āSomeoneās losing it.ā a smartass voice from behind says. I spin around quickly. And there he is. Fucking Mark. Sitting on the ground with his back against the wall, looking smug as shit. āYouā¦how long have you been here?ā I ask, blinking at him. āI didnāt hide. You were just too busy talking to
Aria āAria, take it easy, please. You're losing your damn mind,ā Lily says, sitting right beside me, trying to play therapist. But nope. Itās not helping. Not even a little. My brainās on overdrive, spiraling like a damn hurricane, and I just canāt stop blaming myself for everything that went dow
āAria, itās okay⦠Iām okay,ā Lucas whispers, rubbing my back so gently like heās afraid Iāll break. āPlease⦠itās not your fault.ā But I can't stop crying. āIt is my fault. Iām so sorry, Lucas,ā I sob, barely able to get the words out. Before he can say anything else, I hear someone behind us. āL
Aria Lucas is looking at me like I just told him Iām secretly a mermaid or some shit. His eyebrows shoot up, and then he slowly shakes his head. āAria, you canāt possibly believe what that guy said, right?ā Oh, here we freaking go. āLucas, come on. You donāt even know what he told me or how he
Lucas looks between me and her, clearly picking up on the weird tension. āIs everything okay?ā āYeah, sure,ā Mia lies with a smile so fake I want to throw a pillow at her. āI mean⦠with you and Damon? Something feels off,ā Lucas says, raising a brow slightly. Mia lets out a sigh and shrugs. āI d
My damn bodyās shaking like I just ran a mile in heels, and I start heading downstairs. I donāt even know why. Maybe itās nerves, maybe itās because Mark just dumped a load of bullshit on me, or maybe Iām losing my mind again . All I do know is that Iām not about to let Mark get in my head. Not when
Lucas āHey man, how you holding up?ā Damon says as he drops into the chair by my bed. āMy whole body feels like I got hit by a truck,ā I groan, adjusting slightly because even breathing hurts. āBut Iām fine, I guess. Whereās Theo?ā āHeās at his mateās place. Heāll be back later.ā āAlright.ā I s
After a second, he calms down and looks at me, a bit more serious. āMan, Iām just glad youāre safe. Theo and I were about to head to campus when Beta John hit us with the mind-link that youād been found. By the way, how the hell did Aria and Mark even find you there?ā he asks, lifting a brow. āI do
āAria, you good?ā Markās 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. āYeah. Iām fine. Just got a little caught up in my feelings. Nothing dramatic.ā Mark nods like he believes me, even though Iām
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 itās got beef with me personally. Itās still pitch dark outside, obviously, but thereās 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 thatās gonna block out the bullshit in my head. My skull feels like itās about to explode, and my chest? Yeah, that shitās not doing any better either. Itās like someoneās
But Lucas? Oh no. Heās not calming down one bit. āI canāt calm down, Aria. You need to say something right now. Tell this idiot you belong in Shadow Pang.ā Heās practically barking it, and honestly, Iām about two seconds from losing it too. āLucas,ā I start, trying real hard to keep my voice soft a
Aria āAria, Iām telling you, thereās nothing to be scared of. I mean, yeah, the Hollow sect are creepy as hell and all that, but Alpha Marcelās got the resources. Heās got the people, the connections. Youāre safe here,ā Mark says the second we step into the living room, like heās trying to sell me
Aria After I shower and get dressed, Lucas and I head downstairs for breakfast. Alpha Marcelās 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 bodyās warm, grounding, and his scentā¦gosh it's so soothing. āGoodnight, baby,ā he whispers, pressing a soft kiss to my shoulder. āGoodnight, baby,ā I murmur back, letting my hand s
Aria āOh yeah⦠theyāre not here right now,ā Alpha Marcel says, scratching his head like heās trying to dig out the answer. āThey went outta the country to visit a relative of my wife.ā I nod, but honestly, it sounds like total bullshit. Like, really? In the middle of all this chaos? The packās cu
āLet me guess. He said, āScrew this fire crapā?ā āPretty 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 thereās some weird-ass illness spreadingā¦werewolves