Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Aria's POV

I stayed at the cabin for three more days.

Beth went back and forth to the fortress, bringing me updates. Drogo had done exactly what I demanded. Aldric and Stefan left the morning after our meeting. Drogo made a formal announcement to the pack that there would be no marriage arrangement, that I remained Luna of Shadow Peak, and that anyone who had a problem with that could take it up with him directly.

"How did people react?" I asked Beth when she brought me the news.

"Mixed. Most people were confused because they didn't even know about the arrangement in the first place. A few of the older pack members muttered about Alphas knowing what's best, but Derek shut that down fast. Cole backed you publicly. Rosa too. Said if Drogo had actually gone through with it, she'd have left the pack in protest."

That surprised me. Rosa had always been loyal to Drogo.

"She's furious with him," Beth continued. "Told him to his face that he was an idiot for even considering it. I think half the pack is angry on your behalf and the other half is just trying to figure out what happened."

"What did Drogo say?"

"Not much. He accepted the criticism and didn't defend himself. Just kept saying he'd made a terrible mistake and was trying to fix it."

I sat with that information. Part of me was glad he wasn't making excuses. But another part wondered if this was just more manipulation. Act contrite, accept blame, wait for me to soften.

"Has he asked about me?"

"Every day. Multiple times. Wants to know if you're okay, if you need anything, when you're coming back."

"What do you tell him?"

"That you're fine and you'll come back when you're ready." Beth paused. "Are you? Ready to come back?"

"I have to eventually. I can't hide out here forever. The school needs me. And honestly, I'm tired of running."

"You're not running. You're taking time to process."

"Feels like running."

I went back to Shadow Peak the next morning. Walked through the gates with my head up, daring anyone to say something. A few people stared but most went about their business like nothing had happened.

Rosa found me within minutes.

"You're back. Good. We need to talk."

She pulled me into the healing rooms and closed the door.

"I'm so sorry," Rosa blurted out. "I had no idea what Drogo was planning. If I'd known, I would have stopped him or at least warned you."

"I believe you."

"Do you? Because I keep thinking I should have noticed something. Should have seen that he was keeping secrets."

"He fooled both of us. That's on him, not you."

Rosa sat down heavily. "I've known Drogo his whole life. Watched him become Alpha. I thought he was better than this. Better than the kind of leader who trades people for political gain."

"So did I."

"What are you going to do? About the marriage, I mean. About you and him."

"I don't know yet. Right now I'm just trying to get through each day without screaming at him."

"If you need somewhere to stay that's not your quarters, my place is open. I have an extra room."

I appreciated the offer. "Thank you. I might take you up on that."

I spent the day at the school. The students had kept up with their lessons while I was gone, but they were clearly happy to see me back. A few of the younger ones hugged me, which made my chest tight.

This was what mattered. Not the politics or the power plays. Just teaching these kids and giving them opportunities they wouldn't have had otherwise.

Drogo showed up around mid-afternoon. He stood at the doorway, not coming in.

"Can we talk?" he asked quietly.

The students all turned to look. I could feel their curiosity.

"Not here. After lessons end."

He nodded and left.

When the students were dismissed, I found him waiting outside. We walked toward the edge of the fortress where we could have privacy.

"I did what you asked," Drogo started. "Aldric is gone. The arrangement is cancelled. I made it public."

"I know. Beth told me."

"Is there anything else you need me to do?"

"Stop asking me that. Stop treating this like a checklist where you do enough things and everything goes back to normal."

"I'm not—" He stopped. "You're right. I'm sorry."

We walked in silence for a bit.

"I talked to Aldric before he left," Drogo eventually said. "Told him if he ever tries to manipulate me or you again, the alliance is over permanently. That our relationship is completely separate from pack politics."

"What did he say?"

"That I was making a mistake choosing you over regional stability. That I'd regret it when the Eastern Pack inevitably attacks."

"Do you? Regret it?"

"No. I regret ever agreeing to his plan in the first place. But choosing you over an alliance built on lies? That's the first thing I've done right in months."

I wanted to believe him. Wanted to think he'd actually learned something from this disaster. But trust wasn't something you could just decide to feel again.

"I'm not sleeping in our quarters," I told him. "Rosa offered me her spare room. I'm taking it."

Drogo looked like I'd hit him but he nodded. "Okay."

"And we're not telling people we're working on things or that everything's fine. Because we're not and it's not."

"Understood."

"I need space, Drogo. Real space. Not you hovering and asking if I need anything. Not you trying to fix this with grand gestures. Just actual space to figure out how I feel."

