I smiled faintly. "Hey, Serene."
Serene leaned closer to look at the pond's rippling reflection, unaware of the silent storm building nearby.
"Beautiful night, isn't it?" she said softly, brushing a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. Her eyes sparkled in the moonlight, cheerful, warm… and just a little too bright.
Then her gaze fell across the pond. And something in her expression changed. A faint blush crept across her cheeks as she looked at Leonel standing on the other side.
I froze. A sting hit my chest.
She likes him.
I hated that it hurt me, hated that it surprised me, hated that a part of me long buried had expected Serene to just be my friend. But there she was, leaning toward him, hair shining like spun gold, smiling like she belonged in his presence. And he… he didn't look at her with the same icy disdain he had for me.
Serene stepped forward, letting the distance between them shrink. "Hi… I'm Serene Kaelith," she said brightly. "I'm… well, I'm an Omega too."
My eyes widened. Leonel didn't flinch. Didn't scowl. Didn't recoil. He smiled. A real smile, calm and sharp at once, his silver-gray eyes softening as he spoke to her.
What?
I couldn't breathe for a second. He knew she was an Omega and treated her like a person. Treated her like… nothing had ever been wrong. Nothing at all.
I felt heat rise in my chest, frustration and hurt twisting into something bitter. Why had he been so harsh with me? Ten years ago, a single sentence had cut me down. And now… now this?
I couldn't bear it.
"You two talk," I said sharply, my voice louder than I intended. "I'm going."
I turned, stomping toward the trees at the far edge of the pond, ignoring the way my hands trembled.
{Leonel POV}
I watched her go, the movement sharp in my peripheral vision.
Aria.
My eyes widened, heart lurching. For a moment, I thought I saw… hate. Pure, unfiltered hate.
Why?
Why was she looking at me like that?
A shiver ran down my spine, the wolf inside me stirring uneasily. I didn't understand it. Not fully.
Why… what had I done to make her feel that way?
Her eyes… sharp, defiant, even now. I remembered her from years ago her small hands gripping mine as she laughed, trusting me without question, letting me into her world like no one else could. She'd been fearless with me. She had believed in me.
And then… she pulled away. little hesitations when I approached, brushing past me without meeting my eyes. Eventually, she stopped talking to me altogether, started finding other paths, avoiding me even when I had no choice but to see her. Ten years of silence. Ten years of wondering what I'd done wrong.
And now she was here. Watching, tense, distant but unmistakably aware of me.
My wolf stirred, low and insistent. My instincts growled, demanding her closeness, protection. But she was a Beta. A Beta. Not an Omega. Not supposed to be my mate. Not supposed to invoke this pull. And yet, every fiber of me wanted her here, beside me, close enough that I could shield her from the world, close enough that I could reach out and touch what had been lost.
And then I noticed Serene. She stood nearby, bright, laughing softly at nothing, unaware of the silent storm brewing between us. My wolf growled again, subtle but sharp, a warning I barely understood.
Why does my wolf want a Beta here? I wondered, tension threading through me. It didn't make sense. It shouldn't. And yet my instincts didn't lie.
Aria. Even now, she was mine. I just… didn't know how to take her back.