---
Chapter 3: The Price of Power
Nigel felt the weight of the night pressing in around him. Every snap of a twig beneath his boots, every rustle of leaves, felt like it was echoing through the woods. Alone. That was the one thing he couldn't escape. Alone with his thoughts, his failures, and the sound of his heart pounding with a mix of regret and longing.
The pack had fallen apart, and he had no idea where to go from here. His power was gone. His position was taken. But it was Aria who consumed his every thought. She had walked away, but the sting of her betrayal—no, his betrayal—had stayed with him. And it hurt in ways he wasn't prepared for.
A sudden rustle in the underbrush snapped his attention away from the dark thoughts swirling in his mind. In the blink of an eye, he shifted into his wolf form, muscles coiled, eyes scanning the forest. His instincts kicked in—something was wrong.
But when the figure stepped into the clearing, he froze. It was Aria.
Her eyes locked onto his, and for a moment, neither of them moved. The world around them seemed to stop, as though even the wind had paused to witness this moment.
Finally, Aria broke the silence. "I thought I'd find you here," she said, her voice colder than the night air, though there was something raw beneath it—something unspoken that still lingered between them.
"What do you want, Aria?" Nigel's voice was low, controlled, but the edge of desperation was there. She was standing in front of him, but the distance between them felt infinite.
She tilted her head slightly, sizing him up. "I didn't come for you, Nigel," she said, her eyes flashing in the moonlight. "I came to make sure you don't do something stupid. You're not the Alpha anymore. You know that, right? The wolves who are still loyal to you… they'll try to take everything you have left. You're vulnerable."
His chest tightened at her words. He had no pack. No allies. Nothing but his own shame and pride. She was right. But hearing her speak about his weaknesses—his losses—made his anger flare.
"I don't need your help," he spat, his claws digging into the earth. "I never did. I never needed anyone."
Her gaze softened for just a moment, but then her expression hardened again. "You've always thought you could do it alone, haven't you? Look where that's gotten you now."
She took a slow step toward him, her presence commanding, and yet there was something almost sad about the way she stood. "You've lost everything, Nigel. Your pack. Your power. Your place in this world. And you'll never get it back."
He flinched at the truth in her words, the sharp sting of her reminder cutting through the thick wall he'd built around himself. He had chosen power over love, over her. And now, nothing was left.
"Why are you here?" he asked again, this time softer, almost pleading. "To rub my failures in my face?"
"No," she replied, her voice tight. "I'm here to remind you of the price of all of it. The price of power. The price of what you threw away." Her voice grew quieter, but the pain was clear. "I didn't want any of this. But you made me choose—me or your damn title. You chose power, and now you'll see what it cost you."
There was a long silence, and for a brief second, Nigel wanted to reach out, to explain himself. But the words wouldn't come. Nothing could fix this. Nothing could fix them.
"I didn't think I'd ever hear you speak like that," he whispered, pain threading through his words. "Not about me."
Aria let out a small, bitter laugh. "I never thought I'd have to be the one to show you the consequences of your choices. But here we are."
He looked at her, the woman who had once been everything to him. The woman he had lost, and who had become a stranger.
"I'm sorry, Aria," he said, his voice a ragged whisper. "I never meant for any of this to happen."
Her eyes flashed with something that might have been sympathy, but it was gone just as quickly as it came. "Sorry doesn't bring back what you lost," she said, her voice colder now. "And it certainly doesn't fix what you've done."
Nigel felt the weight of her words, the truth that was almost too much to bear. She was right. Nothing would fix it. He could apologize until his voice gave out, but it wouldn't change the fact that he had ruined everything.
Aria turned to leave, her figure disappearing into the shadows of the trees, but before she was gone, she spoke one last time.
"Don't make things worse, Nigel," she said quietly. "There are worse things than death waiting for you."
And then, she was gone.
---
---