Aria’s POV
I sat stiffly in Magnus’s study, my hands clenched in my lap as I waited for whatever explanation he was about to give me. He had called me here with promises of clarity, but my patience was wearing thin.
He stood in front of his desk, his gaze fixed on me with a mixture of determination and nervousness. For a man who could command armies and silence a room with a single word, he looked surprisingly uncertain.
“Well?” I prompted, crossing my arms. “Let’s hear it, Magnus. What is so important that you had to call me here?”
Magnus sighed deeply, running a hand through his dark hair. “Aria, I know Selene’s return has made things... complicated. But I need you to understand something.”
I raised an eyebrow. “I’m listening.”
“She was my mate once,” he admitted, his voice steady. “But that bond was severed the moment she died. The Magnus you see now is no longer tied to her. My wolf, Orion, doesn’t even acknowledge her. He only reacts to you—madly, intensely, and with a devotion I’ve never experienced before.”
I blinked, caught off guard by the raw emotion in his voice.