"How long?"

"I don't know. As long as it takes."

He was quiet for a moment. "Can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"Is there any chance you'll forgive me? Eventually?"

I looked at him. Really looked. Saw the man I'd fallen in love with underneath all the hurt and betrayal. Saw someone who seemed genuinely devastated by what he'd done.

"I don't know," I answered honestly. "Maybe. But you need to understand that forgiveness doesn't mean forgetting. It doesn't mean trusting you again. And it definitely doesn't mean going back to how things were."

"I know."

"Do you? Because I think part of you is still hoping that if you're sorry enough, if you give me enough space and do enough things right, eventually we'll just move past this. But that's not how this works."

"Then how does it work?"

"I have no idea. I've never had to rebuild trust with someone who destroyed it this completely."

Drogo looked down. "I understand. I'll give you space. And I'll try to stop waiting for you to tell me we're okay."

"Good."

I left him standing there and went to move my things to Rosa's place. It felt strange packing up clothes and personal items from the quarters I'd shared with Drogo for years. Each thing I took felt like another piece of our marriage being dismantled.

Rosa helped me settle in without asking questions I didn't want to answer. Just showed me where things were and told me to make myself at home.

That night I lay in an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar room and tried not to think about Drogo alone in our quarters. Tried not to wonder if he was sleeping or just lying there regretting everything like I was.

The next few weeks fell into an uncomfortable routine. I taught at the school during the day. Ate meals in the common hall instead of privately. Attended pack meetings because I was still Luna even if my marriage was falling apart.

Drogo kept his distance like I'd asked. We spoke when necessary for pack business but otherwise gave each other space. It was awkward and painful and I hated every minute of it.

But I also didn't know what else to do.

Cole pulled me aside one afternoon. "Can I be honest with you about something?"

"Sure."

"This thing with you and Drogo. It's affecting the pack. People don't know how to act around either of you. The tension is everywhere."

"What am I supposed to do about that? Pretend everything's fine?"

"No. But maybe you need to make a decision one way or the other. Either you're working on your marriage or you're ending it. This limbo isn't fair to anyone, especially you two."

"I'm not ready to decide."

"I get that. But how long are you going to wait? Because from where I'm standing, you're both miserable and it's not getting better."

He was right. I knew he was right. But knowing didn't make the decision any easier.

That evening I went for a walk outside the fortress. Needed to clear my head. Think without a dozen pack members watching my every move.

I ended up at the training grounds where Drogo and I used to practice together. Back when things were good. When I thought we were actually partners.

Drogo was there. Of course he was. Probably couldn't sleep either.

He saw me and froze. "Sorry. I'll leave."

"Don't. I'm the one intruding."

"You're not intruding. This is your home too."

We stood there awkwardly. Everything felt wrong. We used to be so comfortable around each other and now we couldn't even have a normal conversation.

"I miss you," Drogo said quietly. "I know I don't have the right to say that. I know I'm the one who ruined this. But I miss you."

"I miss you too. I miss the person I thought you were."

"I'm still that person. I just made a terrible mistake."

"It wasn't a mistake, Drogo. Mistakes are accidents. You made a choice. Multiple choices over months. To lie, to plan behind my back, to let me believe we were partners while you were deciding my future without me."

"You're right. It was a choice. The worst choice I've ever made."

"So why did you make it? Really. Not the excuse about Aldric manipulating you or being afraid. Why did you think it was okay to do this to me?"

Drogo was quiet for a long time. "Because I'm used to making hard decisions alone. Because being Alpha means choosing what's best for the pack even when it hurts. And because some part of me thought you'd understand eventually. That you'd see I was trying to protect everyone."

"By sacrificing me."

"Yes. And that was wrong. Completely wrong. You're not a chess piece to be moved around. You're my wife. My partner. I should have trusted you enough to include you in the decision."

"You should have trusted me enough to say no to Aldric in the first place."

"I know."

I turned to leave.

"Aria, wait. Can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"Do you think there's any way forward for us? Or should I just accept that I destroyed this completely?"

I looked at him standing there in the training grounds where we'd spent so many hours together. Where he'd taught me to fight better. Where we'd laughed and talked and built something I thought was real.

"I don't know," I admitted. "I want there to be a way forward. But I don't know if I can get past this.

"Then I'll wait. However long it takes. And if you decide you can't, I'll accept that too."

I left without responding.

Because I still didn't have an answer.

And I was starting to think I might never find one.