The hatred he had seen in her eyes earlier made one thing painfully clear.
He had already lost her.
Deep down Caleb knew that no matter what he did, winning back her love might be impossible.
But that didn’t mean he was willing to let her go.
He was selfish enough to admit that.
If forcing her to return was the only option left…
Then so be it.
He would break her resistance first.
Then he would mend the damage afterward.
Caleb trusted his sister completely.
To him, Clara was the victim.
And he would stop at nothing to punish the man who had hurt her.
Even if that meant turning the lives of those siblings into a living nightmare.
Anyone who made his sister cry deserved to suffer.
---
Back inside the apartment, Aria stayed beside Marcus for hours until his breathing finally steadied.
The next morning she sent a formal petition to the Pack Council, requesting a restraining decree against Caleb.
When the notice reached him later that day, fury burned through him like wildfire.
No one had the right to keep him away from the woman he loved.
But despite his rage, Caleb chose not to react immediately.
Instead, he waited.
He wanted Aria to break that decree herself.
To return to him willingly.
Weeks passed slowly.
Marcus’s mental state continued to deteriorate.
Nightmares haunted him almost every night. Sometimes he woke screaming, drenched in sweat. During the day he often sat silently for hours, staring into nothingness as if the world around him had faded away.
Aria brought a healer—an elder wolf skilled in mending wounded minds.
Marcus refused to speak to him.
Still, Aria refused to give up.
She fought tirelessly—for Marcus’s recovery and for justice.
But the situation only worsened.
During one of the council hearings, it became painfully clear that Marcus’s chances of winning the case were nearly nonexistent.
They had no evidence strong enough to disprove Clara’s accusations.
Aria’s hatred toward Caleb deepened even further when she discovered what he had done next.
He had bribed their advocate before the council.
A heavy pouch of gold had been enough to make the man abandon Marcus’s defense entirely.
Caleb’s influence and Alpha power were being used in the dirtiest possible ways.
He was determined to crush them.
But Aria refused to surrender.
She would fight until her last breath.
---
“Marcus?” she called softly one evening. “Where are you? Dinner is ready.”
Silence filled the apartment.