clean, too.
I frowned when she got totally naked. She walked up to me, splaying her delicate palms on my chest, caressing. She stood on tiptoes, about to brush her lips on mine, but I turned my face sideways, nudging her.
Lyra staggered, her cheeks staining red. "We have been mated for a month, Kaiden. You marked me," she parted her hair, showing off the crescent-shaped mark I placed on her neck.
"But why the hell won't you touch me? You kept pushing me away and lied that we consummated the ceremony with my father!" She snapped, her chest rose and fell with each word spoken.
"Let's get this straight, Lyra. You wanted to be marked by me, and I did just that. I never wanted you, but your father and my father made it impossible for me to make a fucking choice," I said coolly.
I turned to walk away from her, but Lyra jumped in front of me, her breasts bounced. "I know you've been obsessing over Aria. She's the reason you refuse to touch me. Because of her, the pack house got destroyed, and her mother killed your mother!"
I lost it. Snatching Lyra's neck, I gripped it tight, slamming her into the wall closest to the window, growling in her face. My alpha eyes flashed golden.
Lyra purred, winding her arms around my neck, her breath ragged. "I know you want me."
Of course, not! She was a desperate whore. And she would not stop nagging.
"Kaiden–"
"Shut up!" I hissed, closing my lips over hers. I kissed her hard and long, yanking off my belt. I slipped out my dick, stroking it for a few seconds while thinking of Aria, then I twisted her around, her face planted on the wall, thrusting inside her.
Lyra whimpered as we fucked, but all I could think about and hear was Aria. Fuck. I wanted it to be Aria.
"I don't think I can hold on longer, Kaiden!"
"Let it go," I grunted in command.
Lyra came all over my dick, a moaning mess, and I found my release a few seconds later. I slipped out of her, while she slid down the length of the wall.
Walking to the bathroom, I turned to her as she sat on the floor, "Leave before I return. I already fulfilled my duty to you."
Lyra looked up at me with wide, teary eyes, which I ignored. I got into the shower, my hands on the wall while hot water cascaded down my body.
I couldn't wash the stench of Lyra's body off mine enough. I might take the whole day doing so, but one thing was sure: I'd never stop thinking about Aria.