LOGINDamon’s POVThe scent led me straight to the warehouse. It clung to the air long before I reached the entrance; faint, strained, but unmistakable.Aria.My steps didn’t slow, but everything else inside me sharpened. The world narrowed into a single point of focus, every instinct aligning toward one
Aria’s POVMy head throbbed before I even opened my eyes.It wasn’t a normal ache. It felt like my skull had been split open and stitched back together with dull wire, every pulse of blood dragging against it. My throat was dry, my tongue heavy, and when I tried to move my hand, nothing responded th
Damon’s POV“Lock down every exit,” I snapped, my voice cutting through the packhouse like a whip. “No one leaves. No one enters. I want patrols on every boundary line now.”Guards scattered instantly, fear in their posture even before obedience. Good. Fear meant speed.Behind me, Mira caught up, br
Aria’s POVThe archive smelled the same as always; old parchment, ink, and dust that never fully left the shelves no matter how often they were cleaned. It should have been boring. Safe, even but my mind wasn’t calm.Not after Alina. Not after the way the room had turned on me in seconds. Not after
“You’re acting like one.”A pause. Then she sighed, almost disappointed. “I just don’t want you blinded.”I stepped closer. “I see her clearly.”Something flickered across her face then—quick, but there. And then she smiled again. “I hope you’re right,” she said gently. “I really do.”She turned to
Damon’s POVThe office doors hadn’t even fully closed behind Thorne when I felt her presence before I saw her.Alina.She never announced herself like everyone else. No knock that waited for permission. No hesitation. Just certainty, as if the space already belonged to her before she stepped into it
“You’re imagining threats where there aren’t any,” I replied, though my pulse betrayed me. “This ceremony has nothing to do with me.”“Everything here has to do with you,” he shot back, anger slipping through the cracks of his composure. “You think people forgot what happened in that clearing? You w
Aria’s POV“Let go,” I said again through clenched teeth, forcing my voice to remain steady even as his fingers bit deeper into my wrist. “You’re hurting me.”Kade’s grip did not loosen immediately. His jaw flexed, eyes burning with a temper he used to hide behind charm. Up close, I could see the fa
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







