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
Damon’s POVThe moment Maeve said the mixture failed, I knew something was wrong in a way that went beyond medicine.Aria lay on the infirmary table, her breathing shallow and uneven, her skin pale enough that the candlelight made her look almost translucent. Black veins still traced faint paths ben
“Lex!” I snarled, shifting back into human form mid-run. “Stop running like prey!”His voice came back, distant and sharp. “Then stop chasing like a dog with a leash on!”I caught up to him near a ridge where the ground dropped steeply into a narrow ravine. The rogues had stopped following. They alw
“You poisoned her.”Lex wiped blood from his mouth slowly before glaring at me. “Nice greeting.”I grabbed him by the front of his jacket and slammed him against the stone again. “What did you give her?”“I didn’t poison your mate.”“Liar.”Lex shoved me backward hard enough to break my grip. “Think
Damon’s POV“Move!” The roar tore out of my throat as I carried Aria through the packhouse corridors, her blood soaking through the front of my shirt while panic clawed violently through every nerve in my body.Her breathing sounded wrong.Each cough sprayed more black blood across her trembling han







