Aria's POVI screamed again as another violent wave of pain tore through me. My throat was raw from the screams, and my body convulsed.I gasped for air, my body trembling. My mind was scrambled—I knew there was something I was supposed to do, but I couldn't even think straight.My mind flashed back to Hunter.I remembered the look on his face when he had been bitten, how he had writhed and thrashed, how his screams had echoed through the pack clinic. I knew it was painful, but I had no idea that it was to this extent.Now I understood what he had been going through.“Aria,” that voice called me again. Viktor.I gritted my teeth and forced my eyes open. “Y–Yes,” I croaked out.My vision was still blurry, but I could see his outline. He was leaning over me, his pale skin looked even paler than normal, and his crimson eyes gleamed with guilt and something else I couldn’t name.“I…I d…don't wa…nt to die,” I choked out, struggling to speak.“I know,” Viktor whispered, leaning closer. “I'm
Aria’s POVThe force yanked me away from the vision, and into darkness, and no matter how much I fought, it dragged me deeper.‘Will you stop fighting, you stubborn ass?’ A familiar voice snapped.I froze.‘Jade?’ I called, furrowing my eyebrows in confusion. Darkness wrapped around me like fog. I couldn’t see anything.“Yes, it’s me,” she barked, “Do you want to die or something?”“Wha—What? What are you talking ab—”She cut me off urgently, “We don’t have time, get your ass here right now. Let’s start fixing the damage.”I didn’t fully understand what she was saying, but the urgency in her voice was enough for me to take it seriously and urgently “Okay, what do you need from me?”“Stop fighting.” She demanded, and without another warning, I was yanked again. It took great restraint in me not to fight against the strange force pulling me into deep darkness.The pull stopped, and I stumbled forward, gasping for air as I landed on my feet.The darkness was gone.I blinked rapidly, star
Knox's POVI shot to my feet, my chair scraped harshly against the floor.Fenrir snarled in my head, begging me to let him take control.“That’s it?” I growled, fists clenched. “You did all that for ‘she’s alive’? Of course, I know she's alive!”Hazel blinked slowly—she was still coming down from the trance she had been in.“Can you fucking calm down?” She drawled, “How do you think magic works? I told you that someone cloaked her. Whoever did it knew what the hell they were doing—”“Well, can you break it?” Hunter interrupted.She rolled her eyes, leaning back in her chair. “Who the fuck do you think I am? A fucking amateur? Of course, I can,” she retorted.“But I need something stronger. The magic that’s cloaking her isn’t some amateur shit. I need something that belongs to her that's more...connected to her on a spiritual level.”I sat back down slowly, leaning forward in interest. “Something like what?”“You…” she replied, “You're her mate. You’ve got all that mate-bond crap going
Knox’s POVI sat in the office waiting impatiently for Hunter to come with the witch, Hazel.Jim stood across from me, fidgeting uncomfortably like he was standing on hot coals.The door creaked open. Hunter walked in first with a deep scowl on his face, which was very unusual for him. He was followed by a young woman, probably in her early twenties, probably a few years older than Aria.She had black hair streaked with violet at the edges, and her violet eyes gleamed with mischief.Hazel had a smug, almost mocking smirk on her face. I recognized that smirk—she was the type who didn’t give a damn about rules, rank, or respect. Just like Jim had described.I groaned internally.The last thing I needed was a cocky outsider challenging my authority, and pissing Fenrir off. But if she could find Aria, I would put up with it—for now.“Hey, Jim,” she greeted the nervous fidgeting man.“Thanks for coming,” Jim murmured.Her smirk widened, “Thanks for calling.” She replied, but she wasn't loo
Unknown’s POV“Fuck!” I cursed, hissing in annoyance as I glared at my ruined boots.“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I muttered under my breath. I had stepped on a puddle.How the fuck was I supposed to make a grand entrance now?I groaned out loud in annoyance, dragging my hand down my face. I was tempted to just click my fingers and fix it, but I needed to conserve my energy for where I was going.I sighed in irritation as I adjusted the strap of my bag higher on my shoulder and kept walking, still grumbling about my ruined boots.Then I paused, furrowing my eyebrows.My eyes glanced around as the air changed slightly. It felt heavier. Denser. I was close to the edge of Moonshadow Pack territory.I tilted my head. Interesting. I thought to myself.I hadn’t even seen a single rogue on my journey here. Not one. Most pack territories were filled with them. They were always crawling around like rats everywhere, but not here.It was the fear of the cursed Alpha that kept them away.A slow, wicked gr
