Caleb finally pulled away, breathing heavily.
The moment he released her—
Aria collapsed to the floor.
For a brief moment guilt flickered across his face.
But when he saw Marcus kneeling there in tears, his expression hardened again.
“Now you know how it feels,” Caleb sneered.
“That’s how I felt when I saw my sister.”
He stepped forward and punched Marcus hard.
Aria gasped in horror.
Then—
A sharp crack echoed through the room.
Silence followed.
For the first time since everything began…
Aria had slapped the Alpha.
Third Person's POV
Caleb’s head snapped sharply to the side the instant Aria’s palm struck his cheek.
The crack of the slap rang through the cramped apartment like a whip across stone. A red mark immediately bloomed on his skin.
Aria stood before him trembling.
Her gray wolf eyes glowed faintly, the color deepened by fury and grief. Tears streamed down her face, and her lips—still bruised from the force of his kiss—quivered as she fought to steady her breathing.
For several long seconds, she said nothing.
She had to swallow the Wolfhart raging inside her chest before she could speak. Her wolf clawed beneath her skin, demanding blood, demanding justice.
What Caleb had done went far beyond cruelty.
It was humiliation.
Not only for her—but for her brother as well.
Her gaze flickered toward Marcus.
He was slumped against the floor, shoulders bowed, his head hanging low as if the weight of the world had finally crushed him. The proud young wolf who once carried himself with quiet confidence now looked utterly broken.
Caleb’s relentless torment had achieved exactly what it was meant to do.
And Aria had finally reached her limit.
“Get out.”
The words came out as a low growl, vibrating with the power of her wolf.
Caleb slowly turned his head back toward her.
His golden eyes locked onto the disgust burning in hers.
For a fraction of a second, something in his expression faltered.
Seeing that much hatred directed toward him clearly hurt.
But Aria no longer cared.
“Leave, Caleb Lutherford,” she said coldly, her voice shaking with fury. “You’ve already done more than enough damage. Tomorrow I will petition the Pack Council for a restraining decree. What you did today crossed every sacred boundary the Moon Goddess placed between mates.”
She pointed toward the door.
“So get out of my home.”
Caleb’s jaw tightened as he stepped closer.