Chapter 24 24

Chapter 24 24
Aria’s POV
I lay beneath the soft warmth of my duvet, the muted glow of the bedside lamp casting a faint shadow on the wall. My body was heavy, exhausted from such a long day and an emotional tide that had swelled over me. But no matter how hard I tried to relax, my mind was racing, and my thoughts tumbled out of my control.
Alpha Kane sat beside me, his big hand patting my shoulder in slow, rhythmic motions as if trying to coax me into the peace that eluded me. His eyes swirled with concern and frustration. He said nothing, just offered the comfort of steady presence.
But my head was anything but fine. It buzzed with confusion, anger, and a deep sense of betrayal that would not leave me in peace. Derek, his smirking face, him playing a calculated game to make my heart break once more. Unpredictable was Derek's norm, but today he had crossed the line.
Why Lily? Why now?
And in an instant, tears were brimming again, blurring the edges of my vision. I turned my head, pressing my face into the pillow to hide the sob that rose instantly in my throat. It was more pain than I could stand.
"Why does he want her?" I finally said aloud, my voice muffled by the pillow but raw with emotion. "Why, after everything he's done. why now?"
With one last pat on my shoulder, Alpha Kane laid his silent hand upon me, more telling than any words could be in the stillness.
I wiped at my eyes, my breath coming out in uneven gasps as I fought to steady myself. My tears had stopped, but that ache inside my chest remained, a hollow emptiness that seemed to stretch on forever. I couldn't get my mind off Derek and Lily, how he could care now suddenly when for so long he had shown nothing but indifference?
I shifted under the duvet, drawing it tighter over myself as if encasing myself in the warmth could somehow shield me from the storm of thoughts that were filling my mind. Alpha Kane still sat beside me, his hand on my shoulder, light, and comforting, but not able to really soothe the tempest that was raging within me.
"I don't understand it, Alpha Kane," I whispered low. "All these years, he didn't care. He barely even looked at Lily. He only ever provided for her and made sure she had what she needed to live. But there was never any love. No affection. And now suddenly. Now he wants her?"
I’d turned to Alpha Kane, my eyes clouding with confusion and frustration as if seeking in Kane's face some sort of answers he wouldn't have.
Alpha Kane exhaled slowly, his eyes softening with compassion. "Derek's always been. distant. It's like he's lived his life with walls around him, and no one except maybe you could ever get through.".
"But I didn't even get through, did I?" I shot back, my voice rising frustrated. "I thought I did. I thought I meant something to him. But I didn't. I was just-"
I shook my head, my lips quivering like they tried to dam up another storm of emotion. "I just don't understand. He had an opportunity to be a father. He had an opportunity to show Lily he cared, and he never did. And now, all these years later, he's decided she counts? Why? What has changed?
The questions hung in the air, heavy and unanswered, while Alpha Kane sat in silence, his brow furrowing. He didn't know what to say, didn't know how to help me make sense of something that had no logic. Derek's actions defied reason, and to try to unravel his motives would only drive me deeper into the pain I was already feeling.
"I don't know, Aria, he replied softly. "But whatever those reasons are, you need to focus on what is best for you and Lily. Not Derek. Not his screwed-up games.
I gave a harsh laugh; it came out more like a sob. "What's best for Lily? How can I even think about that right now when everything is falling apart? I've spent so much time trying to protect her from him, from his coldness. And now I don't even know how to protect her from myself."
Alpha Kane's grip on my shoulder tightened, silent reassurance. "You've done everything you could for Lily. You've given her love and stability. You've been both mother and father to her. Derek can't take that away, whatever he does."
"But what if he ruins everything, Alpha Kane?" I sobbed as the weight of my fears overpowered me. "What if he takes her away from me?
My eyes finally met his in search of the strength I so desperately needed to feel. But it was crushing me, all this, Derek's betrayal, the fear of losing Lily. I didn't know for how much longer I would be able to keep going, for how much longer I could fight this war.
"I'm just so tired, Alpha Kane," I whispered slowly, barely audible. "I am so tired of fighting. I don't know how much more I can take."
His hand moved from my shoulder, catching my hand and squeezing it gently. "You don't have to do this alone," he said again, this time softer. "I'm here, and I always will be."
I squeezed his hand in return, my fingers slightly trembling. I was exhausted, but knowing Alpha Kane was there, just his presence, the unwavering support almost like a lifeline thrown to me amidst a storm.
We sat for some time in a silence so thick with the unsaid words between us.
When it seemed as though the time had stood still, I heaved a deep, quavering sigh and tugged my hand from his, wiping the tears off my cheeks. "I need to be alone for a while, Alpha Kane," I whispered, my voice firm. "I just. I need to think.
He nodded and rose from the bed. "Of course, but remember anything you need, you call," he told me with soft firmness in his tone.
I nodded, my gaze skirting his as I huddled deeper into the duvet. "Thank you, Alpha Kane. For everything.