26. Return

Aria's POV

Mysha, I’m sorry.

Leaving Crescentius the second time around was harder and more painful than it was the first time. My heart feels heavy and down. Perhaps, it is because I know my exile is solely my fault. This time, my mistake was glaringly obvious, making me totally aware of it.

After the crisis, it took me a few hours to understand every poor decision I had made—that addressing an issue alone would take longer than doing it with a companion—that trust and honesty should be valued when facing difficulties. I was wrong to think I could handle the situation against Rojo La Luna. Just look where it takes me.

In my attempt to keep everything a secret, the disclosures were too hard to bear, leaving us all in ruins.

"Let's go, Aria," Nicholas said, tapping my shoulder.

I averted my attention from the pack house and heaved a sigh before following Nicholas to his car. It never dawned on me that the time would come when I had to set foot in Red Moon again. After leaving that pla