Chapter 51

• Aurora's POV
• The tension in the air was so thick I could almost taste it. My heart pounded in my chest as I stood in the secluded garden of the Alpha Gathering, waiting for Mason and Ethan to arrive. The moon hung low in the sky, casting eerie shadows across the manicured lawn. I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. This confrontation was long overdue, but that didn't make it any easier.
• I heard them before I saw them - two sets of footsteps approaching from opposite directions. Mason emerged from the left, his face a mask of concern and longing. Ethan appeared from the right, his jaw set in determination. They stopped short when they saw each other, the air crackling with barely contained hostility between them.