MasukAria’s POV “I have spent most of my life believing that I had no one, and I do not think I can go back to that now that I finally know what it feels like to have a family,” he said, with his voice carrying an emotion that made my chest tighten.We began descending the stairs, and the deeper we went, the colder the air became.The walls were covered in old carvings, some of which showed the history of the pack, while others displayed symbols that I had never seen before.At the bottom, we found a large stone chamber with shelves filled with old documents, sealed boxes, and weapons that had not been touched in decades.At the center of the room stood a stone pedestal.On top of it was a small metal container.Kael stepped closer, and the symbol on the container began to glow faintly.Eros immediately moved in front of me.“Do not touch it yet, and we do not know what it is,” he warned, with his weapon raised.Kael stopped, and his eyes remained fixed on the container.Then a sound came
Aria’s POV Eros looked at me, and I could see the same question forming in his mind.“Did your mother ever mention this symbol, and did she ever tell you anything about your father’s house,” I asked, with my voice remaining calm despite the uneasiness growing inside me.Kael shook his head slowly.“She told me that my father had secrets, and she told me that there were people who wanted something from him, but she never explained what it was because she believed knowing too much would put me in danger,” he replied, with his fingers closing around the edge of the map.I looked down at the drawing again, and suddenly Darren’s words came back to me.Ask what Kael brought with him.At the time, I had thought Darren was simply trying to frighten me, but now I wondered whether he had known more than he wanted to admit.“What did you bring with you when you came here, Kael,” I asked, with my eyes remaining on him as I waited for his answer.Kael hesitated, and that hesitation made every ins
Aria’s POV The elders eventually agreed that the coronation would take place three days later, and although I should have felt relieved that the matter had finally been settled, a strange uneasiness followed me when I left the hall.That evening, I walked through the western garden with Eros, and the sky had turned a deep blue above the trees while the lanterns along the path flickered softly in the evening breeze.“I made the right decision, and I know I did, but something still feels wrong,” I said, with my fingers wrapped around Eros’s arm as we walked slowly beneath the trees.“You can believe you made the right decision and still remain careful, and those two things do not have to fight each other,” he replied, with his gaze moving toward the darker edge of the garden.I followed his eyes, and for a moment I thought I saw movement between the trees.Someone had been standing there, because I could have sworn I saw the outline of a shoulder before the darkness swallowed it.Eros
Aria’s POV “You would not dare, and Derek would enjoy the opportunity far too much,” I replied, with a laugh escaping before I could stop it as I imagined the humiliation of being carried through the pack by my cousin.“He would probably ask everyone to applaud him, and Daniella would probably make him do it twice just because she could,” Eros answered, with his expression becoming more amused as he pictured the same thing.The sound of footsteps passed outside our room, and then Derek’s voice came through the door before either of us had invited him inside.“If the two of you are discussing me, I would like it officially recorded that I am a very responsible man, and I would only carry Aria if there were absolutely no other option,” he called, with his voice carrying enough confidence to make it obvious that he had been listening.I sat up immediately, while Eros covered his face with one hand as though he had already lost the strength to deal with the morning.“Derek, if you have b
I stared at it.“You should have told me.”“I did not want to ruin the coronation before it happened.”I touched the tree.The carving was fresh.Very fresh.Someone had made it recently.I looked around.The garden was empty.Then I noticed something beneath the tree.A small envelope.My heart began pounding.I picked it up.Kael stood beside me.“What does it say?”I opened it carefully.There was only one sentence inside.You gave him the crown, and now you have given us exactly what we needed.I stared at the words.Kael's face changed.“What does that mean?”“I do not know.”I folded the letter.But deep inside, something cold had already begun spreading through me.Darren.The thought came immediately.I remembered the way he had smiled when I visited the prison.I remembered Elara telling him to stop talking.I remembered Darren telling me to stop looking only at the person standing directly in front of me.I remembered the warning.I remembered the symbol.I looked toward the
Aria’s POV “You see, this is why I like him.”I smiled.Kael had changed since his arrival.Not dramatically.He was still cautious around strangers, and there were moments when he seemed almost surprised that people expected him to stay.But he had begun to laugh more.He ate meals with everyone.He trained with the warriors.He spent time with the healers.He listened when people brought concerns to him.And sometimes, when I watched him walking through the courtyard, I could almost imagine that he had grown up here.That thought made me happy.It also made me nervous.Because if something happened to him, I knew I would never forgive myself.The evening before the coronation, I went to the old storage room where my father's ceremonial belongings were kept.I wanted to see the crown before it was placed on Kael's head.The room smelled of old wood and polished metal.I found the crown inside a velvet-lined box.I touched it carefully.Memories flooded through me.My father wearing
Aria’s POVHe turned to Elara, his expression shifting into something faintly amused. “You don’t mind, do you?”Her smile faltered for half a heartbeat, then returned, brighter than before. “Of course not,” she said sweetly. “After all, she’s your beloved.”The way she said it made my skin crawl,
Ronan's POV The forest thickened as I pushed deeper into it, my horse moving at a steady canter beneath me. I could have taken a vehicle, but leaving the pack mansion with an engine roaring at midnight would have drawn attention, eyes from the guards, some pack members, suspicion from Eros. A hors
Ronan’s POV That stilled him. His fingers curled slowly over the wooden counter. “Very few ever ask for that. Fewer walk out alive.”“Then you should be pleased,” I replied. “You’re looking at the exception.”After a long silence, he shuffled to a shelf, selecting a small vial sealed with black w
Aria’s POV“I was wrong about you,” I said, my voice trembling as if with shame. “I was scared and confused during our wedding, and when Eros offered protection, I thought..." I let my voice trail off, lowering my gaze again, letting the silence stretch before I lifted it back to him, glassy and ear







