The Snow Wolf's Mate

Goodbye, Ghosts:

[POV: Aria]

The sky was overcast as my family left Crimson Fang territory.

No fanfare. No farewell.

Just the quiet clatter of their horses’ hooves fading down the distant trail, and the ever-present tension that finally, finally, began to release its grip on my chest.

I watched from the treeline, hidden behind the cover of pine and shadow. I didn’t want to see their faces. I didn’t want to risk Dayana looking back with one last smirk, or my mother offering a false glance of regret. I didn’t need it. I didn’t want it.

They were gone. And they were leaving empty-handed.

No promises. No alliances. No victory. And most importantly—no me.

I breathed out slowly, a weight lifting with the morning fog. Then I heard the footsteps. I didn’t need to turn to know it was Cole.

I stayed where I was, letting the silence stretch. When he finally came to stand beside me, he didn’t speak right away. I could feel him struggling—like he had to summon the courage to breathe, let alone talk.

“They’re gone,” he said quietly, his voice rough.

I nodded.

“I’d leave soon too, but wanted to see you first.”

Then I turned to face him. We stood like that for a while. Two people who had shared a thousand memories.

I watched Cole’s face carefully—familiar yet so different from the one I’d once loved.

“Can we talk?” His voice was quiet, stripped of the arrogance and confidence I’d come to expect from him. It made my chest tighten uncomfortably.

“Of course,” I whispered.

His eyes were tired, shadowed, like he hadn’t slept in days. There was no armor in his voice. No arrogance. Just… rawness.

He stepped closer, hesitant, like he was afraid I might vanish if he moved too quickly. For a moment he just studied me, a mix of pain and regret etched deeply in his features.

“I want to end it with Dayana,” he said, almost a whisper. “Completely. Cut all ties. I should have done it a long time ago.”

I didn’t answer. I didn’t trust what might come out if I did.

Cole took a breath, stepped closer.

“But Aria,” he continued quietly, almost painfully, “I thought it would be important for you to understand in the first place the reason I’ve kept my distance from you all these years.”

Something raw and guarded flickered in his eyes. I waited, sensing there was more. Much more.

“It wasn’t because I didn’t care or because I didn’t want to be with you. I kept away because… I had to protect you.”

I blinked, confused. “Protect me from what?”

“From myself.” His jaw tightened, eyes darkening with shame. “From Rau. From the darkness he stirs inside me. He’s not just part of me—he’s always been the part I’ve feared the most.”

He shook his head. His voice cracked slightly, revealing the raw pain behind every word.

“Every moment I spent with you, I could feel him beneath the surface, desperate to break free. To destroy everything. You... you’ve always been my light, Aria. And I was terrified of what my darkness would do to you. Every day I’ve wished I had been stronger, braver, more willing to fight against Rau’s for you.”

Cole took a shaky breath, stepping closer still, gaze searching mine desperately for understanding.

“You deserved better than someone who could barely keep his monster at bay. I thought if I stayed away, if I chose another path, if I chose Dayana—no matter how much it hurt—I could keep you safe. I could protect you from becoming just another victim of my darkness.”

I looked away. He reached for my hand, gently, cautiously, as though I might pull away at any moment.

“I made the wrong choice,” he said. “And regret every single day of that. But I’m here now. Not because I expect you to forget the past. Not because I deserve your forgiveness. But because I still—”

He faltered. Then finally said it. “I still love you.”

I closed my eyes. Those words… once, they would’ve broken me open with joy. But not now. I opened them again, steady and calm.

“We can still escape all of this,” he whispered. “We can run together—just you and me. I’ll fight him forever, Aria. I’ll fight Rau to the last drop of his cruelty. Every day, every night, if it means I can finally be the person you deserve. If it means I can finally be with you and keep you safe. Make you happy.”

For a moment, the earnest desperation in his eyes nearly broke me. But as I searched myself for those old feelings, I found only the gentle ache of something once cherished, now long past.

“Cole…” I whispered softly, pulling my hand slowly from his grip, careful not to wound him further. “I loved you once. With everything in me. And yes, you were my light too—a lifeline in a place filled with darkness and cruelty. But so much has changed.”

His expression crumbled slowly, a quiet acceptance washing over him.

“But love,” I continued, “isn’t always enough. It doesn’t erase the betrayal. It doesn’t undo the moment you let go of my hand when I needed you to hold on most.”

He looked down, jaw clenched. “I know.”

“I don’t hate you,” I added. “And I don’t blame you. But I can’t go back to what we were. Because that girl—the one who waited for you, believed in you even when you broke her—she doesn’t exist anymore.”

I stepped forward, gently touching his arm again.

“I’m not asking you to be sorry for who you were or who you are. But I’ve grown past what we had. I’ve found something… more.”

He nodded slowly, eyes shining. “I see.”

He didn’t argue. Didn’t beg. He just looked at me one last time, and I saw it—the truth of his heart laid bare.

Then he turned, and walked away. And I let him.

No tears. No last words. Just a quiet goodbye.

And as his figure disappeared through the trees, I whispered silently to the wind: ‘Thank you.’

For what we were. And for setting me free.