Chapter 2

"Aria!"

Chloe let go of Lucas’s arm and quickly jogged toward me.

Looking incredibly warm and friendly, she linked her arm through mine. "What a coincidence! I finally had some free time today to visit Margaret with Lucas. I didn't expect to run into you here!"

She looked at me with wide, innocent eyes. To anyone else, she looked completely harmless. But only I knew the deep-seated malice hiding beneath her pretty gaze.

I pulled my arm out of her grip without saying a word, attempting to walk around her.

But Lucas stepped in, blocking my path.

"Aria, what are you doing here?"

His questioning tone boomed over my head. I looked up, meeting the thick suspicion and disgust etched on his face. "Are you here to complain to my mother about Chloe and me again? Or did you spy on us and show up on purpose?"

"Aria, I’ve told you a thousand times, Chloe and I are just—"

"You're overthinking," I interrupted before he could finish.

I met his freezing gaze, but this time, my heart didn't ache at all. "I’m not that childish anymore," I said quietly.

A flash of genuine shock crossed his face, his eyes locking onto mine.

Well, it made sense.

Ever since Chloe returned, our already fragile relationship had hit rock bottom. We had fought countless times because of her.

But now, I was done fighting.

"I have things to do. Enjoy your visit," I said.

Ignoring his reaction, I turned on my heel and walked away without looking back.

I hadn't walked far when my phone buzzed. It was a Snapchat message from Chloe.

It was a series of photos of her and Lucas at the Harrington estate, along with a short video.

In the video, Chloe was sitting closely next to Lucas on the couch. Elder Luna Margaret sat on one side, and Lucas’s younger sister sat on the other. They were all laughing and chatting happily.

Unlike the disgusted look Margaret always gave me, her face was glowing with genuine joy.

They looked like a real, loving family.

And honestly, in the eyes of everyone in the Harrington family, Chloe was indeed the rightful Luna.

If this were in the past, seeing these photos would have driven me crazy. My chest would have tightened with suffocating pain, and I would have called Lucas to scream at him.

But now, my heart was completely flat.

I calmly typed back a few words: [You look great together. Congrats.]

Then, I locked my screen and put the phone away, completely shutting it out of my mind.

That night, as expected, Lucas didn't come home.

Instead, his name popped up on the local pack’s high-society tabloid page: *Lucas Harrington and Chloe Whitfield Spotted Together at Harrington Estate, Sparking Rumors.*

In the featured photo, Chloe was holding Lucas's arm intimately, and he was looking down at her with a soft, indulgent smile.

They looked incredibly perfect for each other.

I scrolled down to see a few posts from mutual pack members on Snapchat.

Many pack warriors and she-wolves were commenting underneath:

"Is it finally happening?"

"Chloe, if you finally bag our Alpha, you have to buy us all drinks!"

Chloe replied to those comments with a string of blushing emojis.

I closed the app, unable to care less.

Just as I was about to turn off the lights and go to sleep, my phone rang.

When I saw the caller ID, I froze.

It was Howard Grant, Lucas’s Beta.

Ever since Lucas and I got married, he had rarely introduced me to his inner circle, let alone invited me to their hangouts. Why was his Beta calling me now?

As I was hesitating, my finger accidentally swiped the screen and answered the call.

"Aria, Alpha Lucas is completely wasted at Twilight Bar. Can you come pick him up?"

"What?" I frowned. Shouldn't he be calling Chloe instead?

Logically speaking, Chloe should be right by his side.

I wanted to ask more, but the line went dead. I tried calling back, but no one answered.

After debating with myself, I finally got out of bed, changed my clothes, and drove out.