LOGIN“I said I don’t know,” I repeated, sharper this time.Alina closed the folder halfway. “Then you don’t understand what you’re standing in the middle of.”I exhaled through my nose. “I never said I did.”“You’re acting like you do,” she corrected calmly. “That’s worse.”My jaw tightened. “Why are you
Aria’s POVThe knock came before the sun did and it wasn’t a gentle knock either. It was sharp, deliberate, the kind that didn’t ask permission so much as announce consequences. I forced my eyes open, disoriented, my body still heavy with sleep that hadn’t properly settled into me. For a moment I ju
Damon’s POVThe war room felt colder than it should have, even with the hearth burning low against the stone wall. The long table was already surrounded when I stepped in, maps were spread open, patrol logs stacked unevenly, and the scent of tension thick enough that my wolf paced beneath my skin be
A murmur spread through the crowd again, quieter now, more cautious.Lyra’s gaze flicked briefly toward them before returning to Damon, her expression smoothing out with visible effort. “Be careful,” she said softly. “You’re letting your emotions cloud your judgment.”“My judgment is the only reason
Aria’s POVSilence didn’t just fall, it shattered the moment Damon’s words settled over the courtyard, the air turned heavy, thick with disbelief and tension that pressed against my chest until it felt hard to breathe. Every single pair of eyes locked onto me, not with curiosity anymore, but with s
Aria’s POVLyra’s gaze didn’t leave my face nor did Kade’s.And Damon… I didn’t need to look at him to feel the bond between us humming under my skin, stronger now, steadier in a way that made it impossible to ignore. The suppressants were gone, the barriers stripped away, and everything I had worke
She looked like a Luna already.Composed, radiant and untouchable.“Aria,” she greeted smoothly, her smile gentle but assessing. “Thank you for helping. It means a great deal.”“I’m doing what’s best for the pack,” I replied evenly, placing the folded silk on a nearby table.Her gaze lingered on me
Aria’s POVBy the time the sun dipped low enough to cast gold across the clearing, I had memorized every step of the mating ritual.That had been the goal.If I was going to stand inside that circle tomorrow, I needed to understand exactly what I was standing against.“Hand me the silver cord,” I to
I pushed the image aside.“She’ll stay out of the way,” I said, quieter now.Lyra nodded, satisfied. “That’s all I want. Peace.”Peace.The word scraped against the inside of my skull.Another elder approached, clapping me on the shoulder with hearty approval. “You’ve handled this beautifully,” he b
There it was.I met her gaze finally, and whatever she saw in my eyes made her smile falter for a fraction of a second but I did not rise to it.Reacting would mean admitting how deeply this cut. Reacting would give her exactly what she wanted—proof that I was unstable, jealous, dangerous.So I held







