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
Damon’s POVThe silence after her words didn’t feel like silence, it felt like an impact.“I reject the bond.” Aria’s voice still echoed through the corridor, bouncing off stone walls and sinking into places I couldn’t immediately reach. For a moment, nobody moved… not the guards, not the Elders be
The silence that followed Damon’s words felt wrong… not quiet, wrong, like the entire ballroom had forgotten how to breathe.I stood frozen in the center of the hall, my pulse hammering so violently I could feel it in my throat. Around me, hundreds of eyes stayed locked on us in stunned disbelief, b
Aria’s POVThe summons came before I even finished my morning tea.A guard appeared at my door without knocking properly, his expression tight in the way that meant this wasn’t optional, and he didn’t waste time explaining anything beyond a single sentence.“The Elders want you in the Hall.” That al
I stumbled backward. “That’s not real,” I said quickly, shaking my head. “That’s not real.”The voices stopped and silence returned.I let out a shaky breath and forced myself back to the table, flipping open the ledger again with more force than necessary.“Focus,” I repeated. For ten minutes, it w







