MasukAria’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
Damon’s POVI knew she would hate me for it.The moment the word yes left my mouth, I felt it settle into my bones like a decision that would not be undone. There had been no hesitation in my voice, no visible crack in my control, but inside, something had shifted into place with a finality I could
Aria’s POVThe silence after that was not empty… it was alive.It pressed against my skin, thick and suffocating, like the entire chamber had been holding its breath and now didn’t know what to do with it. My heart was still hammering from the Queen’s declaration, from the way she had spoken so calm
Aria’s POVMorning came too fast, like the night had been impatient to abandon me.I woke before I even opened my eyes fully, aware of the warmth beside me, aware of the steady rhythm of breathing that didn’t belong to me. For a moment I just lay there, staring at the ceiling, remembering exactly ho
Damon’s POVI should have stood my ground, slept on the floor instead. My chest tightened the moment she scooted closer, that familiar heat crawling up my spine like fire on dry wood. Her lips were pressed into a thin line, her eyes flicking away the instant mine landed on hers. The kind of look th
Or maybe she did.Maybe she just didn’t realize how bad it was.“You really want me to answer that?” I asked, my voice dropping.“Yes.”No hesitation, no fear. Just that same stubborn insistence that made everything ten times harder.I exhaled slowly, dragging a hand through my hair again as I force
I let out a shaky breath, my hands curling into the thin blanket draped over me.That wasn’t it, that couldn’t be it.Damon didn’t do things halfway. He didn’t hover. He didn’t stay. He commanded, he left, he handled things.But staying by my side? That felt… personal.A groan slipped past my lips a
Mira turned to Kade, her lips pressing into a thin line. “If you’re not going to help her, then stop pretending you care.”Kade scoffed, but there was something off about it, something forced. “I said I’d help,” he muttered. “Just not like that.”I let out a slow breath, then made my decision. “Fine
Damon’s POV“What do you mean no?”The words came out low and controlled, but there was nothing calm about the way my wolf slammed against my ribs, clawing for release. I stared at Kade, my eyes narrowing as I waited for him to correct himself, to take it back, to do the one thing that should have c
Thorne nodded immediately. “It’ll be done.”Silence fell again, heavier this time.“You should be out there,” he added carefully. “We need to assess the damage, figure out how this happened.”“I know.”But I didn’t move because every time I looked at Aria, every time I saw how still she was, how fra







