Chapter 151: Chapter 151 How had I gotten so lucky?
Aria’s POV
After Damian and I returned home from the Sylvia’s estate, I knew I couldn’t keep hiding things anymore.
They deserved to know the truth about Ethan and me. About everything.
I wasn’t trying to hide it before. I just thought—what was the point?
It was supposed to be a business arrangement. A marriage alliance. Who would want to hear about my messy, humiliating past?
But now everything had changed. The Blackwoods weren’t just business partners anymore. They were my family. And Damian...
I cherished him. I cared deeply about how he felt. I didn’t want there to be even the smallest shadow of doubt between us.
So I gathered everyone in the sitting room and told them everything. Every painful detail about Ethan, Clara, the fake marriage certificate, Marcus. All of it.
Damian actually tried to stop me at first. His hand tightened around mine as I began to speak.
"Aria, you don’t have to do this."
But I did. I needed them to hear it from me, in my own words.
Luna Elena listened with growing horror, her hand pressed to her chest. Alpha Andrew’s jaw clenched tighter with every sentence, his knuckles white against the armrest of his chair.
When I finished, there was a heavy silence.
"That bastard," Andrew finally growled. "Absolute scum."
"Aria, sweetheart," Elena said softly, her eyes glistening. "I can’t imagine what you went through. But you’re safe now. You’re with us. With Damian. No one will ever treat you that way again."
Grace, Damian’s grandmother, reached over and patted my hand gently. Her usually stern expression had softened completely.
"You poor child. All those years, suffering in silence. But perhaps this was the Moon Goddess’s way of leading you to where you truly belong."
I felt my throat tighten. Their acceptance, their kindness—it was almost too much.
But then I noticed Damian’s grandfather sitting stiffly in his wingback chair, his expression unreadable.
Finally, he spoke. His voice was measured, controlled.
"So the Holt situation is completely resolved then?"
"Yes, sir," I said quietly. " I have no connection to that Pack anymore."
He studied me for a long moment, those shrewd gray eyes—so like Damian’s—boring into mine.
"You understand that the Blackwood name carries significant weight. We cannot be associated with scandal or drama from your previous... entanglement."
"Father," Elena said sharply. "Aria is the victim here—"
"I’m not suggesting otherwise," he cut her off. "I’m simply making it clear that any lingering issues with the Holt Pack must be handled discreetly. The Royal Pack’s reputation cannot be compromised."
In other words: Your mess is your problem. Don’t drag us into it.
I felt my spine straighten. "I understand completely, sir. I would never expect the Blackwood family to clean up my past. I’ll handle everything myself."
"Good. Then we understand each other."
"Actually, Grandfather, I don’t think you understand anything at all."
My head whipped around. Damian’s voice had gone dangerously quiet.
He was staring directly at his grandfather, his jaw set, his eyes blazing with barely contained fury.
"Damian," I whispered, squeezing his hand. "It’s okay—"
"It’s not okay." He stood abruptly, pulling me up with him. "Aria never asked me for help. She never expected the Blackwood family to fight her battles. But your insinuation that she would try to use me—use us—is insulting. To her, and to me."
"Damian Blackwood, you will not speak to me that way—"
"I will speak however I need to when someone disrespects my wife." His voice cut through the room like a blade. "You’ve made your position clear, Grandfather. I hope you’re prepared to live with it."
Before anyone could respond, Damian turned and guided me firmly toward the door.
"We’re leaving."
"Damian!" his grandfather barked.
But Damian didn’t stop. His hand was solid and warm against the small of my back, his presence a shield between me and the tension crackling behind us.
Elena jumped up. "Wait, both of you—"
Grace quickly grabbed her husband’s arm, whispering urgently in his ear.
But we were already gone.
---
Aria’s POV
Outside, the night air hit my flushed face like a slap. I could barely process what had just happened.
"Damian, we shouldn’t have left like that. Your grandfather was just being practical—"
"He was being judgmental and cold." Damian’s voice was still tight with anger as he opened the car door for me. "You don’t deserve that. Not from him, not from anyone."
I slid into the passenger seat, my heart hammering. Damian had just openly challenged his grandfather. For me.
He climbed into the driver’s seat and gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles white.
"He doesn’t care about what I think," he said quietly. "He never has. All that matters to him is the family image, the Pack reputation. He doesn’t care about what’s right."
I reached over and placed my hand gently on his shoulder. I could feel the tension radiating through him.
"It’s okay," I said softly. "I understand where he’s coming from. This marriage is about more than just us. There are expectations—"
"Screw the expectations." He turned to look at me, and the raw emotion in his eyes made my breath catch. "You’re my wife. My mate. That’s all that matters."
My chest ached. How had I gotten so lucky?
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