From this day forward, her only goal was to fight for her brother’s justice.
She would do whatever it took to prove Marcus’s innocence—
Even if it meant standing against the entire pack alone.
Third Person's POV
Everything in Aria and Marcus’s lives was collapsing piece by piece—like a pack left leaderless beneath a darkened moon.
Nothing that had happened over the past months felt just or right. Misfortune followed them like a shadow, each new blow heavier than the last, until even breathing felt difficult.
Yet amid all the chaos, one thing within Aria only grew stronger.
Her faith in her brother.
The longer she watched Marcus suffer beneath the pack’s judgment, the more certain she became that he was innocent.
Marcus changed with each passing day.
The cheerful young wolf who once laughed easily and spoke excitedly about the future now seemed like a fading spirit. His shoulders were always hunched, his gaze distant, as if the light inside him was slowly being swallowed by darkness.
Whispers followed him everywhere within the territory.
When he passed other wolves, their mindlinks buzzed quietly with gossip and suspicion. Some did not even bother to hide their disdain. Their cold stares struck deeper than claws.
Depression wrapped itself around Marcus like iron chains.
If Aria and Sophia had not remained beside him during those first terrible weeks—speaking to him through their soft mindlinks and refusing to leave his side—Marcus might have done something reckless simply to escape the pain.
Their family’s fortune collapsed as well.
Pack trials were not only brutal—they were costly. Appeals to the council, petitions to the elders, and the endless legal disputes drained their resources quickly.
In the end, Aria was forced to sell the mansion that had belonged to their parents.
That home had once been filled with the scent of family—the warmth of shared meals, the echo of laughter during training days, and the comforting presence of the two people who had raised them.
Now it was gone.
Sold for coin that barely kept Marcus’s case alive before the pack council.
And Aria knew exactly who stood behind the Wolfhart tearing their lives apart.
Caleb.
Her former mate.
The Alpha was using every ounce of his authority to crush them.
It was not only rage over the accusations against his stepsister that drove him.
Part of it was bitterness.
Aria had rejected him.