Aria "Are you done?" Lucas calls from the other side of the door. "Uh, yeah... I—I don’t have... my clothes are wet," I mumble, stepping out hesitantly. His gaze flicks over me before he tosses a large T-shirt my way. "Here." "Thanks." I clutch it like it's a damn lifeline and slip it on over t
Aria I shift a little, still half-asleep, when my hand lands on something hard… and warm. And holy hell…the scent. That intoxicating, musky, Lucas smell that makes my knees weak every damn time. My eyes flutter open, and there he is, smiling down at me like some Greek god. “You’re finally awake,”
“Damn right.” I smile, my fingers trailing over his bare chest. “Just us.” And hell, I’m not complaining. …… “So, you guys are actually going on a fucking New Year’s cruise?” Damon mutters, raising a brow as he looks between me and Lucas like we’ve grown two heads. “Yup,” Lucas grins, all proud
Aria I can’t fucking believe it’s almost New Year. I wrap my arms around Lucas’s neck, resting my forehead against his. “This trip went by way too fast,” I breathe out, the cool ocean breeze brushing against my skin. We’re out on the ship’s deck, way past midnight. Christmas lights are strung eve
**Before Christmas And New Year** Mia We’re finally here…Damon’s family house. And by house, I mean giant-ass mansion. Seriously, this place is straight out of a movie. It’s tucked away inside Alpha Marcus’s private estate, right in the middle of the Shadow Pang pack territory. Damon’s family i
She grins and winks at me before we disappear up the massive staircase. We finally reach Damon’s room, and without even thinking, I kick off my shoes and launch myself onto his bed. “Ahhh!” I stretch out, sprawling across the mattress like I own the place. “Goddess, I love this bed.” Damon chuck
Mia “Damon, come on! We gotta go. We can’t just ignore your parents’ invitation,” I say, trying to talk some sense into him. He’s been fuming ever since Aaron barged into his room. I walk over and wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him closer. “Pleeease? You have to come with me. I don’t wan
“Oh, I think she met you earlier, Aaron. Y’know, when you barged into my room without knocking.” Damon let the sarcasm drip from every word. The table goes awkwardly quiet. Sean clears his throat loudly, trying to break the tension. “Alright! Let’s eat before the food gets cold.” “So, Mia,” Au
Aria “Lucas, it’s not what you think,” I blurt out, already panicking. “I slipped and he caught me, that’s all.” But Lucas ain’t hearing it. His eyes are locked on Mark like he’s two seconds from launching at him, while Mark’s over there rolling his eyes like Lucas is just being dramatic. I walk
“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