Lucas "Lucas, where the hell are you?" my dad grunts. My eyes flick to Aria, and she looks fucking mortified. "Where’s Damon?" he demands, his tone sharp as hell. "What did you do to him?" I grit my teeth. "If you really wanna know, then come get me yourself." "You’re coming back, now." "I’m n
Lucas I search everywhere. Around the bathhouse, the street next to it, and the one after that. Hell, I even ask random people if they’ve seen her. Aria. My Aria. Nothing. No one has seen her. This can’t be happening. She wouldn’t leave me. Not after everything we’ve been through. I try to mind
She’s really gone. I don’t know how long I stay like that…minutes, hours? I don’t even fucking blink. At some point, exhaustion takes over, and everything fades to black. …… I’m lying on my bed, staring at the fucking wall like it holds the meaning of life, when I hear the door unlocking. Proba
Aria Finally, I pull up to the restaurant Aunt Esther works at. It's in some random suburb in New York. I push open the door and the scent of pancakes hits me. I'm starving. I look around and notice a few people scattered, minding their business, thank goddess. Aunt Esther works two part-time jobs
Aunt Esther sighs and pulls me close, hugging me tight. “It’s okay, Aria. You’re going to be fine.” “No… no. I don’t know how much longer I can take this. He’s been trying to mind-link me, and I’ve been blocking it. Even my friends… I don’t know how much my wolf can handle. It’s weakening us,” I wh
**Eight Months Later** Aria "Aria, get your ass downstairs already! You're gonna be late for your first day of college!" Aunt Esther yells from the kitchen. "I'm coming!" I shout back, rolling my eyes as I smooth my hands over my hair. With one last glance in the mirror, I nod in approval. Palaz
And just like that, she pulls me into a hug. I clutch her back, squeezing my eyes shut. "I’m sorry… so, so sorry." After a few minutes, we’re all sitting together in an empty lecture hall, still processing the absolute mindfuck that we’ve somehow ended up in the same university. "I can't believe
Aria All throughout classes today, I couldn't concentrate. My mind keeps replaying what Mia and Lily said. Apparently, they and Damon and Theo—had been just as shocked as I was when they found out Lucas was attending this university. But I know the real reason why. It’s because of me. I told him
“Aria, you good?” Mark’s voice cuts through my little mental spiral and drags me back to reality. I blink a few times, trying to pull myself together before I look at him. “Yeah. I’m fine. Just got a little caught up in my feelings. Nothing dramatic.” Mark nods like he believes me, even though I’m
Aria We step outta the living room, and the cold hits me like a freaking slap to the face. This wind? Rude as hell. It goes straight through my jacket like it’s got beef with me personally. It’s still pitch dark outside, obviously, but there’s electricity glowing from this part of the mansion like
Lucas The second I hit the room, I just crash onto the bed like my body finally gave up. I yank the blanket over my face like that’s gonna block out the bullshit in my head. My skull feels like it’s about to explode, and my chest? Yeah, that shit’s not doing any better either. It’s like someone’s
But Lucas? Oh no. He’s not calming down one bit. “I can’t calm down, Aria. You need to say something right now. Tell this idiot you belong in Shadow Pang.” He’s practically barking it, and honestly, I’m about two seconds from losing it too. “Lucas,” I start, trying real hard to keep my voice soft a
Aria “Aria, I’m telling you, there’s nothing to be scared of. I mean, yeah, the Hollow sect are creepy as hell and all that, but Alpha Marcel’s got the resources. He’s got the people, the connections. You’re safe here,” Mark says the second we step into the living room, like he’s trying to sell me
Aria After I shower and get dressed, Lucas and I head downstairs for breakfast. Alpha Marcel’s not in the living room yet, and Mark... well, goddess knows where he is. Probably off being mysterious and annoying, as usual. We make our way to the dining room where the maid who called us is already
I turn to the side, my back pressed against his chest, and his arm slides around my waist like it belongs there. His body’s warm, grounding, and his scent…gosh it's so soothing. “Goodnight, baby,” he whispers, pressing a soft kiss to my shoulder. “Goodnight, baby,” I murmur back, letting my hand s
Aria “Oh yeah… they’re not here right now,” Alpha Marcel says, scratching his head like he’s trying to dig out the answer. “They went outta the country to visit a relative of my wife.” I nod, but honestly, it sounds like total bullshit. Like, really? In the middle of all this chaos? The pack’s cu
“Let me guess. He said, ‘Screw this fire crap’?” “Pretty much. Said it was barbaric and refused to keep sacrificing his people. And the moment he stopped? Curse hit us like a wrecking ball. No sunlight, no crops, no peace. Just rot and death. Now there’s some weird-ass illness spreading…werewolves