Chapter 117 What We Carry
Aria moved through the house that morning with a focus so sharp it bordered on obsession. The morning air felt still, almost unnatural.
She dressed quickly, brushed her hair back, and did not stop to look in mirrors. Her reflection, she knew, would show only a hollow steadiness, and she had no desire to confirm it. She had to get started on the preparations.
Kane was in the kitchen arranging breakfast when she passed.He glanced at her briefly and looked away. He didn’t speak. Words had become liabilities lately, and silence was safer.
Aria went to the study, papers spread across the table, lists and notes detailing the observance she was building from scratch. Elder Morgana had no pack of her own, no ceremonial protocols. There was only what Aria could summon from memory, intuition, and respect.
Every corner had to be right. Every flame, every herb, every cushion placed with care to honor Morgana without failing the pack.
“You don’t have to do everything,” Kane said quietly as he leaned against the doorway, holding a tray of herbs and candles.
“I have to,” Aria replied without looking up. Her hand moved over her notes. “No one else can do this. It has to be right.”
Kane set the tray down beside her and studied her for a long moment. “Let me handle the logistics. Food, security, the room. You focus on the observance.”
Aria finally lifted her gaze, meeting his. She did not smile. She did not nod. She just registered him there, a silent acknowledgment, before returning to her lists.
By mid-morning, the inner circle had arrived. Devon, Maya, and Marcus hovered in the background as Aria walked them through the first day’s plans. She spoke only when necessary. Her voice was quiet and precise.
“Candles on either side of the bed,” she said. “Drawings from the twins on the small table by the lamp. Herbs arranged in a circle around her head, representing clarity and protection.”
Marcus frowned. “Do we light them now or during the ceremony?”
“During,” Aria said softly. “Not before. The ritual must start with her presence, not ours.”
Kane stepped forward. “I’ve coordinated with the pack. Food and water will be brought in. Devon, outer patrols begin at dusk. Triple rotations on the southern boundary. Marcus?”
“All cleared,” Marcus said. “No movement without authorization.”
Aria’s hand found a vase of flowers on the table. She arranged them distractedly, her fingers lingering over the stems just long enough for Kane to notice.
She did not speak, but her eyes followed Kane as he confirmed details. He had taken on responsibilities she should have managed. She did not know whether to feel relief or frustration. For now, she felt only observation.
The twins were brought in after breakfast, bright-eyed and oblivious to protocol.
“Can we put our drawings on her bed?” Leo asked.
“You can,” Kane said gently. “She’d like that.”
Aria did not interfere. She watched as they carefully laid their small creations by the lamp, whispering, “We love you, Elder Morgana,” in their three-year-old voices. The room felt impossibly large and empty, and yet filled with the tiny insistence of their presence.
Later, Kane stepped aside. Devon followed him to a private room to double-check the security and access points for the ceremony. Marcus appeared at the doorway. “Message has been sent,” he said quietly, nodding toward Kane. “Victoria has confirmed she’ll meet you. Time and place are set.”
“Good,” Kane said. He exhaled slowly.
“Confirm the arrangement.”
Marcus hesitated. “Alpha, you know I hate lying to Maya and Aria. The timing is wrong. And the optics…”
“I know,” Kane said firmly, leaning back against the wall. “I know all of that. I’ve considered it. But if that child is mine, I won’t make the same mistake twice. I won’t miss being in another child’s life.”
Marcus exhaled sharply. “This could backfire, Kane.”
“I understand,” Kane said evenly. “Confirm the meeting.”
Marcus hesitated, then nodded. “I’ll do it.”
By mid-afternoon, everything was set. The inner circle had settled into their assigned positions, whispers exchanged over the final touches, but none dared disturb Aria. She did not cry. She did not speak beyond necessity. She simply moved through the space with deliberate precision, like a shadow performing a sacred task.
When evening fell, the observance began. Aria stood at the head of the room, hands lightly brushing the wooden surface of Morgana’s bed. Kane remained beside her, quiet and watchful.
“The first day is private,” Aria instructed softly. “Family, inner circle, and the children.”
Marcus and Devon acknowledged with nods.
The twins watched from a small distance, holding Kane’s hands. “We’ll draw more tomorrow,” Leo whispered.
“You will,” Kane replied. “Elder Morgana will see every one of them and she will love them all.”
Candles were lit. The small circle of herbs and tokens glimmered in the low light. Aria’s chest felt heavy but steady. No tears came, only a quiet, unbroken resolve.
After the ceremony, Kane slipped away quietly.
Aria remained behind, tidying the space. She straightened the candles one by one, adjusting their spacing until the lines were exact. She smoothed the cloth beneath Morgana’s photograph. She gathered loose beads and returned them to their circle.
Marcus lingered near the doorway.
“You don’t have to do that tonight,” he said gently.
“I do,” Aria replied, still kneeling. “If I leave it unfinished, it feels wrong.”
“It can wait until morning.”
She adjusted a candle a fraction to the left. “Grief doesn’t excuse carelessness.”
Marcus studied her for a moment, then nodded once and stepped back.
Outside the compound walls, beyond the reach of the main lights, Kane stopped a careful distance from the gate.
Victoria stepped out from the shadow of a parked car, her posture composed, her expression unreadable.
“So,” she said. “Have you finally come to your senses?”
“I did not come here for that.”
“Then why are you here, Kane?”
He held her gaze. “I need to know if the child is mine.”
Her composure faltered for a fraction of a second before hardening again.
“You think you can just walk in here and ask that?”
“Yes.”
“You do not get to demand anything from me.”
“I am not demanding,” he said evenly. “I am asking for the truth.”
She stepped closer. “You want the truth now? After leading me on and leaving me out to dry?”
“I never promised you a future.”
“You did not have to,” she snapped. “You stayed. You touched me like I mattered. You made me believe I was not temporary.”
He did not interrupt.
“You say I lied,” she continued, voice shaking now. “And I did. But you used me. You wanted comfort while you figured out your heart. You wanted loyalty without choosing.”
Kane swallowed. The instinct to defend himself rose and died just as quickly.
“You are right,” he said quietly.
Victoria froze.
“I should have walked away completely,” he continued. “I should not have blurred the lines. I was not fair to you.”
Her anger flickered into something more fragile.
“You knew I loved you,” she said.
“Yes.”
“And you stayed anyway.”
“Yes.”
The admission hung heavy between them.
Kane stepped closer. “If that child is mine, I will not disappear. I will not be halfway in and halfway out. I will be present. Fully.”
“With her?” Victoria asked.
“Yes.”
The word landed like a blow.
“You still choose her,” she said.
“I do.”
“And you expect me to let you near this child while she stands beside you?”
“I expect you to do what is right.”
Her expression sharpened. “Do not talk to me about what is right.”
“What are you asking, Victoria?”
She looked at him for a long moment, then said it plainly.
“Leave her. Publicly. Completely. Marry me. Then you can be a father.”