Mag-log inAria’s POV He opened his eyes one final time.“I am not afraid, Aria, because I know you will be all right, and I know you finally have someone who will stand beside you,” he said, looking briefly toward Eros.I nodded desperately.“I will be all right, and I will make sure you are proud of me,” I promised.He smiled.“You already made me proud.”His fingers slowly relaxed inside mine.I felt his final breath leave him, and for a moment, I remained completely still because my heart refused to accept what my hands already knew.“Father,” I whispered, leaning closer.There was no response.I pressed my fingers against his hand, and when the healer quietly checked him, she lowered her head.“He is gone, Aria, and he passed peacefully,” she said, her voice gentle.I broke down.Eros caught me as I folded against him, and I cried into his chest while Derek and Daniella stood nearby, both of them crying openly.The healer covered my father's body with a clean white cloth, and I sat beside
Aria’s POV “You know, I have always believed that Aria inherited her stubbornness from you,” Derek said one afternoon, sitting beside the bed with an apple in his hand.My father raised an eyebrow.“You are saying that as though I should apologize for giving my daughter one of the qualities that helped her survive,” he replied, his smile faint but genuine.Derek looked toward me.“See, this is exactly what I mean, because both of you somehow manage to turn an argument into a speech about strength,” he said, shaking his head as I laughed through my tears.Daniella nudged him.“You should be grateful that Uncle still has enough strength to answer you, because otherwise nobody would be able to tolerate your nonsense,” she said, smiling despite her own sadness.My father looked at them both.“You two remind me of Aria when she was young, because she used to argue with everyone and then pretend she had done nothing wrong,” he said, laughing softly.I stared at him.“Father, I never did th
Aria’s POV “I am coming with you,” I said, following him toward the rocks.“You are staying here, because the ground is unstable and I will not have you falling down a mountain while we are trying to save your father,” Eros replied, looking at me with the expression I knew meant he was not going to argue.“I am not going to stand here and watch everyone else risk themselves while I wait,” I protested, crossing my arms.Derek walked past us and looked between Eros and me.“I have an idea, and considering how dangerous it is, I am probably going to regret mentioning it, but perhaps you two could argue about who gets to climb after we save your father,” he said, trying to hide his smile.I glared at him.Derek immediately lifted both hands.“I am only trying to prevent a royal marital dispute on a mountain, because I would prefer not to explain to anyone why our king and Luna pushed each other off a cliff,” he added, while Daniella laughed behind him.Even Eros smiled.Eventually, Eros
Aria’s pov I refused to leave his side, and Eros remained close while Derek and Daniella waited outside with the guards.The healer examined my father again, and when she looked at me, I saw the truth in her eyes before she spoke.“We need the rare mountain herb from the northern ridge, because it may give his body enough strength to fight the illness, but the herb must be brought quickly,” she said, reaching for her medical satchel.“I will get it,” Eros said immediately, already turning toward the door.“I am coming with you,” I answered, wiping my tears as I stood.Eros looked at me for a moment before nodding, and together we rushed from the room while Derek and Daniella followed, determined to help us bring the herb back before it was too late.None of us noticed the figure watching from the far end of the corridor, and none of us understood why that person had been there.We only knew that my father was waiting for us, and we had very little time left.The moment Eros and I lef
Aria’s POV “Aria, I heard your father is ill, and I am coming with you whether you argue with me or not,” he said, adjusting the jacket around his shoulders as he tried to make his voice lighter than his expression.“I was going to tell you that you could stay here, because I did not want everyone worrying unnecessarily,” I replied, wiping beneath my eyes as another tear escaped.Daniella immediately shook her head, and she stepped closer to me with her hands clasped tightly together.“You cannot honestly expect us to stay here while you travel to see your father, because he is family to us too, and we are going with you,” she said, her eyes already shining with tears.I looked between them, and despite the fear twisting inside me, I managed a small smile because having them there made the journey feel less frightening.Eros came toward us with several warriors behind him, and when he stopped beside me, his hand found mine without hesitation.“We have horses ready, and I have ordered
Derek’s POV Neither of us noticed the faint shadow moving along the opposite side of the garden wall.The person following Mira stopped when we entered the light.They waited until we disappeared inside, then they slowly turned away.I still did not know who they were, I did not know what they wanted.I did not know why Mira had come to our pack, or what she was running from, or why the mention of her family made her look as though she had been struck.All I knew was that I was falling for her.And for the first time, I understood that loving someone did not always mean knowing everything about them.Sometimes, it meant standing beside them while they found the courage to tell you the truth.Aria’s POV I had learned, over the years, that peace could be frightening when you had spent too much of your life waiting for something terrible to happen, because even the quietest morning could make my instincts whisper that I had forgotten something important.That morning had begun peaceful
Aria’s POVHis eyes darkened, the light in them dimming to something dangerous. “Are you saying someone tampered with the evidence?”“Exactly! someone didn’t want us to know the truth,” I said, my voice trembling even though I tried to keep it steady. “Someone altered the records and made sure we
Eros’s POVAria’s question echoed in my head and my mind was a storm, but the weight in my chest was heavier than all of them.I wanted to tell her. God, I wanted to tell her. To tell her that that night I had found her in the woods, that I’d also seen Lowell and Ronan, both dressed in black stand
Aria’s POVAt first, I thought it was just the wind, but then came the sound of footsteps and the soft rustle of fabric. I followed the sound toward the veranda near the east wing.Elara stood there, her back to me, a phone pressed tightly to her ear.“No,” she whispered, her voice trembling slightl
Aria’s POVI swallowed, looking down at my hands. “I don’t remember,” I said.He nodded, though his eyes softened when he turned to look at me.“You’ve really been through more than anyone should, Aria. I just... I just wish you’d let me in so I can help you. Especially after what happened to you in







