MasukAria's POVI stared at Mother Elara. For a minute, I did not comprehend her words."You are not going anywhere."My eyes went back and forth between her and Draven. "Why?"Mother Elara took a deep breath. "Because if those people are as close to us as we think they are, following you to Valemont might lead them right to something else."My eyebrows furrowed with understanding. "What!"Her eyes became soft. "Leo."My heart stopped beating. Just hearing his name was enough to start hurting inside. "What about him?""If they are after you, Aria, sooner or later, they are going to discover that you have a child."I shook my head continuously. "No.""They already know that you exist. They know about your bloodline. They know what you are capable of." She paused for a while. "The other question they are going to ask is who you gave that blood to."I looked at her."Which leads to your son, and when they find out that you have a son…" Her voice became softer. "He becomes their target."I cou
Draven's POVFor the past hour, I had been trying not to listen. This had required all my discipline.Once Kael and Aria had entered the audience hall, I had left them.That's what I was supposed to do.I was the Alpha King.I knew the meaning of privacy.But to know something and to respect it were two very different things when the person you loved was on the other side of a door talking with the man who had once been her husband.So I paced.I had leaned by the window.I had tried to concentrate on the reports that Cassian had brought me.But I hadn't managed to.Every minute, I caught myself gazing toward the doors.If I paid attention, I know I would be able to hear them. I wondered what they were talking about. What did Kael say to her?Was he apologizing?Was he begging her to come back?Was she listening?Was she crying?And the most frightening question...Was she thinking about going back?Several times I had been on the verge of entering this room.Almost.But each time I
Aria’s POVI closed the door behind me and leaned against it. I stood there for several seconds.Kael’s voice kept ringing in my ears.I want you to be a part of Leo's life again...I closed my eyes.Why had these words accompanied me to the end? I started moving towards my bed and took a seat on it slowly. I expected that the meeting would make me feel angry and even relieved at the same time.Instead, I felt something I was trying not to feel for a very long time.Longing.I stared at my hands, I have spent months thinking that it got better. It was true.I have made a new life here.Found friends.Even family.Learned new things about myself. Got under control of my powers.Helped other people.I was happy.At last, I could say it truly.However, there was still something I lacked in my life.Someone.My son.Leo.I swallowed hard.I couldn't spend much time thinking about him. At least consciously, because every single time, the feeling of loss would be returning again.I remembe
Aria’s POVSilence surrounded us.I gazed at the man standing before me.There used to be a time when his words would have undone me. A time when I would have clung to them, convincing myself that everything could still be fixed if only he apologized. A time when I loved to hear him speak. But that woman no longer existed. "I hear you," I responded softly.His shoulders visibly relaxed. "But I am not finished."I nodded. "Go on."Kael breathed deeply as if he were being sucked dry by his own words. "I have failed you."Never did his gaze stray from my face."I have failed you as your husband, I have failed you as your Alpha, and I have failed you as the mother to our son."My fingers intertwined with each other."I was supposed to protect you." His voice broke. "Instead, I have turned into someone who you needed protection from."The silence hung heavily in the air between us.He wasn't wrong.I remembered those lonely nights. Those mornings when I hoped he would look at me with the
Kael's POVThere was a lot of silence in Valemont. A silence that was neither peaceful nor quiet but rather deafening in its own way.Each corridor reminded me of her.Each room reminded me of the things she used to do in there.Even the most peaceful place was no exception to that.The dining hall reminded me of how much she made sure everyone was served before her plate was put down.The gardens reminded me of the few afternoons that Leo used to spend in her arms.The nursery...It had ceased to even cross my mind when entering the castle.I couldn't stand it anymore.Just being near that door brought back those memories of the final days of her staying at the castle.Of the emptiness in her eyes.Of how she had left the ceremony.Back then, I thought it was the right choice.But now, I was certain that was the wrongest choiceA knock on the door drew me out of my reverie."Come in."And James appeared in the doorway. I had sent for him some moments ago for a report. The look on his
Aria's POVWalking to the audience hall seemed to take much longer than it actually did.Every step was echoing in the hallways of the palace, every one of it bringing me closer to the past that I had tried to leave behind for months.I had imagined this day many times.Sometimes, I slapped him.Sometimes, I broke into tears.Sometimes, I completely ignored him.Later on, I stopped thinking about it and him entirely.However, now that moment finally came, and I felt unexpectedly calm. Two guards standing by the door of the hall opened it for me. "My Lady."I nodded and stepped inside. It was quiet in the hall.Sunlight was coming through the tall windows, creating long golden streaks on the marble floor. At the far end of the hall stood Draven.Beside him was Cassian, his Beta.Several feet away from them…Kael.None of us moved for a heartbeat.He looked exactly the same as I remembered him. Broad shoulders. Dark hair. The same intense eyes that used to make me forget my name.Howev







