Chapter 9 Aiden
Chapter Nine — Aria’s POV
The room went quiet. Too quiet.
Alpha Aiden’s presence filled every corner. Even the chatter and clinking of plates seemed to vanish. He stood at the end of the long dining table, calm and composed, but there was a weight to him, a kind of power that made the air feel thick, heavy, and impossible to breathe.
I pressed my hands against my lap, my fingers trembling. My stomach twisted with nerves. Every muscle in me screamed to hide, to vanish, but I couldn’t. Not now. Not when he had walked in and everything in the room seemed to stop for him.
Then he looked at me.
Not just a glance. Not casual.
His eyes fixed on me like he was trying to see through my very soul. My chest tightened. My pulse thundered in my ears. I felt exposed, fragile, completely small under the weight of his gaze.
“Beautiful,” he said, slowly, almost as if tasting the word. “I want her.”
The words hit me like a physical blow.
The room went dead silent. My parents froze. My brothers’ faces tightened. Even Mina, standing nearby with a fake calm on her lips, looked stunned.
I couldn’t speak at first. I wanted to run. I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me. My heart beat so fast I thought it would escape my chest.
“You… you are my sister’s fiancée,” I stammered finally, my voice shaking, high-pitched and unsteady. “I… I can’t… I—”
I swallowed hard, feeling tears prick at my eyes. “And… I am pregnant.”
Aiden’s lips curved into a small, confident smile. His voice was calm, unwavering, cold in its clarity.
“I don’t care if you are pregnant,” he said slowly, letting the words sink in. “And you can ask about me, my rules, my pack… you get nothing if I want it. If I want you, I get you.”
I felt my chest constrict. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. My head was spinning. My hands trembled in my lap. Everything in me screamed that this was impossible, that I couldn’t, that I shouldn’t…
One of my brothers leaned forward slightly, his voice measured, controlled.
“If she wishes, then she’s yours,” he said firmly, his gaze locking on Aiden. “But if she doesn’t… you cannot force her into your way.”
I breathed a little easier at that. My heart was still racing, but there was a small flicker of relief. Someone understood. Someone was on my side.
Aiden’s dark eyes flicked to my brother, his expression sharp, amused.
“Who then can refuse an Alpha?” he said, his voice low but commanding, like the sound of ice cracking.
My other brother stood, his jaw tight. His voice was steady, but I could hear the anger simmering under the calm.
“My sister can,” he said clearly. “You plan on treating her the way you treat Mina and the others? That is not permission. That is cruelty.”
The words hung in the air like a blade. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t move. I felt trapped, pinned between the two strongest forces in the room: the Alpha and my own family.
Aiden’s eyes flicked back to me, slow and dangerous. His lips parted slightly.
“If she agrees,” he said, his voice low and deadly calm, “then I marry her immediately.”
I froze. My hands clenched against my thighs. My stomach twisted. My thoughts collided.
No. No, I can’t. I can’t.
“I… I… no,” I whispered finally, my voice breaking. “I can’t.”
Mina gasped behind me, her face pale. Her lips pressed together. She looked as if someone had just pulled the air out of her lungs. Her hands shook slightly, but she tried to cover it with a fake smile.
Aiden’s eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn’t raise his voice. He tilted his head, calm, deliberate, like a predator observing its prey.
“I’ll give you time to think,” he said finally. His voice was steady, absolute, and chilling in its simplicity. “Think carefully. But remember—time is a luxury in my pack. You cannot ignore what you feel forever. You will decide.”
My chest was tight. My mind was racing. My heart felt like it was breaking in two directions at once.
I wanted to run. I wanted to hide. I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream. I wanted to leave this house, this room, this family, this world.
And yet… I couldn’t.
Because even as fear and confusion twisted in my chest, a small, stubborn, impossible thought crept in.
Maybe… maybe this is real. Maybe… he really does want me.
I pressed my hands to my stomach. My baby stirred faintly. I didn’t know what to think. I didn’t know what to feel. I just knew…
Nothing would ever be simple again.
I looked at my parents. I looked at my brothers. I looked at Mina. I looked at Aiden.
The room was quiet again, but it felt heavier than before. Every heartbeat echoed in my chest. Every breath felt sharp. Every thought collided with another.
I didn’t know what I would choose. I didn’t know what the future held.
All I knew… was that I had to survive.
And survive meant thinking carefully, acting carefully, and not letting anyone—Alpha, sister, family—decide for me.
Even as my mind spun, one thing was painfully, undeniably clear:
This was far from over.
And I was trapped in the eye of a storm I couldn’t escape.