Masukđ Arria POV By the time I reached the school, Stoneâs words were still walking beside me. I took a breath. Then another. I had something to do, and I intended to do it right. âArria!â Milenaâs voice cut through my thoughts a second before she ran straight into me. I wrapped her in a warm hug. âYou have the thinking face,â Milena said the moment she pulled back from my arms. âDid Stone give you bad news?â âNo, sweetie. He told me something important, and I was analyzing it on the way here,â I explained. âBut time is up, so no more adult problems. We are going to play.â She nodded enthusiastically. I smiled at her, took her hand, and we walked around the school to the nearby playground. It was already full when we arrivedâchildren were running between the wooden houses and the slide, laughing loudly, arguing over turns, falling in the grass, and jumping back up. It was chaos. Bright and absolutely perfect chaos. Milenaâs hand tightened around mine as she pulled me toward
đ Arria POV After we had both showered, eaten, and pretended the office had not just become something entirely different, Fenrir returned to work while I headed to school to pick up Milena for some quality bonding time at the playground.âArria.â I was so lost in my thoughts that I almost ran into Stone. âSorry,â I said, already sidestepping him. But his serious voice came again. âMay I have a moment?â I stopped mid-step, not entirely sure if I really wanted to speak with him or Greg at the moment. I hadn't lied when I told Fenrir I was not angry with him. But when it came to them⌠that was a different story. Stone caught my hesitation but didn't retreat. âI could walk with you wherever you are going.â âSchool. Twenty minutes,â I stated and resumed walking. âThank you.â The way he said it stirred something in me. There was nothing different in his tone, and still, I would swear it sounded resigned. And of course, I felt guilty for making him feel bad. He had always fol
đ Arria POV I was still half-lying against his chest, my body soft and useless. Fenrirâs arms were wrapped around meâthe left one resting on my thigh and the other making slow, steady, reassuring circles over my back. He was waiting for my reaction, worried about how I felt. He shouldnât. Yes, embarrassment tried to slip in, but I pushed it away because he did not deserve that, and because I did not regret a single thing that had happened between us. âIt wasâŚâ I wanted to break the silence, to let him know I felt content, but I hadnât prepared the words. âSomething,â I finished, for lack of another, more precise word. It sounded stupid. I knew that. But my mind was still mushy and lazy, and apparently that was the best it could offer. âSomething?â he repeated, tasting the word, his tone carefully neutral. It did not sound enough to me either. âA very good something,â I added softly. His hand stilled on my back for a second, then continued. Okay. That hadnât gone as I had
đ Fenrir POV Control was meant as protection. It was the wall between me and the world that kept others safe. That was the universal truth I had grown up with. But Arria had proved herself the exception. From the day I first met her until now, neither Alaric nor I had ever felt anger toward her. We did not feel threatened. Or challenged. Not in the way that triggered the curse. Every time she said no, Alaric purred âCuteâ. If she provoked me, he heard it as an invitation to play. His destructive nature went quiet when it was just me and her in the room. So keeping my control intact when we were alone with her was more habit than objective need. And now⌠Now she was angry and had emptied the room just to take on the role of seductress. Her anger fueled her boldness. And that boldness made her willing to explore. I thought she was pushing for a reaction from me. I knew she was. âLetâs play.â Right. Her physical proximity was waking another kind of beast in me. Not
đ Arria POV They took the hint and left the moment I finished talking. âYou are ordering them now?â Fenrir asked. I did not answer. Instead, I slipped my arm up his chest and over his shoulder until I had a hold on him. I pulled myself into his lap with my knees on both sides of his legs. His fingers twitched, but he let his hands stay relaxed on the sofa. Fine. My gaze moved up his arm, over his shoulder, and landed on his neck. It was flawless again, without a trace of the mark I had given him. I tilted my head slightly, considering whether to make him a new one or if the first had been pathetic enough. âI liked it while it lasted,â he said, his voice steady. Before I had to decide what to do with that information, he tilted his head slightly. The invitation was clear. And I would not refuse him. Or myself. I leaned in, my cheek brushing his. He stilled, and a small smile rose to my lips. The anger had made me bold, but his reaction to me made me bolder. I wanted t
đ Arria POV Gregâs mouth tightened. He had probably already seen more than ten different ways to make Melanieâs presence there work in our favor. Ways to help her strengthen her position inside Oak Crest. But he kept it to himself. âWhere does the loyalty of those thirteen packs lie?â Fenrir asked. âPractical,â Greg answered. âNot emotional.â Fenrir gave a slow nod. âGood. Practical loyalty is easier to predict.â Marthaâs fingers tapped once against the table. âIf we pressure them, we make ourselves look like the threat.â âWe wonât,â Fenrir said. âWe donât threaten supply lines.â My breath caught. I had seen too many decisions made regardless of what they cost other packs. Not Fenrir. He named the dependence without turning it into a threat. âWe strengthen them,â he continued. âWe do not tell the communities that they need us. They already know that. We simply make it impossible for them to forget it, or underestimate our words.âJudging by Stoneâs expression, he was a
đ Fenrir POVThe pile of documents waiting for my review was much smaller than the usual one after my absence.A
đ Arria POV âBut I did hurt you, and elves count deeds more than words.â She kept her solemn expression. My hands tightened around hers. âOkay then, may I choose?â She nodded. âProve me wrong, Milena. That will be more than enough for me.â She did not look pleased. Somehow, it made my chest
đ Fenrir POV âIâm getting dizzy from your mood swings,â Arria said, smiling faintly at me. âNo more,â I promised. Then I leaned in and kissed her. The moment our lips touched, she shivered. Hard. Not the good kind. Her lips were cold. My hand shot from the sheets to her face, then to her s
đ Arria POVIt was dark outside already.But we had done itâwe had finished all the required documents, and now they were lying on Fenrirâs desk, waiting for his final approval.We had all agreed that my name would stay out of this for now. That would give us time until the actual meeting at the pa







