CHAPTER 98: CHAPTER 98: IF ONLY THINGS HAD BEEN DIFFERENT

Aeron’s POV~

I tightened my fist, my teeth grinding in the dark room. My world was falling apart again, and I had no idea how to hold it together.

I sat there in the dim light, my thoughts tangled like a storm inside my mind. I could feel it, the dark, twisted swirl of emotions every time I thought of Selene. Hate. Love. Anger. Desire. Fear. Everything I could not name pressed against my chest, suffocating me. And I knew my brother felt the same.

Luca had always been more simple-minded but savage, but I could see the dark fire in his eyes. The desire that whispered in the corners of our hearts, the desire to hold her close, to chain her to our side, to never let her go. I hated it. I hated myself for feeling it, for knowing what my brother felt. And yet... I could not deny it.

My mind went back to the past. When we were just eighteen, she had betrayed us. She had ruined our lives. We had been forced to live like monsters, hiding from the world, hiding from her father. We had suffered, always hungry, and afraid. And yet, she had moved on, given nothing back, while we had carried scars, inside and out, for years.

But now... everything had changed. Fate had brought us back together. She had returned to our lives, giving us something we had never expected. And with that, the world had shifted in a way I could not control.

I did not know what the future held or what we would do. All I could think of was how I wished—wished desperately—that we could turn back time.

Back to when we were just coming of age. Back to when she was thirteen, innocent, bright, and ours in some small way. Back before the pain, before the suffering, before the betrayals. Back to when life had been simple, and love had been easy.

But I knew that was impossible. So much had happened. So much blood, so much loss, so much anger. Nothing could go back. Nothing could be undone.

I closed my eyes and tried to breathe, tried to hold the storm in my chest still. And yet, the thoughts would not stop. Every memory clawed at me. Every ache of the past whispered that she had taken something from us, something we could never reclaim.

My grief twisted into fear. What would happen next? What could happen with her now in our lives again? I did not know. And that terrified me.

A sudden knock on the door made me jolt, my heart leaping into my throat. The sound echoed harshly through the dark room.

"Alpha Aeron," a voice said, soft but firm, "the other alphas are demanding to meet you."

My body stiffened. My jaw clenched. My hands curled into fists at my sides. My chest felt like it was tightening around my ribs, squeezing me. The world suddenly felt heavy and suffocating.

I could feel Luca stir beside me, restless even in sleep, sensing the tension. But I could not focus on that. The words haunted me. Other alphas. Demanding. Meeting. Duty. Politics. Power. Everything I had fought to escape in the last few years was rushing back to me like a wave.

And yet, beneath all of it, the thoughts of Selene would not leave me. The pain of losing her once again, the fear of never seeing her in the future, and the desire I could not name—all of it twisted together inside my chest. I felt like a man caught between fire and ice, knowing I could not escape either.

I stared at the floor, my mind heavy with memories, regrets, and unspoken words. I wanted to scream, to hit something, to throw the world away and start over. I wanted to hold Selene close and never let go. And yet, I also wanted to run, to hide, to protect myself from the storm she had brought into our lives.

The knock came again, louder this time. My eyes snapped toward the door. I took a slow, shuddering breath. I knew I could not stay locked in the dark forever.

I had responsibilities, dangers, and enemies waiting outside. But most of all, I had my brother, helpless and unconscious beside me, and a mate who had once rejected us, whose presence now haunted every thought I had.

I rose to my feet, my expression hardening like steel. My heart still ached, but my resolve was forming. Whatever happened, whatever pain came next, I would face it. I could not let the past dictate our future. I could not let fear or confusion win.

But even as I walked to the door, a small part of me trembled. The dark, unnameable desire still whispered, reminding me of what I wanted and what I feared. It was a dangerous thing, this mixture of love, hate, and obsession. And I did not know if I could control it.

My hand rested on the door handle, my knuckles white. I took a deep breath and turned, prepared to face the other alphas, prepared to deal with politics, prepared to act like the strong alpha I had to be.

And yet, my mind wandered, as it always did, to her. Selene. The white moonlight in my life. The one who had made me feel alive and broken at the same time. The one who had once rejected me yet now stood at the center of my thoughts, my rage, my desire, and my fear.

I opened the door slowly. The hallway outside was dark, and shadows stretched across the walls. The voice of the messenger repeated in my mind: "The other alphas are demanding to meet you."

But even as I walked forward, a chill ran down my spine. Because deep inside, I knew the world had changed, and nothing...nothing would ever be the same again.

How I wish that we could have met in different circumstances.