3 In Front of Everyone

Lucas’s POV

The soft hum of fluorescent lights filled the small boutique as I stood in front of a row of suits, my fingers absently skimming over the fabric. Midnight black, deep navy, charcoal gray. Each one was perfectly tailored, sleek, and expensive. None of them felt right though. I exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through my hair. This was ridiculous. It was just a party.

Just Aria’s birthday party.

And yet, here I was, spending an unreasonable amount of time choosing something to wear.

I could’ve thrown on any of the suits in my closet, but for some reason, I had found myself here, staring at a new selection, trying to pick something better.

Something she’d like.

That thought alone had me stiffening.

What the hell is wrong with me?

Aria had always been a constant in my life, my best friend, the one person I could trust completely. She was like a little sister—someone I had sworn to protect, not someone I should be thinking about like this.

And yet, lately, I couldn’t stop.

The way she laughed, the way she looked at me with those bright, curious eyes, the way her scent lingered in the air just a little longer than it should have—everything about her was getting under my skin.

I clenched my jaw. No. Stop it.

.

She deserved better. Someone stronger. Someone worthy.

And that wasn’t me.

Pushing those thoughts aside, I grabbed a black suit off the rack and headed to the register. It didn’t matter what I wore.

Tonight was about her.

And after tonight, she’d find the one who was meant for her. Her mate. The thought made my wolf restless, but I ignored it.

It had nothing to do with me anyway.

The party was already in full swing by the time I arrived.

The venue was packed—music boomed loudly, bodies swayed on the dance floor, and the scent of expensive perfume and alcohol mixed together.

I barely made it two steps inside before people greeted me.

“Lucas, my man!”

“Hey, Carter, looking sharp!”

“Lucas, did you see Macy? She’s been looking for you all night—”

I ignored that last comment. Macy was the last person I wanted to deal with right now.

Instead, my eyes instinctively searched for one person.

Aria.

A scent hit me that had my entire body going rigid. It wasn’t perfume or alcohol or anything artificial. It was warm, intoxicating, something raw and natural that sent a pulse of electricity straight through my veins. It wrapped around me, digging into my skin, awakening something deep in my chest.

Mate.

The word thundered through my mind, a low growl escaping before I could stop it.

My wolf knew. And when I turned my head, I saw her.

Aria. Standing at the entrance, bathed in soft golden light, looking more breathtaking than I had ever seen her before. My breath caught in my throat.

The dress she wore hugged her body like a second skin, deep red and silky, clinging to every curve in a way that made my thoughts dangerous. Her dark curls framed her face in soft waves, and when she looked up, her gaze locked onto mine. Time stopped. The noise, the music, the people—it all blurred into nothing. It was just her. My mate.

No. No, no, no. This wasn’t supposed to happen. This couldn’t happen.

I took a sharp step back, my entire body burning with the force of my wolf trying to push forward, trying to claim her. But I couldn’t. I wouldn’t. Because if I did, if I accepted this, I’d ruin her, and I could never let that happen.

Aria’s POV

A strange warmth spread through my chest, slow at first, then building until it felt like fire coursing through my veins. I gasped, my fingers tightening against the fabric of my dress as a sudden presence stirred deep within me. Finally.

The voice was strong and soothing, carrying an ancient vibe that sent a shiver down my spine. It wasn’t my own.

Who… who are you? I asked, my thoughts suddenly open to something greater than myself.

A low, affectionate hum echoed in my mind.

I am you, Aria. I am your wolf. And I have waited a long time for this moment.

My wolf.

The realization sent a rush of emotions crashing over me. I had known this day would come, but nothing could have prepared me for the raw intensity of it. It was like discovering a missing piece of myself that I had never known I lacked until now.

We are whole now, she whispered. And tonight, we find what is ours.

Before I could respond, something else hit me. An intoxicating scent that sent my pulse racing, something so warm and so familiar, that it made my newly awakened wolf stir restlessly.

Mate.

The word was spoken in perfect unison, both by my wolf and the bond itself.

My breath caught.

Lucas.

It felt like gravity itself had shifted as I stared at him for the longest time.

I forgot how to breathe.

Tears welled in my eyes as the world around us faded into nothing until it was only him and me here. It was real. Oh my God. It was real. This was happening. He was my mate. Lucas was mine. My mate.

It was undoubtedly the happiest day of my life.

My entire life, I had wondered who it would be. Who the Moon Goddess would pair me with, who would be my other half. I had always wondered if she would send someone I hated my way, just to torture me for the rest of my already miserable life. Or if she would send someone who didn’t mind that I wasn’t pretty and would just accept me the way I was.

And now, standing here, looking into his deep blue eyes, I knew.

It had always been him.

Always.

I took a step forward, drawn to him by the bond.

The room went silent.

I barely noticed the gasps and the whispers spreading like wildfire as people realized what was happening.

But I felt the envious stares from the girls who had spent years trying to claim him.

I didn’t care. I didn’t care that they were going to hate me from now on. I honestly didn’t. He was mine now. Nothing else mattered.

I kept walking, my heartbeat hammering in my ears.

Lucas stood frozen, his face unreadable, but I could feel it. I could feel the bond that was pulling us together.

I stopped in front of him, my lips parting, ready to say something, anything—

And then, his expression changed.

It changed completely from the warm, welcoming one I had always known to the cold, empty one that was foreign to me. He looked at me with emotionless eyes, like I was nothing.

A sliver of ice slid down my spine.

No.

No, that wasn’t right. It couldn’t be.

A flicker of hesitation crossed his features so quickly I almost missed it, then his jaw tightened. His hands curled into fists at his sides. And then he finally spoke in a sharp voice that left absolutely no room for argument.

“I, Lucas Carter, reject you, Aria Lawson, as my mate.”

The words sliced through me like a blade.

A sharp, unbearable pain exploded in my chest, ripping through my very soul, shattering the bond before it had even begun.

I staggered back, my breath hitching.

No.

No, this wasn’t happening.

I barely registered the collective gasps around us, the horrified whispers, the stunned expressions.

All I could see was him.

Lucas.

The boy I had known my entire life. The boy I had secretly loved.

The boy who was meant to be mine.

Rejecting me.

Tears burned my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.

Instead, I lifted my chin, forcing my face into an emotionless one like he did, even as my heart shattered into a thousand pieces.

Lucas’s gaze lingered on me for a fraction of a second, something almost like regret flickering in his eyes before he turned away.

And just like that, he was gone, leaving me standing there absolutely embarrassed and broken.