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Chapter 5: The Unspoken Truth
Days had passed since Nigel last saw Aria. The encounter in the woods haunted him, looping through his mind like a memory he couldn't shake. Every word she said had carved itself deep into him. But it wasn't just the things she said—it was what she didn't say. The way she looked at him. The silence in between.
He wasn't used to silence. Not from her.
Back when they were younger, before the titles, before the pack politics, she used to talk to him about everything. Her dreams. Her fears. The stars.
Now, all she gave him was distance.
And it was killing him.
Nigel made his way to the edge of the river that cut through the pack territory. The same place they used to meet when they wanted to escape from the world, back when everything was simple—before he let power twist him into something unrecognizable.
He sat on a rock, staring at the current, wondering if Aria still came here.
Part of him hoped she didn't.
Because if she did, it would mean she still remembered.
A voice broke the silence behind him. "Didn't think I'd see you here again."
He didn't need to turn. He knew that voice.
Aria.
Slowly, he stood and faced her. She looked tired—but strong. Stronger than he remembered. Like life had carved edges into her that he'd never noticed before.
"I needed to think," he said quietly.
She raised an eyebrow. "Still trying to fix things?"
He nodded. "Trying to figure out how."
A long silence stretched between them. The river kept moving. She looked away, her arms crossing over her chest like a shield.
"You were never good at saying what you meant," she said finally.
"I'm trying to be better at that too," he replied, and for once, there was no bitterness in his voice. Just honesty.
She met his eyes. "Then say it. Whatever it is."
He hesitated. The words caught in his throat, too heavy to push out. But this was his chance. If he didn't say it now, he might never get another.
"I was wrong," he said. "About everything. I chose power over people. Over you. I thought being Alpha meant I had to shut everything out, but all it did was make me empty. I lost the only person who actually believed in me."
Her expression didn't change, but her fingers curled tighter around her arms.
"I never stopped believing in you, Nigel," she said softly. "Even when you were making every wrong choice, I still… hoped you'd remember who you were."
He stepped closer. "I remember now. I just don't know if it's too late."
Another pause. She looked down at the river, like it held answers she couldn't find in his eyes.
"Sometimes remembering isn't enough," she said. "Sometimes you have to prove it."
"I want to," he said. "Not just for you—for me too."
Her eyes searched his face, looking for truth. She must have seen something in him, because her stance softened just a little.
"Then stop hiding," she said. "If you want to earn back what you lost, start acting like the man I thought you were. Not the Alpha. Not the wolf. Just… Nigel."
He took a breath. That name hadn't sounded right in a long time. But hearing it from her—it made something settle in his chest.
He nodded once. "Okay."
They stood there for a moment longer, the silence this time less sharp. Less cold.
Just before she turned to leave, she glanced over her shoulder.
"You've got a long road ahead," she said. "Don't mess it up."
And then she was gone.
But this time, Nigel didn't feel empty.
He felt determined.
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End of Chapter 5
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