Aria's POV“I don't know.”Something in Jade's voice made my stomach twist. It wasn’t just the words, it was the way she said them. Her voice was filled with defeat, like she had already gone through every possibility and come up empty.“She’s powerful,” Jade continued. “Too powerful. She’s my mother. I should know.”Dread ran down my spine. I had never heard Jade sound this way before.There was silence, then I asked.“Will you tell me everything now?”There was an even longer silence this time.The silence was so long that I thought maybe she wasn’t going to respond.I released a resigned sigh and stared outside, feeling disappointed.Then suddenly—“Okay.”It was just one word, but it hit me hard. Because after several months, Jade was finally going to tell me everything.“Okay,” Jade repeated, her voice was quiet. “I’ll tell you everything.”I sat back in the seat, my heart pounded hard in anticipation.I waited. I didn’t rush her.Jade had been keeping secrets since the moment sh
Aria’s POV“Aria,” the witch said, her voice filled with impatience now. “Enough stalling. Choose. Your mate doesn’t have time.”Jade stepped forward. Her arms were no longer folded, and her smirk had faded entirely. “You have to let me go. You have to save your mate.”My hands clenched at my sides.I glanced between the two of them. The cold, calculating witch with that fake sugary smile, and Jade. She wasn’t looking at me now. She was staring at the ground with a stiff posture.She didn’t look as cocky as before. Her smirk had faded a long time ago.I narrowed my eyes as I stared at her intently. Suddenly, I saw something in her eyes. Fear. It was just a flicker. It was gone in a split second.But that flicker was all I needed.I stepped toward Jade slowly. “You’ve been trying to make me believe that you’re a traitor. But that’s not true, is it?”Jade didn’t meet my eyes. “Aria, make the deal.”“I’m not getting any younger. And very soon, your mate will wake you from sleep.” The wit
Aria’s POVDisbelief. Shock. Confusion. Several emotions raced through my mind at the same time.I opened my mouth, then closed it several times, before I could finally speak.“What the hell…” I whispered, stepping back. My throat was dry. “What the actual hell?”Jade smirked, her arms folded as she leaned casually against one of the marble pillars like she wasn’t the reason my brain felt like it had been hit by a truck.“You’re her daughter?” I gasped, blinking rapidly. “You’re her daughter?” I repeated.She arched an eyebrow. “Yes, yes I am.”I let out a shaky laugh, shaking my head in utter disbelief. “No. No, this is crazy. This doesn’t make any sense. You’ve been in my head for several months. I trusted you. You helped me. You warned me. You saved my life several times. You know everything about me, and you’re the daughter of the person who cursed my mate?”I stumbled back a step as panic surged through me. This was a nightmare that I desperately needed to wake up. “What the hell
Aria’s POVAt the witch’s words, my heart skipped a beat.“I… You’re lying.” I mumbled, shaking my head.She sneered at me. “Am I? Tell me, little girl, why would I lie about something like that? What would I gain?”I clenched my jaw, fists trembling at my sides. “I don’t know. Maybe because you’re evil? You cursed my mate.”She shrugged carelessly, rolling her eyes at me. “Actions have consequences, dear. He shouldn’t have killed me.”I ran a hand through my hair in frustration as several thoughts raced through my mind.Her eyes never left me. “You’re wasting time, Aria. The curse is not waiting for anyone. It’s evolving. You know that.”My chest tightened. I clenched my fists tightly, but I couldn’t stop them from shaking. I felt dizzy, and a cold sweat rolled down my back.If things were different, I would have wondered how I was even able to feel dizzy and sweat in a dream.I opened my mouth to argue, but no words came out, because deep down I knew she was right.Her lips curled i
Aria's POVI was back at that tomb—the tomb that Lilith’s body had laid on a few hours ago. Only this time, the tomb was completely empty.The marble platform was completely empty. All that was left was that cursed stake.It was in the center of the platform, shining faintly.My eyes widened slightly as I realized that it was the same stake that I had pulled from Lilith’s chest.My breath hitched. What was going on?What was I doing here?The last thing I remembered was falling asleep beside Knox. We were in the car, heading home. So why was I waking up here with a strange feeling running through my body?What the hell was this?My heart pounded in my chest as I reluctantly took a step closer to the platform. Something felt off, and all I wanted was to be back in the car with Knox.“Well, well, well… We meet at last. Aria, the mate of the Wolf King.”I spun around instantly.From the shadows, an old woman approached. She was hunched, very thin, and her skin was wrinkled. She walked sl
Aria’s POVViktor chuckled under his breath. “She’s only kind in private. I used to think she hated everyone, until I realized she just doesn’t waste her energy pretending to like people she doesn’t.”“And she doesn’t like anyone.” Raven chimed in dryly.Lilith rolled her eyes. “I like you.”“Barely,” Raven replied, “You only tolerate me.”Lilith shrugged, “Same thing.”I opened my mouth to say something else, but Knox slapped his hand over my mouth. “No, that’s all. We’re leaving.”Knox didn’t wait for anymore vampire-wolf bonding. He grabbed my hand and pulled me away, muttering curses under his breath.“Okay, okay!” I called over my shoulder, stumbling after him. “We’re leaving. It was nice seeing everyone. See you at the Naming Rite!”Lilith raised a hand in a half-hearted wave. “We’ll bring wine!” she called back.“You just had to invite them,” he muttered.“I know, I know.” I rolled my eyes. “He’s your mortal enemy. He tried to kill me. You tried to kill him. Blah blah centuries