Chapter 97 Aria
I realized Sienna had been lying to me long before she opened her mouth.
“Say it,” I told her. “You didn’t call me here to apologize.”
It wasn’t a question.
She shook her head slowly. “No.”
“Good,” I said. “Because I don’t think I’d believe you anyway.”
The words came out sharper than I expected but I didn’t take them back. She deserved that. After everything, she deserved worse. Sienna winced but she didn’t argue and that almost made it worse.
Her gaze flicked up to mine. “Aria—”
“Don’t,” I cut in. “Don’t start, just say what you came here to say.”
She hesitated. “It’s about Luca.”
I let out a short, humorless laugh. “Of course it is.”
“Aria, it’s not—”
“He was the target,” I said, my voice quieter now but steadier. “From the beginning.”
Sienna didn’t answer.
“How long?” I asked.
“Since before I came back,” she replied.
“So everything,” I said slowly. “Every time you showed up at my house, every time you acted like nothing had changed, you were already planning this.”
“I didn’t know it would be him at first,” she answered quickly.
“But when you found out, you stayed.”
“Yes.”
I shook my head, trying to wrap my mind around it, but it wouldn’t settle. Nothing about this felt real.
“You used me,” I stated.
Her expression faltered. “No, I—”
“You did,” I lifted my hands. “You used me to get close to him. You played best friend while you were what? Watching us? Waiting for the right moment?”
She didn’t deny it and that hurt more than if she had. I let out a shaky breath and started pacing. “Wow!!!That’s… that’s actually insane.”
“Aria, listen to me,” she started, stepping closer. “It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.”
“Nothing ever is,” I snapped. “That doesn’t change what you did.”
“I know,” she said, softer now. “I know.”
I stopped pacing and turned back to her. “Do you?”
Because it didn’t feel like she did. Sienna’s shoulders slumped slightly, like the weight of it was finally catching up to her. “I had orders.”
I laughed again, harsher this time. “You keep saying that like it excuses anything.”
“It doesn’t,” she admitted. “But it’s the truth.”
“Your truth,” I said. “Not mine.”
“Do you have any idea what you did to me?” I continued, my voice rising despite myself. “That post, Sienna. You didn’t just expose us. You humiliated me. You turned everyone against me in seconds.”
Her gaze dropped. “I know.”
“No, you don’t,” I said. “Because if you did, you wouldn’t be standing here asking me for help like none of that happened.”
“I didn’t have a choice.”
“You always have a choice.”
The words hung between us. For a moment, she looked like she wanted to argue.
“Maybe I did,” she conceded quietly. “And I made the wrong one.”
That took some of the anger out of me, which somehow made everything worse. I pressed my lips together, trying to hold onto the frustration, the anger, just anything that would keep me from feeling what was underneath.
“Why him?” I asked finally.
“Because of who he is,” she said.
That didn’t feel like enough.
“What does that mean?”
Her eyes lifted to mine again. “He’s not just another wolf, Aria. He’s important. His bloodline, his position… taking him down would send a message.”
A chill ran through me. “To who?” I asked.
“To everyone.”
I swallowed hard. “And you were supposed to do that.”
“Yes.”
“And now?”
Sienna’s expression shifted again, something conflicted and messy flashing across her face. “Now they think I’ve taken too long.”
My stomach dropped. “What does that mean?”
“It means they’re not waiting for me anymore.”
“Aria,” she continued, her voice quieter now, almost careful, “they’re already here.”
My pulse spiked. “Here as in Silverpine?”
She nodded once.
“How many?” I asked.
“I don’t know exactly,” she admitted. “But enough.”
That wasn’t comforting. I dragged a hand through my hair, trying to think but everything felt scrambled. “And you expect me to what? Help you run? After everything?”
“I expect you to understand what’s at stake,” she said.
“My best friend was at stake,” I shot back. “You didn’t care about that.”
Her expression tightened. “That’s not true.”
“Then why did you do it?”
“Because I thought I could handle it.”
“Handle what?”
“Getting close without getting attached,” she said. “Doing what I was supposed to do without it affecting anything else.”
I stared at her. “And?”
Her lips pressed into a thin line. “I was wrong.”
“I should hate you,” I said quietly.
“You probably do.”
“Not enough,” I admitted, and that felt like its own kind of betrayal.
Something softened in her expression, but I shook my head before she could say anything.
“Don’t,” I warned. “Don’t take that as a good thing.”
“I’m not,” she said. “But you still came.”
I looked away. That was the problem, wasn’t it?
Despite everything, I had still shown up.
“I didn’t come for you,” I said.
“Then why?”
I hesitated. Because the answer wasn’t simple and no matter how angry I was, there was still a part of me that remembered who she used to be but that wasn’t the reason I was here.
“If what you’re saying is true,” I said slowly, “then Luca’s in danger.”
Sienna’s expression turned serious instantly. “He’s more than in danger.”
My heart skipped. “Explain.”
She hesitated.
I stepped closer. “Sienna.”
“They’ve changed the plan,” she said.
A cold feeling settled in my chest. “How?”
“They’re not trying to take him anymore.”
My breath caught. “What are they trying to do?”
Sienna held my gaze, and for the first time since this conversation started, she didn’t look unsure. She looked certain.
“Kill him,” she said.
“No,” I said immediately. “No, that’s not happening.”
“It already started,” she said.
My heart slammed against my ribs. “What do you mean, started?”
Her gaze flickered past me, toward the edge of the rooftop where the town stretched out below us. “While we’ve been standing here,” she said quietly, “they’ve already moved.”
A cold, sinking feeling spread through my chest. “Moved where?”
Sienna’s voice dropped. “Toward him.”
Everything inside me went still because I knew exactly where Luca was tonight. And suddenly, standing still wasn’t an option anymore.
AUTHOR’S NOTE:
Some truths don’t fix anything, they just change the game...