CHAPTER 20: THE AMPHITHEATER MEETING
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The old amphitheater sat like a forgotten dream in the moonlight, its stone steps worn smooth by decades of weather and neglect. Ivy climbed the walls, and wildflowers had pushed through cracks in the stage, reclaiming what had once been a place of human gathering.
I arrived first, choosing a spot halfway up the steps where I could see both entrances. My heart hammered against my ribs as I waited, every shadow potentially hiding threats, every sound making me jump.
Then I saw him.
Damon emerged from the treeline like something out of a fairy tale, moonlight catching the planes of his face and making his ice-blue eyes glow. He moved with that fluid Alpha grace, but I could see the tension in his shoulders, the careful way he scanned the area for danger.
When our eyes met across the amphitheater, the world seemed to hold its breath.
"Aria," he said softly, my real name falling from his lips like a prayer.
"Hi," I whispered back, suddenly shy. This was Damon, my roommate, my teammate, my mate—but also a stranger who now knew truths I'd never intended to share.
He climbed the steps slowly, stopping a few feet away. Close enough to touch, but respecting the space between us.
"Are you hurt?" he asked, his gaze cataloging every inch of me for signs of injury.
"No. Are you?" I could see the bruise blooming around his left eye, the split in his lip.
"I'm fine." He sat down beside me, careful not to crowd me. "Noah got you out safely?"
"Yes. They... they saved my life tonight."
We sat in silence for a moment, the weight of everything unsaid hanging between us like fog.
"I need to know," Damon said finally, his voice rough. "How much of it was real?"
The question hit like a physical blow. "What do you mean?"
"Ari Silver. The Western territories. Your family being diplomats." He turned to face me fully. "Was any of it true?"
I took a shaky breath. "The name Ari is real. It's what my brothers call me. Everything else... I'm sorry, Damon. I'm so sorry I lied to you."
"Princess Aria of the Silver Moon Pack," he said, testing the words. "Dominic's runaway bride."
"I never wanted to be anyone's bride," I said fiercely. "I never agreed to that marriage. It was arranged without my consent. I came home to find my life planned out like I was a chess piece."
"So you ran."
"So I ran," I confirmed. "My brothers helped me. They forged documents, got me into the academy... I just wanted time to figure out another solution."
Damon was quiet for a long moment, processing. "And the disguise? Living as a boy?"
Heat flooded my cheeks. "The academy is all-male. It was the last place anyone would look for me. And I thought... I thought it would be temporary."
"What changed?"
I looked at him, this beautiful, impossible man who'd turned my world upside down. "You."
The word hung between us, loaded with everything I felt but couldn't quite say.
"Me," he repeated slowly.
"The mate bond," I whispered. "I felt it the moment we touched. That first day, when you shaked my hand after your... towel incident."
Despite everything, his lips twitched. "Ah yes, my legendary first impression."
"I tried to ignore it," I continued. "Tried to convince myself it was just attraction, or stress, or wishful thinking. But it kept getting stronger."
"For me too." His voice was soft, wondering. "I thought I was losing my mind. I've never been attracted to a guy before, but you... there was something about you that drew me in from day one."
"I'm sorry," I said again. "I'm sorry you had to question yourself because of my deception."
"Are you?" He shifted closer, his thigh brushing mine. "Sorry, I mean. Because I'm not."
I blinked in surprise. "What?"
"If you hadn't been pretending to be a boy, we never would have met. You'd have been married to Dominic, and I'd have been none the wiser that my mate was right under my nose." His hand found mine, fingers intertwining. "The Moon Goddess works in mysterious ways."
"You're not angry?"
"Oh, I'm furious," he said with a slight smile. "At my family for arranging that marriage. At your father for trying to force you into it. At Carter for his theatrical revelation. At myself for not figuring it out sooner." His grip on my hand tightened. "But at you? For surviving? For finding a way to choose your own path? Never."
Tears I hadn't realized I was holding back spilled down my cheeks. "I was so scared you'd hate me."
"Hate you?" Damon reached up to brush away my tears with his free hand. "Aria, I'm in love with you."
The words hit me like lightning. "You are?"
"Completely. Irrevocably. Whether you're Ari the mysterious transfer student or Princess Aria of the Silver Moon Pack." His thumb traced along my cheekbone. "Though I have to admit, this explains a lot."
"Like what?"
"Like why you moved like you'd had etiquette lessons. Why you knew so much about pack politics. Why you always smelled like expensive neutralizer." His eyes crinkled with amusement. "Why you were so terrible at pretending to be a teenage boy."
I laughed despite my tears. "I thought I was convincing!"
"Sweetheart, you curtseyed when you met Coach Martinez."
"I did not!"
"You absolutely did. It was adorable and terrifying." He leaned his forehead against mine. "I should have known you were too good to be true as just a regular student."
"And now? Now that you know the truth?"
His answer came in the form of a kiss—soft, gentle, full of promise. When we broke apart, his eyes were intense with conviction.
"Now I know we're going to face this together," he said. "Whatever comes next, we face it as mates."
"It's not going to be easy," I warned. "Your family will never accept this. Mine will disown me. The political alliance will fall apart—"
"Let it," Damon said fiercely. "I told Dominic tonight that I choose love over politics. I meant it."
"But your pack—"
"Will adapt. And if they don't, we'll find our own way." He cupped my face in his hands. "Aria, I would rather be exiled with you than rule without you."
The conviction in his voice made my heart soar. "You really mean that."
"I've never meant anything more." He kissed me again, deeper this time, the mate bond singing between us like music. "We're going to figure this out. Together."
When we finally broke apart, breathless and clinging to each other, I felt something I hadn't experienced in weeks: hope.
"So what now?" I asked.
"Now we go back to Noah's safehouse and make plans." Damon stood, offering me his hand. "But first, I need to ask you something important."
"What?"
His smile was soft and teasing. "Will you go out with me? Like, on an actual date? As yourself this time?"
I laughed, taking his hand and letting him pull me to my feet. "I would love that. Though dating might be complicated while we're fugitives from our families."
"I'll work around it." He wrapped his arms around me, holding me close. "I've gotten very good at creative problem-solving since I met you."
As we walked back toward town together, hands clasped tight, I marveled at how everything had changed. This morning I'd been Ari Silver, hockey player and fake boy. Tonight I was Princess Aria, runaway bride and true mate to the man I loved.
The road ahead was uncertain, dangerous, and probably impossible.
I couldn't wait to walk it with him.
