LOGINFor a moment, he just stared at me then, slowly, his expression softened again, like he was slipping back into a version of himself that knew how to win me over.“You’re really choosing him,” he said quietly. “After everything I did for you?”I let out a short, humorless laugh. “You didn’t do anythi
Aria’s POVThe infirmary was too quiet, not peaceful—never peaceful—but had this kind of silence that felt forced, like the walls themselves were holding their breath. The smell of antiseptic was sharp enough to sting my nose the moment I stepped inside, and for a second I almost turned back.Almost
For a moment, he just stared at me then, slowly, his expression softened again, like he was slipping back into a version of himself that knew how to win me over.“You’re really choosing him,” he said quietly. “After everything I did for you?”I let out a short, humorless laugh. “You didn’t do anythi
Aria’s POVThe infirmary was too quiet, not peaceful—never peaceful—but had this kind of silence that felt forced, like the walls themselves were holding their breath. The smell of antiseptic was sharp enough to sting my nose the moment I stepped inside, and for a second I almost turned back.Almost
Aria's POVThe feeling wouldn't leave, it followed me through lunch, through the reports stacked on my desk, through every conversation I barely paid attention to and no matter how many times I reminded myself that Damon could handle himself, that he had survived far worse than a day spent with Kade
Aria’s POVSomething in me refused to settle and I know that it wasn’t exactly panic, but if it was, it wasn’t the mind that made you shake or lose breath. It was quieter than that, sharper too, like a thread pulled too tight under my skin, waiting to snap the moment I stopped paying attention. Dam
Mira let out a sharp exhale. “So that makes this okay?”“No,” he said quickly, shaking his head. “But it means if she’s doing this, there’s probably something behind it. She looks out for the pack. Everyone knows that.”Alina didn’t acknowledge him, but I saw the faint shift in her posture, the subt
Aria’s POVThe silence after Alina’s words didn’t feel empty. It felt heavy and pressed like the air itself had shifted and settled into something sharp and watching.I didn’t sit back down. I couldn’t.My hands were still curled at my sides, nails digging into my palms hard enough to sting, but I b
“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







