Chapter 12 - Lavender and Rain

Connor’s POV

The door clicked shut behind her, but it may as well have been a thunderclap in my ears. Aria was gone again, and the silence she left in her wake was deafening.

Who was that and why did she appear all tensed up when he opened the door?

My wolf was a storm inside me, howling and tearing at my resolve, furious that I’d let her walk away. I slammed my fist against the glass table beside me, the shattering crystal matching the chaos in my chest. Whiskey spilled in amber streaks across the floor, a meaningless mess compared to the wreckage she’d left in my soul.

The frail, broken girl I had abandoned was long gone. The woman who faced me now was a force of nature, brimming with power and icy resolve. My wolf, who’d spent years mourning her absence silently, clawed at me like I was the enemy. ‘You let her leave again. You failed her again,’ my wolf—Theo growled.

“Dammit!” I roared, my voice cracking as I spun, fists clenching.

The reflection in the window stared back at me: a man who was supposed to be Alpha, supposed to be in control. But I wasn’t. Not with her.

I turned toward the door, every muscle in my body screaming to go after her. I couldn’t just let her vanish—not again. Not when I could still feel the bond crackling between us like a live wire, searing my skin, pulling at me.

I was halfway across the room when the door opened. Daniel stepped inside, brows raised, his ever-present smugness replaced with something sharper. “Problems, Alpha Connor?”

I rounded on him, my wolf snarling so close to the surface that Daniel visibly stiffened. He wasn’t a member of my pack, but he wasn’t stupid. “Where did she go?” I growled.

“Ms. Blackwood?” Daniel asked, feigning confusion, though his slick demeanor didn’t fool me. “She left. I can’t say where, but clearly, she’s not interested in lingering for conversation.”

I stormed toward him, my voice low and dangerous. “You brought her here. You knew who she was, didn’t you?”

Daniel smiled, a glint of satisfaction in his eyes. “I may have had my suspicions. She’s a valuable asset, Connor. One I think you’re underestimating.”

My wolf snapped at the bait, but I forced myself to breathe. “You don’t know anything about her.”

“Oh, but I do,” he replied, stepping closer, his voice dropping conspiratorially. “She’s not the broken girl you left behind anymore. She’s a queen on her own right now—a warrior built from the ashes of your rejection. Do you even know what you’re up against?”

His words sank into me like poison. I didn’t need him to remind me of what I’d done. I didn’t need anyone to tell me how badly I’d failed her. But hearing it out loud—that she’d survived, thrived—without me? That stung more than anything.

“Whatever game you’re playing,” I said through gritted teeth, “keep her out of it.”

Daniel’s smile faltered, but he didn’t move. “And what if she’s the one playing you, Alpha? She doesn’t need saving, and she certainly doesn’t need you.”

I grabbed his collar and shoved him against the wall before I could think better of it. His smug mask slipped, fear flickering across his face as my wolf pressed against my skin, demanding control.

“Watch your mouth,” I growled, voice low and dangerous.

Daniel nodded quickly, his hands rising in surrender. I released him with a shove, my breathing ragged as I turned away. My hands shook, my wolf still raging, demanding I find her, pull her back to me, prove the bond wasn’t as broken as it seemed.

“A little advice Alpha? Try to watch your back. She belongs to the most ruthless of them all now,” he said smugly and walked away.

To hell with that. Ruthless? I can wear that character for as long as I have to, if it means winning my mate back. Whatever the cost may be, I don’t give the tiniest fuck.

I forced the thought back and left the room, the hallway echoing with the sharp, deliberate steps of my boots. Each stride was a promise—I wasn’t done. Not with her.

By the time I reached the lobby, the anger was still simmering beneath my skin. I stalked toward the doors, shoving them open and stepping into the night. The city was alive—cars honking, lights flickering, crowds spilling onto the sidewalks. My eyes scanned everything, my senses flaring, hunting for her scent.

Lavender. Rain.

I caught the faint trace of it as I neared the curb, and my wolf surged. She was close. My pulse pounded as I scanned the street, desperate, until—

There.

She stood by the corner, her back to me, phone to her ear as a black car pulled up. Her body was still, poised and composed, as if the night hadn’t shaken her at all.

But she wasn’t alone.

“Aria!” I called, my voice carrying across the traffic.

Her shoulders stiffened. Slowly, she turned, her face blank but her eyes flickering with something I couldn’t read.

She looked right at me, and for a heartbeat, it felt like the world stopped.

“Aria, wait—” I stepped toward her, but she raised her hand.

“Don’t,” she said sharply, her voice cutting through the noise. “I don’t want to hear it, Connor.”

“I need to talk to you,” I said, my voice rough. “Please.”

Her lips curled into something cold—something dangerous. “You don’t get to say ‘please’ to me now.”

The car door opened behind her. She turned away, her steps light as she moved toward it. The man spared me a cold glance before joining her.

“Aria!” I shouted again, desperation clawing at my throat. My wolf was losing control, every instinct screaming that if she left, this time, I wouldn’t get her back.

“Goodbye, Connor,” she said softly, not even looking at me as she stepped into the car.

The door shut, and the car sped off before I could reach it.

The bond between us flared painfully, snapping like a leash yanked too hard, then fell still.

I stood there on the curb, the city moving around me, the world too loud and too bright, and yet all I could feel was the hollow ache in my chest.

She was slipping further away.

And I didn’t know if I’d ever get her back. If she would let me.

One thing was certain—Ivy Blackwood was done with me.

But I wasn’t done with Aria.

Not by a long shot.