Chapter 93 Aria
Something inside me was still burning long after the call ended. I stood in the middle of my room staring at my phone like it had personally betrayed me. The screen had gone dark but I could still hear Sienna’s voice echoing in my head. The anger came rushing back the second I remembered the Instagram post.
My best friend and my boyfriend. The comments had been worse. People I barely knew suddenly had opinions about my life. Some calling me a traitor, others saying I deserved whatever happened next. And Sienna had tagged me in it. She wanted me to see it. She wanted everyone to see it now she was asking me for help.
I dragged a hand through my hair and started pacing across my room again, trying to work the frustration out of my system. It wasn’t working. Behind me, Max leaned against my desk, watching quietly. He had heard the entire conversation on speaker. Normally Max had an opinion about everything, but this time he had stayed silent since the call ended. That alone told me how serious the situation had become.
Finally I stopped pacing and turned toward him. “You can say it,” I told him. “Whatever it is you’re thinking.”
Max studied me for a moment before answering. “You’re still considering helping her.”
It wasn’t a question. I hated how easily he could read me.
“She humiliated me,” I said. “Publicly.”
“I know.”
“And now she expects me to help her escape like none of that happened.”
Max shifted slightly, folding his arms across his chest. “People do stupid things when they’re hurt.”
“I trusted her,” I said quietly.
Sienna had been more than just a friend. She had been the person I called when everything else in my life fell apart. The person who knew my secrets before anyone else did and the entire time she had been hiding the biggest secret of all.
A hunter? So that’s the family stuff she had tried to tell me the other day. I sat down on the edge of my bed and stared at the floor for a moment. Max knew me well enough to understand when I needed a second to sort through the mess in my head.
“I keep replaying the post,” I admitted after a while. “That stupid picture.”
Max didn’t say anything, but I could feel his attention shift fully to me.
“She must have been watching the house,” I continued. “That photo wasn’t taken by accident. She waited until Luca’s truck was there and then boom! One post and suddenly everyone in Silverpine has an opinion about my life.”
“People love drama,” Max muttered.
“That wasn’t drama,” I said sharply. “That was a public execution.”
He didn’t argue with that. I rubbed my temples, trying to push away the headache creeping behind my eyes. The whole thing felt unreal. One minute Sienna had been my best friend, the next she had turned the entire town against me. Then tonight she called like nothing had happened not to apologize but to ask for help.
“Did she even say sorry?” Max asked quietly.
I shook my head. “No.”
He exhaled slowly. “But you’re still thinking about helping her anyway.”
I didn’t deny it.
“That’s the part I don’t understand,” he added.
“I don’t either.” I admitted.
Because logically, helping Sienna made absolutely no sense. She had betrayed me and lied about who she really was, yet the fear in her voice during that call kept replaying in my mind.
“She sounded terrified,” I said.
Max’s brows pulled together. “You’re sure about that?”
“I’ve known her for years,” I said. “I know the difference between Sienna being dramatic and Sienna actually panicking.”
“And this was the second one?”
“Yes.”
“Fear doesn’t erase what she did,” he pointed out.
“I know.”
“But?”
I hesitated. “But if she’s telling the truth about the hunters…”
We both knew what it meant. Hunters coming to Silverpine didn’t just mean trouble for Sienna. It meant trouble for the pack and for Luca.
“He’s out there tonight,” I murmured, glancing toward the window. Somewhere out there Luca and the others were probably running patrols, making sure nothing crossed into their territory.
“What exactly did she ask for?” Max asked.
“Help escaping.”
“That’s it?”
“She said she couldn’t explain everything over the phone.”
Max frowned. “How convenient.”
“I thought the same thing.”
He tapped his fingers against the arm of the chair, thinking. “If this is a trap,” he started slowly, “walking straight into it would be the worst idea we’ve ever had.”
“That’s a long list,” I pointed out.
“True,” he admitted. “But this would still rank pretty high.”
Despite everything, a small smile tugged at my mouth. “Do you think she’d set a trap for me?” I asked.
Max hesitated. “I think she’s a hunter who grew up around people who kill wolves,” he replied carefully. “That means we can’t automatically trust her.”
That was fair. Painful, but fair. I stared at my phone again. The blank screen reflected my face back at me, and I barely recognized the girl looking back. A week ago my biggest problem had been figuring out how to juggle my feelings for Luca without destroying my friendship with Sienna.
Now my best friend was a hunter, and her family might be marching toward Silverpine with an army. My phone buzzed suddenly in my hand and both Max and I froze. I looked down at the screen. It was an unknown number.
Max leaned forward. “Her?”
“Probably.”
I opened the message slowly. Two words appeared on the screen.
They know.
My heart skipped. Another message came through immediately.
They know I called you.
Max swore under his breath. Before either of us could react, a third message appeared.
Aria, they’re coming.
A chill ran down my spine.
“What does that mean?” Max asked.
“I have no idea.”
My phone buzzed again and this time the message was longer.
My family found my phone records. They know I contacted you. They think I’m warning the werewolves.
Max’s eyes widened slightly. “That’s bad.”
Another message appeared.
They already sent scouts into the forest tonight.
My pulse started pounding in my ears. In the forest? Right where Luca and the pack would be? I typed a reply before I could stop myself.
How many?
The typing bubble appeared almost instantly.
Too many.
Max ran a hand through his hair. “Okay. That’s really bad.”
My phone buzzed again. It was the last message from Sienna and this one made my blood run cold.
They’re not just hunting wolves anymore, Aria...
AUTHOR’S NOTE:
Sienna really called Aria after that Instagram stunt and expected help. The audacity is honestly impressive but now, the situation just got bigger than their friendship drama. Hunters are already moving through the forest and the pack has no idea how many of them there are.
So the real question is if you were Aria, would you help Sienna after everything she did? Or would you let her deal with the mess she created? Let me know your thoughts, loves😍. Because the next decision Aria makes might decide who survives what’s coming 🐺🌚.