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
Aria’s POVDamon didn’t answer me, he just stood there in the clearing, the silence between us stretching so tightly it felt like it might snap at any second. Lex’s footsteps had already faded into the forest, but his words still lingered like smoke that refused to clear.When Damon finally moved, i
“What night?” I whispered.Neither of them answered. Damon took one slow step forward, his eyes pitch-black now. “You need to leave.”Lex’s gaze never left his. “Or what?”“I’ll finish what I should’ve done years ago.”For the first time, genuine anger crossed Lex’s face. “You already finished it,”
Damon’s POVAria was gone. At first, I thought she was asleep but when I pushed open her bedroom door and found the bed empty, the bathroom dark, and the windows still locked from the inside, irritation hit before panic did. I stood there for half a second, staring at the untouched blankets like the
Aria’s POVThe first sound I heard was my own breathing. Fast, uneven, too loud in a forest that felt like it was holding its breath with me.I stood frozen between the trees, one hand still hovering near my chest as if I could physically steady my heartbeat. The air here didn’t feel like pack terri







