Aria's POV
"How do you know?" I demanded, backing away from Kai like he was dangerous.
He held up his hands peacefully. "Your scent changed. Only someone who knows what to look for would notice, but I've been around pregnant wolves before."
"And you're not going to tell Damon?" My voice shook with fear and hope.
"That depends," Kai said carefully. "Are you planning to raise this child alone? In exile? Never letting them know their father or their pack?"
"If that's what it takes to prevent a war, then yes." I lifted my chin stubbornly. "My child will be safe and loved. That's all that matters."
Kai studied my face in the moonlight. "You're serious about this."
"Dead serious."
"Then no, I won't tell Damon. But I'm not letting you disappear alone either." He pulled car keys from his pocket. "My truck is parked down the road. We leave now, before anyone else shows up looking for you."
"Why would you help me?" I asked suspiciously. "What's in it for you?"
Kai's expression grew sad. "Because I've watched my cousin destroy himself trying to be the perfect Alpha. Because I've seen what duty without happiness does to a person. And because..." He paused. "Because I care about you too, Aria. Not the way Damon does, but I care."
Before I could ask what he meant by that, Riley grabbed my arm.
"Aria, we need to go. I just saw lights moving through the forest. Someone's coming."
My heart jumped into my throat. "Isabella's guards?"
"Probably," Kai said grimly. "They must have figured out you didn't really leave yet."
Without another word, we ran. Kai led us through the dark trees to where his black truck was hidden behind some bushes. Riley threw my bag in the back while I climbed into the passenger seat.
"Wait," I said as Kai started the engine. "Riley, you can't come with us. If Isabella finds out you helped me escape-"
"I'm not going with you," Riley said, tears streaming down her face. "I'm staying here to cover for you. I'll tell everyone you left hours ago, heading east toward the human cities."
"Riley-"
"Take care of yourself," she said fiercely, hugging me through the open window. "Take care of that baby. And don't you dare feel guilty about this choice."
"I love you," I whispered.
"I love you too. Now go!"
Kai hit the gas, and we drove away from my cottage, away from my best friend, away from everything I'd ever known. I watched Riley's figure disappear in the darkness and felt like my heart was being torn in half.
"She'll be okay," Kai said quietly, like he could read my thoughts. "Riley's tough. She can handle whatever comes."
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. Everything was happening too fast. A few hours ago, I'd been planning to spend my life with Damon. Now I was fleeing in the night with his cousin, carrying a secret that could destroy both our lives.
"Where are we going?" I asked as Kai turned onto the main road.
"I have a cabin about three hours north of here. It's remote, quiet, safe. We can stay there while we figure out what to do next."
"We?" I looked at him suspiciously. "I thought you were just helping me escape. I didn't think you were planning to stay."
Kai was quiet for a moment, focusing on the dark road ahead. "Aria, you're carrying the next heir to the Blackwood Pack. Even if Damon never knows about the child, I have a duty to protect both of you."
"I don't want protection. I want to be left alone."
"And I want my cousin to be happy," Kai replied. "But we don't always get what we want."
We drove in silence for a while. I pressed my forehead against the cool window and watched the familiar landscape of Blackwood territory disappear behind us. Every mile took me further from Damon, but also further from the life that was slowly killing both of us.
"Can I ask you something?" I said eventually.
"Sure."
"Why did you lie to Damon about me already being gone? You could have let him find me. Let him convince me to run away with him."
Kai's hands tightened on the steering wheel. "Because I've seen what war does to a pack. I was just a kid during the last big conflict, but I remember the bodies. The crying families. The children who lost their parents."
"So you chose the pack over Damon's happiness too," I said quietly.
"I chose preventing unnecessary death over romantic drama," Kai corrected. "There's a difference."
"Is there? Because it feels like everyone's making choices for everyone else. Isabella choosing to threaten war. You choosing to lie to Damon. Me choosing to leave. When does anyone get to choose their own happiness?"
"When happiness doesn't come at the cost of innocent lives," Kai said firmly.
I wanted to argue with him, but deep down, I knew he was right. That didn't make it hurt less.
"Promise me something," I said suddenly.
"What?"
"Promise me you'll never tell Damon about the baby. No matter what happens. No matter how guilty you feel or how much you think he deserves to know. Promise me."
Kai was quiet for so long I thought he wasn't going to answer. When he finally spoke, his voice was heavy with reluctance.
"I promise. But Aria... secrets have a way of coming out eventually. And when they do, the explosion is usually worse than if you'd just told the truth from the beginning."
"Then I'll deal with that explosion when it happens," I said stubbornly. "But not until my child is safe."
"Our child will be safe," Kai said, and something in the way he said "our" made me look at him sharply.
"What do you mean, 'our'?"
Kai glanced at me quickly, then looked back at the road. "I mean... if you'll let me... I'd like to help you raise this baby. Not as the father, but as family. As protection."
I stared at him in shock. "Kai, you can't just give up your entire life for me and some baby that isn't even yours."
"It's my cousin's baby," Kai said quietly. "That makes it my family. And you... you're important to me too, Aria. More important than you probably realize."
Before I could ask him what he meant by that, Kai suddenly cursed and hit the brakes hard. The truck slowed down, and he pulled over to the shoulder of the road.
"What's wrong?" I asked, my heart racing.
"Look in the rearview mirror," Kai said grimly.
I twisted around to look behind us, and my blood turned to ice. About half a mile back, I could see headlights following the same route we'd taken. The car was staying far enough back to avoid being obvious, but it had made every turn we'd made.
"How long have they been following us?" I whispered.
"At least twenty minutes," Kai said, checking his mirrors. "I was hoping I was being paranoid, but they've matched our speed perfectly and kept the exact same distance the whole time."
"Isabella," I said, fear clawing at my throat. "She must have figured out I didn't really leave earlier."
"Or someone saw us and reported back to her," Kai said, starting the engine again. "Either way, we're in trouble."
He pulled back onto the road and pressed the gas pedal down harder. Our truck picked up speed, but the car behind us matched our pace perfectly.
"What do we do?" I asked, one hand instinctively moving to protect my stomach.
"We run," Kai said grimly. "And we hope we can reach my cabin before they catch up to us."
But even as he said it, the headlights behind us were getting brighter. Getting closer.
"Kai," I said, my voice tight with panic. "I don't think we're going to make it."