เข้าสู่ระบบAria’s PovMy stomach flipped.I opened the door slowly.Axel stood there… and for a moment, he just stared. Not hungrily. Not possessively. Just… softly. Like I was sunlight he was afraid to touch in case it burned away.“You look…” His voice trailed off, and a shy smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Beautiful.”Heat rushed up my neck.“You look good too,” I whispered, surprised at how breathless I sounded.He really did.Axel wasn’t the type to dress up extravagantly…he wore a clean black button-down, sleeves rolled to his forearms, dark trousers, and that small necklace he always touched when he was nervous. His hair looked neater than usual, like he’d actually tried.He shook his head lightly like he wasn’t going to let me argue, then revealed what he had behind his back.A single wildflower.Not a rose, not anything arranged… just something he must have picked himself from the forest edge. Soft, white petals. A tiny stem.Perfect because it was simple.Perfect because it wa
Aria’s POV“Come,” Axel said after a moment, drying his hands. He didn’t grab my wrist or tug me along. He just held his palm out…open, offered, waiting.I placed my hand in his.He guided me to the small sitting room near the back of the house, the one with the soft lighting and the blanket folded neatly because he always folds things neatly. He sat first, then motioned for me to sit too.“So,” he began, rubbing the back of his neck a little nervously, “the… date.”His eyes flicked to me and then down again. “I don’t… really go on them.”“I know,” I whispered, smiling.He smiled back, shy but true. “But I want to. With you.”Warmth flooded my chest.“What do you have in mind?” I asked, cheeks heating.He thought for a moment, eyes drifting away like he was picturing it.“I want it to be quiet,” he said. “Just us. Somewhere you won’t feel pressured. Somewhere you can breathe.”That was Axel…always thinking about how *I* would feel before he even considered himself.“And… maybe,” he co
Aria’s povThe sink water was warm, but my hands felt numb.Honestly, my mind was nowhere near the dishes. It was floating somewhere between the memory of Grace, the embarrassment during breakfast, Aiden, my mates. So I just scrubbed and rinsed, scrubbed and rinsed, letting the bubbles swallow my thoughts whole.I didn’t even hear him come in.“Aria… let me do it,” Axel said quietly as he slipped the sponge out of my hand like it was the most natural thing in the world.My breath hitched.When did he?He stepped beside me, rolling up his sleeves, and immediately began washing the dishes with this silent, laser focus that made it look like the plates had personally offended him.“Uhm… thank you, Axel,” I murmured.“Don’t mention,” he replied, barely above a mumble, giving me a small, tight smile that didn’t reach his eyes.And then it clicked.Oh Goddess. He’s upset.Aiden and I.Whatever that happened between us.The energy.Everything.He must’ve felt it . Or smelled it like Asher sa
Aria’s povWe had our meal quietly with my mates giving me glances every once in a while like they were checking up on me..Or if I’d break.I pretended to focus on my food, but the warmth in my chest was impossible to hide. I could feel it in my cheeks, in the way I kept biting back small smiles. Then, Asher opened his mouth.“So…” he drawled, leaning back in his chair like he owned the entire room. “My darling mate is glowing differently this morning.”My fork froze mid-air.My face burned.“What… what do you mean?” I stammered, even though I absolutely knew what he meant.He smirked wider. “What do I mean? Hmm, I don’t know, Aria… maybe the fact that we can all smell it on you.”I choked.Axel shot him a warning look. Adrian stiffened. Aiden didn’t move, but his jaw tightened..just once.Asher continued cheerfully, “What happened last night…”“Oh my god,” I whispered into my hands.I wanted the ground to swallow me whole. Preferably twice.“Asher,” Aiden snapped. “Stop. Don’t make
Grace’s PovI left that dining room before I said something that would damn me in front of everyone.My palms were trembling.Trembling.I pushed through the hallway with long, sharp steps, my nails digging crescents into my skin. The nerve…The absolute nerve..of those boys.My sons.My pride.My legacy.Fighting me… over her.Her!That.. That thing!That girl who should’ve never been under my roof for more than a day.I reached the end of the hall and braced myself against the wall, breathing hard. The sunlight from the long windows bathed everything in warm gold, but inside me…inside me there was nothing but cold boiling rage.Aria.Aria, Aria, Aria.Everywhere I turned..whispers about her.Tension because of her.My sons distracted because of her.She wasn’t even a pure wolf.She wasn’t even worthy.I closed my eyes and felt the burn move behind them. Was this what the moon goddess intended for my household? For my sons? For the future of my pack?My throat tightened.No.No, I
Aria’s pov “You will not speak to Aria that way,” he said, voice low, measured. “Not anymore.”Grace blinked, stunned. “Aiden, sit back down..,”“No,” he said.The single word echoed.Axel stood next, shoulders tense, eyes blazing.“Aria is our mate,” he said, voice shaking with anger he was barely holding back. “Whether you like it or not.”My heart dropped to my feet.He said it.Out loud.In front of everyone.Grace turned to Malrick, expecting him to explode too…but even he looked… conflicted, staring at the four boys who were no longer boys… but leaders. Wolves. Men.Adrian squeezed my hand gently and tugged me toward the seat he had chosen for me.Right between Axel and Aiden.Right where everyone could see.My pulse thrashed in my throat as I lowered myself into the chair. I felt exposed. Terrified. But also… defended in a way I had never felt before.Adrian placed my plate in front of me with such care it made my chest ache.“I didn’t agree to this,” Grace said, trembling wit







