Chapter 6.

ARIA'S POV

Damon leads us away from the ring, past packmates still whispering behind their hands, until the noise finally fades near the equipment shed.

The smell of dust and sweat clings to the air even out here, and somewhere behind us, Lily's laugh carries over the arena — bright and easy, like she owns the place.

I roll my eyes because even in this life, her irritating voice is everywhere I am like in my past life.

I clench my jaw and force myself to ignore it. I didn't come back to life just to let Lily get under my skin again. I'm here to rewrite my fate.

I turn my full attention to Damon.

He drops his towel over one shoulder and crosses his arms. He isn't exactly hostile, but there's a distance in his eyes that I'm not used to seeing.

And maybe that's what I failed to notice in my past life because I was so busy being in love with him, I never stopped to see how he really felt about me.

"Okay," he says, breaking my chain of thoughts. "Before we talk about why you came here — what's gotten into you today?"

"Nothing's gotten into me." The lie comes out steadier than I feel. For a second, I wonder if Damon can actually see through me. In my past life, I never gave him a reason to try. I was too busy doing whatever he asked and pretending I was the happiest woman alive.

"Sure." His eyes narrow. "Then why were you rude to Chris? You've been fetching that idiot's protein bars for years without complaining. Why act out now?"

Ah. So that's what this is about. His friend, and not me.

A small wave of irritation rolls through me. "Well, maybe I got tired of it."

His frown deepens. "But you've been doing it for years, Aria. You never once acted like you were tired."

"People change in seconds." I shrug, forcing myself to sound casual. "I decided today was the day I changed."

He studies me for a long second, suspicious, like he's trying to read a language he used to be fluent in and suddenly isn't.

"You know, I didn't believe Lily when she told me you were rude to her at breakfast for no reason," he says slowly. "But now I do."

Of course he does. He loves her, so why wouldn't he believe her?

I scoff before I can stop myself.

He catches it, and his jaw tightens. "See? That right there. What is that supposed to mean?"

"What?"

"That attitude," he says, pointing a finger at me. "You're being rude to me right now and you still want me to talk to you?"

"I'm not being rude," I snap. "I'm just being me."

"No, you're not," he says flatly. "This isn't you, Aria. You've been snapping at everyone since morning."

He pauses, and his expression shifts from annoyed to concerned.

"Is the Mate Ball bothering you that much?"

"What? No," I say, too quickly. My voice comes out high-pitched.

"You sure? You sound anxious. And taking it out on everyone isn't helping."

Oh, so now he wants to be concerned about me?

"It's nothing," I say. "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine." His voice softens, and it catches me off guard the way it always used to, back before I understood what that gentleness actually cost. "You look worried."

I narrow my eyes at him for pressing me for answers. Does he think I won't see through him? That I don't know he doesn't care for me?

"For the last time, I'm not worried! I know who my mate i—"

I cut myself off before revealing my biggest secret.

How can I be so stupid to almost tell him who my mate is? My heart slams against my ribs so hard I'm sure he can hear it.

He blinks. "You what?"

"Uhh..."

For one horrible second, the whole yard seems to hold its breath along with me. Sasha goes rigid in the back of my mind, a low, warning growl building in her chest.

'Make up an excuse. Now,' she snaps.

"I mean — whoever it is," I force out, leveling my voice, "it's fine. I'm ready for whatever happens tonight."

He doesn't look fully convinced, but he lets it go, and something in his face gentles again in that easy, well-meaning way that used to melt me on the spot.

"You know, you don't have to worry so much," he says. "The Goddess doesn't owe anyone a mate on their exact birthday. Look at me. I turned eighteen months ago, and nothing happened. I think she gives us our mates when the time is right."

I immediately let out a nervous laugh because he has no idea that in a few hours, I'll be fated to him — and if I play my cards right, he'll never know.

"Right," I say quietly. "When the time is right."

I quickly make a mental note to change the topic before I say something I can't take back.

"Anyway, about what I came to talk to you about... can you help me with something?"

His eyes settle on me.

"I need you to escort Dana and me into the Dark Forest."

He straightens so fast, it's almost like I've slapped him.

"What?"

"I need to leave pack territory. Right now. Without my father knowing."

He stares at me like I just asked him to help hide a body.

"I can't. I have patrol duty in a few hours. I'm busy."

"Of course you are." The bitterness slips out before I can stop it. "If it was Lily asking, you'd already be halfway there, wouldn't you?"

His brows immediately pull together like he is genuinely confused. "Where is that coming from?"

Nowhere he'd understand without me unraveling everything.

"Forget it." My pride flares hot and stupid in my chest. "I shouldn't have come to you."

I turn and walk away, taking a mental note that coming to Damon in the first place was the worst mistake ever.

I make it maybe seven steps before Sasha tears into my head, sharper than I've ever felt her.

'Aria. What are you doing? Get back there. Now.'

'He doesn't want to help.'

'But we NEED him.' Her voice is a growl and a plea at once. 'He's the only one strong enough to get us through rogue territory and back before anyone notices. He's also the only one who won't run his mouth to father. You know this.'

My chest tightens, because she's not wrong, and I hate that she's not wrong.

'If we don't reach that witch's cabin on time,' she says, almost gentle, which is somehow worse, 'we relive the last life again. Do you want that?'

No. Goddess, no. I would rather choke on my own pride a hundred times over than watch that happen twice.

I stop walking. I stand there a moment, breathing through the part of me that wants to keep going out of sheer stubbornness, and then I turn around and walk back, because some things matter more than being right.

Damon's still there, arms crossed, watching me return like he half expected it.

"Um, I'm sorry," I say, and I force the words to come out sincerely and stripped of every sharp edge I've been carrying all morning. "I shouldn't have spoken to you like that. That wasn't fair."

He doesn't answer right away. He just watches me, waiting to see if I mean it.

"Please," I say. "Will you take me and Dana into the Dark Forest? Without my father finding out?" My voice cracks slightly on the last word, and I let it. "Please?"

For a second I'm certain he'll say no. The silence stretches long enough that I start rehearsing what I'll tell Dana and Sasha when this fails.

Then he nods, slow, like he's still deciding even as he does it.

"Yeah," he says. "I can do that. Since you finally asked nicely."

Relief crashes through me so fast my knees threaten to give.

"But," he adds, stepping closer, "on one condition."

My stomach drops.

And then, annoyingly, so does my guard.

He is close enough now that I can smell his intoxicating scent and my heart gives one hard, stupid beat.

'Seriously? After everything we know about him, your body still reacts like this?' Sasha sneers.

I force myself to look into his eyes instead of staring at his mouth.

"What condition?"

His eyes lock on mine.

"You're asking me to sneak you and Dana into the Dark Forest, behind your father's back, and you're clearly desperate to get there." His eyes narrow slightly. "So tell me, Aria. What are you going there for?"