Aria walked towards the man who emerged from behind the trees. She stared at him, mouth gaping. “Who are you?” she asked, though there is no doubt she already knew the answer in her heart.
“Holy-” Matt blurt. He was just as surprised as Aria. He stood up and grabbed Aria’s arm. “Hold on,” he said. “We need to be sure who he is.”
Aria nodded.
Yet she still took a step forward.
“Who are you?” she repeated, tears started forming in her eyes.
“I am Blake Crestwood,” he answered.
Aria and Matt did not say anything for the first few moments after hearing those words. They only looked at each other, both confused, yet hopeful.
“Blake Crestwood was dead,” Matt said.
“Father. I think you’re mistaken,” Aria said, holding her father’s arms, stopping him from attacking Lizzie again.“I will never be mistaken. If she is her daughter, that would mean that girl is also a traitor,” Blake raged.“Father, please calm down.”Aria was using all her strength to keep Blake away from Lizzie. Leo intervened as well and tried to talk Blake out of it while Matt only watch from the sofa as if the whole thing was an amusing movie.“He’s right,” Lizzie shouted.They all stopped and stared at her. “What do you mean he’s right?” Aria asked. Lizzie stood up and walked closer to Aria.“He’s right about my mother being a traitor,” he said.Aria let go of her father’s arms and pe
Aria and Leo visited one house from another, finding and analyzing clues and marks left by those who took the kids."Thirteen kids in total," Leo stated while looking at the last house they visited. Those who stayed in contact with Matt and Leo while Aria was not aware of her identity chose to leave near them.Clarke's Lake.They run when the Hunters run. They hide when they hide. And they fight when they fight.“Please, he’s only seven,” Danielle cried to Aria and Leo. She still had her apron on, she said she let little Rob play in the garden, they had a fence, so she was not worried.But then she heard him scream and when she ran after her child, all she saw was the smoke of a black van dashing out of her sight.All cases of abduction left similar traces – the symbol of the moon with runic alphabets written below it. Aria looked up t
Despite the gloomy atmosphere, the members of the Crescent pack did their part to prepare for the wedding of Leo and Aria. Cassie, the only person present who had superhuman strength because of being a vampire, lifted most of the heavy equipment that needed lifting.The others helped each other build an altar with its back facing the rippling falls behind.Aria was watching the people below work. She smiles, occasionally, at those who meet her eyes, but after that, she finds herself staring to the distance, thinking of the things that led them here and where this will lead them.She loves Leo.She loves her pack.And even though she does not think she is ready for marriage for the sake of her pack, for the sake of those kids, she will do anything.But the melancholy she felt i
Leo’s footsteps echoed all over the abandoned warehouse. He could feel the tingling sensation at his nape, which indicated that he was not alone. Despite being so quiet, he knew there were people lurking behind the shadows.He positioned himself to be ready in case someone attacks him from behind.Matt met his eyes, and they nodded to each other, understanding there was no going back in executing their plan. Everything must go without a hitch.“Althea!” Matt shouted. He heard his own voice as it bounced back within the walls of the compound. He looked up at the ceiling and made sure he was alert.No one responded.“We know you’re here,” Matt said in a loud voice. He turned around and inspected every corner of the gigantic empty place.A huge
Petals of flowers were scattered all over the green ground. People were talking in low voices like bees buzzing, and the liquid purl of the falls nearby was the only thing they could hear.The moon illuminated the Crescent pack's haven where Aria and Leo’s wedding will take place. The parents who lost their child were rejoicing upon reuniting with them and had never seen Aria and Leo without saying thank you.Everything seemed to be in place, contrary to what was happening the night before when they were all chaos because of the abduction of their kids. Matt was staring into the distance, a glass of whiskey in one hand while guarding Althea’s body.On the other side of the cabin, Cassie was putting make-up on Aria’s face. Aria looked at herself in the mirror and sighed.“What? You don’t like it?” Cassie asked.
Aria replaced her white wedding gown with black pants, a leather jacket, and combat boots. She tied her waving curly hair earlier into a bun and prepared all the other equipment they could bring to be used against the Valles.Despite having an army of hybrids, Aria can’t just go there unprepared.The rest of the pack who would fight with her made the wedding venue earlier into a space for training and preparation. From a white occasion earlier, their sanctuary turned into a training ground with kids as young as twelve throwing daggers at targets made of woods.Matt looked up at her and nodded. She smiled and nodded back at him, then Matt continued on teaching one child in aiming at the target.“We can’t these kids come,” Aria told Lizzie.“They know they can’t go with you to
Lizzie felt another searing pain on her right arm. At first, it appeared to be read, then after a few seconds, the burned skin appeared. Its appearance on her skin was also the disappearance of the burn on Blake’s right arm.“It’s so painful,” Lizzie cried, her tears swelling up in the corners of her eyes. Cassie helped her sit comfortably, as Aria inspected the burned wound.“We have to call your mom.” Aria took out her phone and started dialing Mrs. France’s phone number, but Lizzie took the phone out of her hand.“You, can’t,” she said. “I defied her by going with you, by going here. If she hears about this, ah!” Lizzie grimaced as she felt another pain in her back, “the way she sees all of you, it would be worst.”“She helped us before when we found out
The stench on Aria's nostril was replaced by a sharp and thick smell. It permeated the air in the whole new chamber they had reached.The iron-like smell became stronger as they left the secret tunnel. Aria glanced at Leo, who was crunching his nose after the smell hit him. “It’s a lot of blood,” Aria said.They walked further inside that room and had found out why the smell of blood was so strong in that room. Aria gasped after pulling out the huge curtain. Hundreds of bodies, being drained of their blood, were on the other side of that room.Some of them were still conscious that they raised their hand as high as they could, asking for Aria to help them while most of the people there were unconscious, pale, and probably, dead.“Help us,” the girl said in a weak voice. It was almost inaudible. There were tubes all