LOGINKNOX Pain has a strange way of arriving. Sometimes it doesn’t crash into you… it just lay there like someone placed a stone on your chest when you weren’t looking. And when you finally notice it, it’s already too late.That was exactly what happened when I lifted my head from that file and met Aria’s eyes.And all I could think was how the hell didn’t I see this?How did I touch her… want her… mark her... mark her without knowing the blood she carried?‘Mate,’ Fenris whispered from somewhere deep inside me desperately. Mate is hurting…My jaw locked. My teeth ground together so hard it hurt. Mate. That word felt like a slap in the face. A joke.No.She’s... gawd... she’s a Crescent Hunter.Fenris whined, She’s ours. She’s not them…But even his voice trembled like he wasn’t sure anymore.My chest tightened. Every memory I had of Crescent Hunters began with blood and ended with bodies. Her people were the monster under the bed my pack had never been able to chase away.Aria sat on the
ARIAFor a second, I honestly thought I died. Everything was white… soft… quiet.“Is this heaven?” I mumbled in my head. “Why is there no welcome team? No trumpets? No golden gate? Where are the angels? Shouldn’t someone be clapping for me for surviving my whole messed-up life?”Or—wait.“Maybe it’s hell,” I whispered. “But where’s the heat? The smoke? The demons?”Instead all I heard was a faint, distant voice. Someone calling a name I couldn’t catch. My head spun. My body felt like it had been boiled then frozen then thrown off a cliff.I forced my eyes open. And… huh? This wasn’t heaven. Not hell either. This was… Knox’s bedroom. Inside the pack house.My brain blanked. Maybe I was hallucinating? Because there was no way I was still alive after being shot and tumbling off the cliff. My shoulder still throbbed a bit, probably as a result of the shot, but it didn’t feel like I was dying anymore.Before I could make sense of anything, the door burst open. Knox rushed inside so fast it
ARIA“Miss me?” she asked, bending her head slightly to the side with a sick smile plastered on her face. My stomach dropped straight to my knees. Daphne never liked me. She made sure I knew it every day growing up. And the fact I had hit her just to help the Ronnie escape… yeah, this wasn’t a friendly chat.I pressed myself against the corner without meaning to. The small space made it worse. She towered me in her high boots and closing the gap like a hunter closing on his prey.Her eyes dragged over me, slowly “You look surprised,” she said. “Why? Scared?”“No,” I whispered, but it wasn’t convincing. My voice shook knowing this discussion wasn't going to end pretty.She stepped closer and I bumped the wall behind me leaving nowhere to move.“Funny,” she murmured. “You really think you could escape? But for real though,” She paused, twirling her hair between her fingers “How did a scaredy cat decide to help the species she was scared of? And really? After everything we did for you,
Eleanor’s words kept ringing in my head even after she stopped talking.You need the mark of your mate.I don’t know how long I sat there staring at her. My chest felt tight, like someone tied a rope around it. My heartbeat wouldn’t slow down.When I finally stood up to leave, my legs felt weak, almost shaky.Ronnie opened the door for me. I didn’t even know he was standing there till he spoke.“Aria?” he said, blinking like he wasn’t sure it was really me.“Yeah,” I said softly.As I stepped out, he moved a little to block the door. “Uh… thank you. For saving my life that day. I didn’t say it properly.”I looked at him, surprised. He’d healed fast. “You don’t have to thank me. I just… reacted.”“No,” he said, shaking his head. “You saved me. I owed you that.”Before I could respond, Eleanor’s voice drifted from behind him, teasing as usual.“He’s a good company, you know. Too bad he’ll be leaving soon.”I turned fast. “Leaving?”Ronnie laughed a little like it wasn’t a big deal. “Alp
ARIAWhen I woke, the first thing I felt was warmth. A hand was brushing slow, soft strokes through my hair. For a second I thought I was still dreaming, because everything felt foggy and heavy. My arms were around something solid, and my cheek was pressed against a hard chest that rose and fell in calm breaths.It took me a moment to understand it was Knox.I didn’t know how long I’d been holding him like that. Could’ve been minutes, could’ve been hours. My body felt stiff, like I’d been curled up too tight for too long. My fingers had curled around the fabric of his shirt without me noticing, almost like I was scared he would disappear.He didn’t rush me. Not even a little. He just kept stroking my hair like he had all the time in the world.Eventually, the shaking in my chest settled, and I pulled back a little so I could see his face. He looked… worried.He opened his mouth a little. “Would you—”“I’m fine,” I cut in quickly before he could finish.His eyebrows pulled together. He
ARIA I lifted my head, twisting it just a bit to look at him over my shoulder. The intensity in his eyes pinned me in place, dark and smoldering, like he could see straight through every flustered thought swirling in my mind. But before I could sort through the thoughts in my head, his hand slid up to the back of my neck as he tugged me closer, and then his lips crashed into mine.I went still for a beat, my mind blanking out for fe seconds. Then something snapped, and I was kissing him back, pressing into it with everything I had, my tongue meeting his to keep up. 'Mmm,' I breathed against him, my fingers fumbling up to wrap around his neck with my nails slightly digging her bag. My back stayed pressed to his chest as he held me while the kiss turned messy as our breaths mingleg in the space between us.I didn't notice his hand moving at first, too caught up in the dominance of his lips. But then his fingers were there again, slipping past the open zipper of my trousers, nudging my







