I Left Before He Learned My Worth novel Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**ARIA**

A warmth crept up my neck, igniting my cheeks in an embarrassing flush. “That’s… well, that’s something for the future,” I managed to stammer, my voice barely above a whisper.

A tiny girl, no older than five, leaned in closer, her wide eyes sparkling with mischief. “Have you kissed him yet?” she asked, her voice a loud whisper that echoed in the air, laden with the thrill of her scandalous inquiry.

My face turned a deeper shade of crimson. “I-we haven’t-that’s not—” I stuttered, fumbling for words that seemed to elude me.

“Alright, alright, give the poor woman some breathing room!” Nina swooped in like a guardian angel, her presence a welcome relief. She gently shooed the inquisitive children away with a playful yet firm hand. “Luna Aria will answer all your questions eventually. Now, off you go—don’t you have lessons with Teacher Marcus?”

The children groaned in unison, but they obeyed, scampering off toward the education lodge, their giggles trailing behind them like a sweet melody.

I pressed my hands to my burning cheeks, still reeling from the unexpected attention. “I wasn’t expecting that,” I admitted, half-laughing, half-embarrassed.

“They’re just excited,” Nina said, linking her arm through mine as we resumed our rounds. “We haven’t had a Luna in three years—not since Kael’s mother passed. The pack has felt… incomplete without that nurturing presence, that feminine energy. They’re ready to welcome you with open arms.”

“Even though I’m an outsider? Even though this bond is arranged, not fated?” I questioned, doubt gnawing at my insides.

“Even though,” Nina affirmed with a reassuring smile. “You’re here, Aria. You came when we needed help. That’s what truly matters.”

I wanted to cling to her words, to let them wash over me like a balm. But as we walked back toward the pack house, uncertainty loomed like a shadow. I was stepping into a life that felt foreign, preparing to bond with an Alpha I barely knew, all while trying to fill shoes that seemed impossibly large.

Later that afternoon, I found myself in the small office Nina had cobbled together for me. It was little more than a transformed storage room, furnished with a desk and a few filing cabinets, yet it felt like a sanctuary. Just as I began to settle into my thoughts, a young wolf named Thomas knocked at the door.

“Letter for you, Miss Aria,” he announced, handing me a sealed envelope. “Came through the neutral courier system.”

My heart sank as I recognized the elegant handwriting on the envelope.

**Luna Margaret.**

Once I was certain Thomas had left, I opened the letter, my hands trembling as I unfolded the paper. The message was brief, written in Margaret’s precise script:

*Aria,*

*Alpha Damon has been asking questions about your whereabouts. I told him you were on a gathering expedition that would last a week, but he’s growing suspicious. He’s been calling your phone repeatedly, and I fear he’ll discover the truth soon.*

*You must send him a message. Tell him you’re staying longer to gather rare plants, that you’re safe and will return when you’re finished. Make it convincing. If Damon discovers you’re in Shadowmere territory preparing to bond with another Alpha, he will come for you. His wolf won’t accept losing you without a fight, and the resulting conflict between packs could be catastrophic.*

*I know you’re angry with him—you have every right to be. But please, for the sake of peace between our territories, don’t let him find out where you really are. Not until after the bonding ceremony, when the bond is complete and irreversible.*

*Do this one last thing for the pack that raised you.*

*-Margaret*

I read the letter three times, each pass intensifying the tremor in my hands.

Damon was searching for me. Calling out my name. Growing increasingly suspicious.

A part of me—the one that had loved him fiercely for years—wanted to feel a sense of triumph at that revelation. It wanted to believe that his concern indicated he truly cared, that he was finally awakening to the reality of what he had lost.

But the other part of me, the more rational side, knew better.

Damon didn’t want me. He wanted Sera—he had made that abundantly clear. What he couldn’t bear was the thought of losing control, losing the omega who had devoted herself to him, the one who had always been there to ease his guilt whenever he needed solace.

My wolf snarled at the thought, offended on both our behalves.

I pulled out my phone, staring at the screen in disbelief. Seventeen missed calls from Damon. Twelve text messages, each one more frantic than the last:

*Where are you?*

*Aria, call me back.*

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