Chapter 77 HIS SILENCE
Chapter 77 HIS SILENCE
(Aria's POV)
I shouldn’t have stopped.
The second I heard Marcus’s voice through the half-open lounge door, I should’ve kept walking toward the bathroom and minded my business.
Instead, I froze.
“You’re losing control of the situation,” Marcus snapped.
My pulse jumped instantly.
I stepped back into the shadow beside the hallway pillar before either of them could see me. The ballroom music was distant here, muffled by thick walls and closed doors, but their voices carried clearly enough.
Caden said nothing.
Marcus let out a sharp breath. “Those reporters practically confirmed the pregnancy tonight. Do you understand the damage she’s caused?”
Still silence.
I pressed myself harder against the wall.
Why wasn’t he answering?
“The rogue whore has disrupted everything,” Marcus continued coldly. “She needs to go.”
The words hit like a slap.
I waited.
Waited for Caden to snap.
To defend me.
To say something.
Anything.
But nothing came.
The silence stretched so long it became unbearable.
My throat tightened painfully.
Marcus laughed quietly. “What’s wrong? Not long ago you were shielding her from cameras like some overprotective mate.”
Finally, Caden spoke.
“Enough.”
One word.
Flat.
Exhausted.
Not angry.
Not protective.
Just tired.
Marcus stepped harder into the opening. “Then say something. Defend her if you care so much.”
I held my breath.
Please.
Please say something.
Another long silence answered instead.
And somehow, that hurt worse than Marcus’s insults.
Because silence meant hesitation.
Silence meant doubt.
Silence meant I was standing out here hoping for something that didn’t exist anymore.
Then Caden finally spoke again.
“I’ll handle it.”
My chest caved inward.
Marcus’s voice turned smooth. “How?”
“I said I’ll handle it.”
No denial.
No argument.
No I won’t exile her.
Just that.
I squeezed my eyes shut hard enough to hurt.
Idiot.
I’d actually started believing things were changing. The protection. The way he looked at me sometimes. The way he touched my arm like letting go physically hurt him.
None of it mattered.
When it came down to choosing between me and his father—
He froze.
Just like always.
Marcus lowered his voice, but I still heard every word. “Tomorrow ends this. One way or another.”
Caden didn’t answer.
That silence destroyed whatever tiny piece of hope I still had left.
My eyes burned instantly. I covered my mouth before a sound could escape.
Don’t cry.
Not here.
Not because of him.
I backed away carefully, heart pounding so hard it made me dizzy. My heels nearly slipped against the marble floor as I turned the corner.
Behind me, the door opened.
I didn’t wait to hear more.
I walked faster.
Then faster.
By the time I reached the ballroom again, my breathing was uneven and my vision blurred from holding tears back.
The gala suddenly felt unbearable.
Music.
Laughter.
Flashing cameras.
Vivienne smiling in the center of it all like she’d already won.
Maybe she had.
Sera spotted me first. “Aria? What happened?”
“I need my coat.”
Her expression changed immediately. “What?”
“My coat,” I repeated tightly. “Now.”
She hurried toward the chair near our table while I fought to keep my face straight. Wolves nearby were already staring again, whispering behind raised glasses.
I couldn’t stay here another second.
Luca appeared beside me before I could leave. “You’re pale.”
“I need to go back to the packhouse.”
His eyes narrowed instantly. “Did something happen?”
I laughed softly, but it sounded broken even to me. “Nothing new.”
“Aria—”
“He’s chosen,” I cut in quietly.
Luca went still.
I looked away before he could see my face properly. “And it’s not me.”
Understanding hit his expression immediately.
“Come on,” he said softly. “I’ll drive you.”
Sera grabbed my hand before we left. “Don’t be alone tonight.”
Too late for that.
I forced a nod anyway and followed Luca out of the ballroom.
The cold night air hit my face hard the second we stepped outside. It helped. Barely.
Behind us, the gala lights still glowed through the massive estate windows. Beautiful. Expensive. Fake.
Luca opened the passenger door for me carefully. “Easy.”
I slid into the seat, one hand instinctively resting over my stomach as the baby shifted restlessly again.
“Hey,” Luca said quietly once he got in beside me. “Don’t spiral before you know everything.”
“I heard enough.”
The engine started.
Neither of us spoke for almost a full minute as the car pulled away from Mooncrest estate.
Then Luca finally said, “What exactly did you hear?”
I stared out the window. “Marcus called me a rogue whore and said I needed to go.”
Luca cursed under his breath.
“And Caden?” he asked carefully.
That was the part that hurt.
Not Marcus.
Never Marcus.
Caden.
I swallowed hard. “He said he’d handle it.”
Luca frowned immediately. “That doesn’t mean—”
“It means enough.” My voice cracked despite my effort to stop it. “If he wanted to protect me, he would’ve said it.”
“He’s under pressure.”
“He’s always under pressure.”
Silence filled the car again.
Streetlights flashed across the windshield as we drove through the dark roads back toward Silverpine territory.
Finally, Luca spoke again. “You think he’s going to exile you tomorrow.”
“Yes.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
I turned toward him slowly. “Would you bet my life on that?”
He didn’t answer.
Because he couldn’t.
My laugh came out shaky. “Exactly.”
Luca gripped the steering wheel harder. “There are people on your side, Aria.”
“Maya. Sera. You.” I nodded faintly. “And none of you can stop Marcus if Caden folds.”
“He might surprise you.”
I looked back out the window. “I’m tired of surviving on might.”
The packhouse gates appeared ahead.
The closer we got, the calmer I became.
Not because things were okay.
Because my decision settled into place with terrifying clarity.
I wasn’t waiting for tomorrow.
I wasn’t sitting in some council chamber while they debated whether I deserved exile, humiliation, or death.
I was done giving them control.
Luca parked near the side entrance and turned toward me immediately. “Don’t do anything reckless tonight.”
Too late for that too.
“I’m just tired,” I said quietly.
He studied me carefully like he knew I was lying.
“Aria.”
“I mean it.” I reached for the door handle. “Thank you for bringing me back.”
He caught my wrist gently before I could leave. “If you need help, call me first. Promise.”
I hesitated.
Then nodded once.
It wasn’t really a promise.
I stepped out before he could say anything else.
The packhouse was quieter now, most wolves still at the gala. My footsteps echoed softly through the hallway as I headed toward my room.
Every step made my chest ache harder.
Because part of me still wanted Caden to burst through the door and say I misunderstood.
That he wasn’t choosing Marcus.
That he wouldn’t let them touch me.
But deep down, I already knew better.
Love didn’t matter if fear controlled him.
I entered my room and locked the door behind me immediately.
Then I moved.
Fast.
Drawer open.
Bag out.
Clothes, documents, a knife and the evidence copies Maya gave me.
My hands shook as I stuffed everything into the duffel bag.
The baby kicked hard suddenly, making me stop.
“I know,” I whispered, pressing a hand against my stomach. “I know.”
Tears finally slipped free.
I wiped them away angrily and kept packing.
No hesitation now.
No more waiting for someone else to save me.
Because tomorrow at noon, Caden would stand in front of the council—
And whether he admitted it or not…
He’d already chosen his side.
So before dawn came—
I was going to disappear.