LOGINDamon’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
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 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
Damon’s POVThe war room felt colder than it should have, even with the hearth burning low against the stone wall. The long table was already surrounded when I stepped in, maps were spread open, patrol logs stacked unevenly, and the scent of tension thick enough that my wolf paced beneath my skin be







