Aria’s POVHazel’s expression was grave. It was unsettling to see Hazel so serious without a smirk on her face.“Aria,” she said slowly, like she was picking her words carefully. “There’s something you need to know about Knox, and about his curse.”My chest tightened. My hands instinctively went to my stomach, rubbing my bump gently. I didn’t even want to hear the words, but the look on Hazel’s face told me that I had no choice, but to listen.“What about it?” I asked, though my voice came out quieter than I meant.Hazel’s lips pressed into a line before she said flatly, “It’s getting worse. You’ve seen it, haven’t you? The flash of red in his eyes, the way his control slips sometimes. He can’t hold it back forever. Eventually…” she trailed off gravely, “…eventually, the curse will win.”I swallowed hard. I already knew this, but hearing it said aloud made my stomach twist.“I know,” I whispered quietly.Hazel blinked, surprised. “You know?”“Yes.” My throat felt dry. “The witch who c
Aria’s POVAfter our last interaction, when I got back to the pack, Astrid had been different with me. No more glares, no sneers, no taunts. Just a civil relationship. It wasn’t friendly, but it was better than the hostility from before, like the one she was showing to Hazel.Hazel, however, noticed the look that Astrid had given her. She turned to look at Astrid’s back with a frown on her face. “What the fuck was that?” she muttered. “Why did that bitch look at me like she wanted to stab me? Is she fucking high? Maybe I should go give a piece of my mind.”A small smile tugged at my lips as I quickly grabbed her arm to prevent her from going back. “Well, Hunter doesn’t like witches. I guess his sister feels the same.”Hazel froze mid-step, her mouth falling open. She gawked at me. “I’m sorry, WHAT?!”I smirked at her stunned expression and kept walking.Hazel hurried after me, still sputtering. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. That bitch is his sister?! Oh, this is just great. Fu
Aria’s POVMy back was killing me.I pressed a hand against my back, trying to ease the ache, but it didn’t help much. Every step felt harder than the last. My ankles were swollen, my ribs hurt, and the baby decided that now was the perfect time to kick like it was trying to punch its way out.I winced and muttered under my breath, “Easy in there, little one. I get it. You’re strong. Please stop proving it to me.”It didn’t stop.With a groan, I leaned against the wall for a second, closing my eyes. My body felt stretched and sore in ways I couldn’t have imagined. Some days I felt like I was carrying a whole mountain instead of a baby.I pushed off the wall again, rubbing my stomach with a shaky laugh. “Your dad better appreciate what I’m going through,” I whispered to the bump.Since I came back home from the vampire's residence, the baby had become more active, as if sensing that it was in a safer and familiar environment.I straightened up with a small groan, then I kept walking do
Hazel’s POV“How long do you plan on ignoring me?” I asked with a smirk on my face as I walked beside the cold son of a bitch like we were best friends.Just like other times, the heartless prick completely ignored me.I narrowed my eyes. “You don’t know how fucking persistent I can be. I’ll keep following you until you break, and trust me, I’m so fucking good at breaking people.”Still nothing.To my utter dismay, the bastard sped up. Like I was some annoying fly he was trying to outwalk.“Oh, you're so cute,” I drawled, matching his pace with some effort. “You think ignoring me is gonna work. I hate to break it to you, but I’ve been fucking ignored by people with way better hair than you. It didn't work for them either.”He clenched his jaw subtly, but I saw it. And I grinned.“Ah,” I said sweetly. “Progress.”His shoulders went stiff, and I grinned wider. Jackpot.“You know,” I went on, tilting my head as I matched his long strides, “most people are nice enough to pretend that I’m
Hazel’s POVI almost felt bad as I stared at the shaken Aria. She looked like she was going to collapse at any moment.Her voice shook as she asked me, “What’s our last name?”“Winslow,” I replied with a bitter smirk on my lips. “The Winslow family was the most respected family in the coven. Until everything got fucked up, and we became a fucking shit show.”Aria released a shaky breath, nodding slowly, almost absentmindedly.I couldn’t begin to imagine how she felt at that moment. All these revelations were just being dumped on her, her whole life had just been turned upside down.The only thing holding her steady was her mate—the Cursed Alpha.It was strange to see a beast like the Cursed Alpha being so gentle and careful. It almost made me gag. He was supposed to be the scariest and most dangerous monster I had ever met.It was almost disappointing.But then his eyes flickered crimson, just for a heartbeat, before he forced them back to gray.And I smirked.Oh, things were about to
Aria’s POVThere was silence as everybody tried to process everything that had just happened.My head spun.I had a sister. I was a witch.It didn’t make sense at all.Lisa’s mouth was hanging open. Shawn looked like he had seen a ghost. While Hunter had an unreadable frown on his face that made it hard to know what he was thinking.Hazel sighed. “Oh, for fuck’s sake. Can we move somewhere private?”Knox glanced at Hunter, Shawn and Lisa. They immediately got the hint, nodding in understanding. They left hesitantly, their eyes were filled with curiosity. But they also understood that they needed to give us privacy.Lisa was the last to leave. Her hand brushed mine quickly in reassurance before she left.The three of us, Knox, me and Hazel, got into the alpha quarters to avoid eavesdroppers.Hazel leaned against the wall as she waited for the conversation to start.I couldn’t stop staring at her, and she kept looking at me like I was supposed to know her.Knox moved in front of me, his