تسجيل الدخولAria’s POVThe silence inside the council chamber lasted only a few seconds before the room erupted."What?" Elder Varrin shot to his feet so quickly that his chair scraped loudly across the stone floor. "You negotiated with witches without council approval?"Immediately, several Elders began speaki
She ignored him. "However, he is still the best leader available to this pack."The reluctant honesty in her voice made the statement even stronger.A moment later, Mira stood as well. "Oh good," she said dryly. "Are we listing Damon complaints first? Because I have several."A few people laughed, i
Aria’s POV"Damon." My voice cut through the chamber before anyone else could speak.The second Elder Varrin accused him again, I felt the tension snap tight beneath my fingers. Damon stood slowly from his chair, his entire body rigid with restrained anger. The air around him seemed heavier, charged
Aria’s POVThe entire hall fell into an unnatural silence the moment the doors of the council chamber opened.I felt it before I saw them—the shift in the air, like the room itself had taken a breath and forgotten how to release it. Every Alpha guard stationed along the walls straightened. Even the
Damon’s POVFor the first time in weeks, I wasn't working. No patrol reports, no council meetings, no elders trying to force decisions onto my desk. Just Aria.I had made that decision the night before and refused to let anything interfere with it, though unfortunately Aria was currently trying to.
Aria’s POVThe pounding on my door started before sunrise and at first, I thought I was dreaming so I buried my face deeper into my pillow, groaning as the knocking continued, louder this time and far more persistent."Aria!"My eyes snapped open. I knew that voice.Sitting up, I checked my phone. The bright screen nearly blinded me.5:12 AM.I stared at it in disbelief.Another round of pounding rattled the door."Aria, open this door!""Mira, can you get that?" I called out automatically before remembering she wasn't home. She had stayed overnight at the infirmary after yesterday's chaos.With a groan, I dragged myself across the apartment and yanked the door open.Immediately, I regretted it because Alina stood in the hallway looking as elegant as ever despite the ridiculous hour. Behind her were two older women carrying baskets filled with flowers, candles, folded fabrics, and bundles of herbs."Good morning, dear," Alina said brightly."It is five in the morning.""Exactly.""Nor
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 POVThe moment his lips claimed mine, everything inside me unraveled.There was no hesitation left, no space to think, no room for doubt. The tension that had been building between us for weeks, no months, snapped all at once, and I felt it in the way my breath caught, in the way my fingers c
“Stay there,” I snapped, running a hand through my hair as I turned away from her.The room felt smaller now.The air felt thicker.I walked a few steps toward the window, bracing my hands against the cold stone wall beside it as I stared out into the city lights below, forcing my breathing to slow.
Damon’s POVFive minutes… that was all she had asked for.Five minutes to sit still. Five minutes to breathe. Five minutes to stop thinking like a man preparing for war and just exist like everything wasn’t hanging by a thread.I had agreed.That was my first mistake because the moment those five mi







