Chapter 6 Xander's Coldness

• Theme: Emotional Distance
• Aria's POV
• The ride to Xander’s pack feels like a haze. One minute, I was standing in my territory, surrounded by the wolves I’ve known all my life, and the next, I was being whisked away by a man who rarely talked to me.
• We arrive in his pack area just as the sun dips below the horizon. The sky is painted in tones of purple and orange, but it does nothing to soothe the knot in my gut. Xander rushes ahead, barely glancing back at me. His posture is tight, his look unreadable. I trudge behind him, feeling like I don’t belong, that I’ve been forced here against my will.
• We enter a massive, stone-built home that must be his pack headquarters. Wolves mill around, eyeing our way with an interested, watchful gaze. Their stares make me feel small like I’m some sort of outsider. And maybe I am.
• Once inside, Xander doesn’t slow down. He walks straight down the halls, his huge strides making it hard for me to keep up. I eventually get the guts to speak.
• “Xander,” I shout out, my voice trembling but firm. He stops, turning to face me with the same cold, faraway gaze he’s had since he claimed me.
• “Why are you doing this?” I ask, my chest constricting. “If you don’t even want me, why bring me here?”
• For a minute, there’s silence. Xander’s black eyes flicker with something...something I can’t quite decipher. But it’s gone as swiftly as it appears, replaced by a stern face.
• “You’ll understand soon enough,” he answers, his voice low, almost contemptuous.
• “Understand what?” I press, desperate for answers. “You claim me, drag me to your pack, and now you act like I’m nothing more than a burden. What is this about?”
• He steps closer, his presence intimidating. “I don’t owe you an explanation, Aria. You’re mine now. That’s all you need to know.”
• My heart sinks at his words. I feel a knot developing in my throat, but I refuse to cry in front of him. Instead, I nod stiffly and follow him in silence as he leads me to a room upstairs.
• When we reach the door, he doesn’t bother to say anything else. He merely indicates for me to go inside. I step in, the door closing softly behind me. Alone in the room, I drop into the bed, tears burning in my eyes.
• Why is he doing this?
• Aria's POV
• The next morning, I woke up with the same heaviness in my chest. The room Xander put me in is magnificent, yet it feels like a cage. I don’t belong here, and I don’t even know why I’m here. I thought Xander claiming me meant something, but now… now I’m not so sure.
• As I make my way downstairs, I notice the stares again. The wolves in Xander’s pack observe me, their gazes filled with distrust and discomfort. It’s like they don’t trust me like they’re waiting for me to prove myself.....or fail.
• I pass past a group of them, their voices low as they whisper to one another. I can’t help but overhear.
• “She doesn’t belong here,” one of them adds, his voice oozing with scorn.
• “She’s not one of us,” another agrees. “What is Xander thinking?”
• Their remarks cut deep, but I pretend not to hear them, keeping my head down as I walk by. The loneliness I feel is terrible. I don’t know anyone here, and Xander’s coldness makes it even worse. It’s like I’m locked in a land where no one wants me, not even the man who claimed me as his mate.
• I believed things would be different with Xander, that maybe he saw something in me that Damian didn’t. But now I wonder whether I was wrong, maybe this is just another rejection—another way to convince me that I’ll never be good enough.
• I’m alone here, I thought to myself as I stepped outside, craving fresh air. Completely alone.
• (Aria's POV)
• Later that day, I’m strolling through the pack grounds, trying to clear my head, when I hear sounds coming from a building nearby. Curiosity gets the best of me, and I approach closer, crouching behind a corner to listen.
• It’s Xander. His deep voice is distinct. But there’s someone else with him—a man I don’t recognize. His beta, maybe? I press myself against the wall, straining to hear their talk.
• “She doesn’t know,” Xander adds, his tone tight.
• “She’ll figure it out eventually,” the other man replies. “Especially if you keep treating her like this.”
• Xander gives out a deep growl. “It doesn’t matter. She’s part of the prophecy, whether she likes it or not.”
• My heart skips a beat. Prophecy? What prophecy?
• “You’re playing a dangerous game, Xander,” the speaker continues. “Using her like this… it’s risky. If she finds out…”
• “She won’t,” Xander snaps. “She doesn’t need to know the details. All she needs to do is stay here, complete her duty, and we’ll all get what we want.”
• I feel like the ground has been pulled out from under me. My mind is spinning, trying to make sense of what I just heard. Xander is using me? For some prophecy? All this time, I assumed he claimed me because of the mating link because he felt something for me. But now I realize… I’m nothing more than a tool to him.
• So that’s all I am to him? A tool?
• The hurt wells up inside me, ready to spill over. I back away from the building, my chest heaving with fury and confusion. I don’t understand any of this. The rejection, the coldness, the murmurs of a prophecy....it’s unbearable.
• I stumble back to my room, my mind spinning. Xander doesn’t care about me, He never did. All this time, I was merely a piece in some larger game, something he needed to complete his ambitions. And the worst part? I don’t even know what those plans are.
• As I sit on the side of the bed, my hands clenched, I make a decision. I can’t stay here. Not like this. Not when I know the truth.