Knox’s POV“How can you help?” I asked Jim, tilting my head in curiosity, trying not to show the impatience burning within me.Jim cleared his throat, looking very uncomfortable. “I know someone…that can help.”My patience level was running very low, Fenrir kept growling in my head, and all I wanted to do was snap at Jim for wasting time.“How can this person help?” I asked, keeping my voice calm.He scratched the back of his head. “Um…she…she's a witch.”Jim wasn't saying everything. I frowned, clenching my jaw.“I doubt this witch can help in any way,” I said coldly. “No witch wants to help me—believe me, I’ve asked. Every coven has forbidden their members from having anything to do with me. But… thank you for trying.” I was already preparing to dismiss him as disappointment washed through me.Jim shook his head quickly, “No, no, no. Hazel is…she's rogue, like an outcast. She doesn't belong to any coven. She detests them actually. So she doesn't follow their rules and restrictions.”
Aria’s POVI kept screaming as white-hot fire surged through my veins as the venom spread through me like wildfire. My vision blurred, and darkness crept up in my vision.A sharp tingle ran down my spine, but it wasn't pain. Something was happening, and I wasn’t sure if it was an effect of the venom coursing through me.A sudden wave of emotion crashed into me, but it wasn’t mine.Pain flooded through me, but it wasn’t the physical kind, but a deep soul grief. I could feel bitterness, emptiness, loneliness and so much more. My mind raced as I realized that these emotions belonged to Viktor.I could feel him.His fury wasn't just anger, it was sorrow and heartbreak that had twisted into something dark. He didn’t hate me, at least not as much as I had thought. He just hated the hole that Lilith’s death had caused. He thought revenge would fill it.But it wouldn’t.A sob escaped my mouth, not because of the venom, but because of his pain, because I could feel all his pain, his heartbreak
Aria’s POV‘Run.’Jade screamed in my head, but my legs wouldn’t obey. My body was frozen, as if he had cast some spell on me. His eyes gleamed with pure hatred and rage.“What are you doing here?” he asked again. This time, his voice was calm, too calm. A shudder ran down my spine at the edge in his voice.I took a shaky step back. “I—I was just—”His head tilted slightly, and he watched me like a predator watching his prey. “Were you trying to escape?” he asked, sneering in disgust. “Did you really think it would be so easy?”I didn’t answer. There was nothing I could say to change what was coming.‘Run,’ Jade hissed. ‘Run now or we’re dead.’I turned.Viktor moved like a shadow. There was no sound as he moved terrifyingly fast. I barely dodged as he lunged at me. My shoulder slammed into the wall. I winced as pain shot down my arm, but I didn’t stop.I kept running blindly, and desperately. I ran through the hallway, not caring where I was going as my heart pounded in my chest. The
Aria's POVThe wait felt like another form of torture. I had lost track of how long I had been locked up in this place.Kale and Raven were the only ones I saw, when they brought food and water. Kale was the only person I could talk to, but Raven? She was a different story entirely.I didn’t want to die, but the silence, the isolation, and Viktor’s words were eating at my mind, slowly driving me crazy.But I wasn’t just sitting on my ass, waiting for death to come.No.Viktor had underestimated me.He called me weak. He said there was nothing I could do.So, he left me unrestrained.That was his mistake.I waited, quietly, and carefully, letting them think I was as weak as they thought.After Raven dumped my tray of food and stormed out of the room as usual, I slowly stood up and walked to the door.My fingers shook as I reached for the handle. This was what I always did whenever they came by, hoping one of them would forget, especially Raven. Kale was too careful and observant to mak