Hmmm. I wonder what Dane wants. Do you think that Aria needs to worry about Kelly?
FINCH. “What happened?” Dane demanded.Bex and Adam were next to arrive. Dr. Dania followed closely behind and dropped down next to me.“That’s what we were just getting to.”My mate gasped when I was told to remove the shirt so that the wound could be examined. I couldn’t look away from the wound that still hadn’t slowed its bleeding despite the pressure that I was using. Whatever caused it must have had some type of properties that would stopped or delayed her wolf from healing it.Dr. Dania leaned down so that she could sniff the wound.“Interesting,” she murmured.Her finger grabbed a drop of blood, holding it up to the light. It looked like there was something metallic there.“Lollyreed. I haven’t seen it used in this area because it’s local to Southern Texas. It’s a poison that’s similar to wolfsbane but doesn’t cut you off from your wolf. That’s precisely why it’s used in drugs because it’s even more potent since the effect hits both human and wolf alike.”We all knew what Lol
FINCH. “What’s on your mind, gorgeous?”My voice, rough with sleep, startled her. A little gasp left her parted lips, making a smirk tug at mine.It wasn’t often that I was able to catch her by surprise. She’d spent the past two years honing her instincts. Now, it was a rare day in hell that she was caught like this.That just went to show that there was something serious on her mind.Bex rolled onto her side, her beautiful hazel eyes hidden behind a row of thick lashes. Gorgeous wasn’t a strong enough word, but I was unsure which one would be.“I’m worried about Aria.”That grabbed my attention. It was about more than her being our Luna. She was an incredible person with one of the best hearts that I’d ever encountered before.I sat up against the headboard and pulled her into my arms. This was clearly a topic that weighed heavily on her. Bex was the type of person who thought about something carefully before she acted.“Why’s that? Did something happen?”She shook her head and let
ARIA.This past week had actually sailed by smoother than expected.In the public's eye, Dane and I were a couple who grew closer each passing day0. If only they knew the truth. He took every opportunity to remind me of my place here in the pack. It was by name alone.Bex and I grew were actually growing closer, developing our own friendship. I hated that there were things I wasn’t allowed to share, but I’d never risk my sister. Even if it meant that I ended up alone.Shopping wasn’t as fun for me as it was for her, but we had a good time. There were actually quite a few stores in this pack that I found great selections at. It was much better than at my old pack. Unfortunately, Alpha Dane had thought ahead and made certain that any store we went to wouldn’t accept payment and would just bill him instead. It had the females swooning because my mate wanted to provide for me. Why couldn’t he just let me do one thing for myself? Was it too much to ask for? I hated feeling indebted to any
DANE.I had spent the majority of the night holed up in my office, going over every bit of information that was delivered inside of that envelope.The pieces were individual, not fitting together, but were all connected. Some-fucking-how. Was someone just trying to fuck with me. My gut said otherwise and warned me that it needed to be figured out before it was too late.Too late for what though? That was the million-dollar question.The only thing that I could find about the date was that there was a lunar eclipse the day before Sam died. I had some contacts that I could trust with the research. Perhaps they would find something.It was safe to say that I was already exhausted by the time that training rolled around, but Alphas didn't get to cash in PTO. Adam and Finch were already on the field by the time that I got there. They looked about as good as I felt, hinting that yesterday's revelations kept them up as well. We were in the middle of discussing a pack-wide BBQ when the bond
ARIA.Sleep didn’t come easily at all.That wasn’t great considering the fact that I had to spar against a woman who had it out for me. What’s more was the fact that I had no idea how well she fought. It was a safe assumption that she was better trained than I was.‘We’ve got something that she doesn’t,’ Thea said, stretching out.I hummed, curious to see what she would say.‘We’re faster than most people in both of our forms. What did Jory teach you? If you don’t want to get hit, don’t be there. We might not win, but we won’t be going down without one hell of a fight.’And this was precisely why she was the best at peptalks. Those words washed over me, leaving calm behind.Then I got ready for training. I threw on leggings, tank top, and sneakers.My hair just went up into a ponytail when there was a knock at the door. Bex looked like she was ready to kick some serious ass in her shorts and sports bra. Damn. The woman had impressive muscles.“Ready?” she asked me.“As I’ll ever be.”“
ARIA. I liked Bex, and that was the problem.Things would be so much easier if everyone was as unlikable as their Alpha.It seemed like people were generally happy that their Alpha had found his mate and Luna.There was no missing the looks on some of the female’s faces, but there was nothing to be jealous about. I’d gladly step aside if it meant getting me out of this blasted contract while also protecting my sister.I might’ve always longed for my fated mate, but I hadn’t realized that it’d be the one I got or like the one I got. Was it wrong of me to question the Goddess on this matter?I’d always thought that she didn’t make mistakes, but I couldn’t even begin to rationalize how this wasn’t a mistake. Mom used to tell me that there was always a purpose to happiness as well as the pain that we experienced. I used to believe that, but it was difficult to imagine what reason could be behind the pain that I suffered over the past five years, or the pain that I would suffer from here.