LOGINAfter the party ended, Sam and Cecil’s parents retired to their rooms, worn from the long day. But Cecil stayed behind by the bonfire, barefoot in the sand, and a little too quiet.
Waves whispered behind her, but none of it calmed the storm inside. She cracked open another can of beer and took a long pull, swallowing until it was half gone. The alcohol burned, but not enough to drown her thoughts.
Her family was finally whole again… and yet she couldn't stop thinking of Aria. Of Aria's parents, still imprisoned, still suffering.
“Wow,” came a voice from behind, smooth and teasing. “My mate can drink a lot like me, we will surely get along.”
Cecil didn’t turn around. “Leave me alone, Jacob. I want to be alone tonight
Aria’s POVI found Sam exactly where Mason said she would be, curled comfortably on one of the long charcoal sofas in the waiting area of the Chairman’s floor, her posture relaxed in a way that told me she had already claimed the space as familiar territory.Alisher sat across from her, deep in a low-voiced conversation with Jacob and Julian, their heads bent slightly together like wolves instinctively closing ranks before a coming storm.The moment Mason and I stepped out of his office suite, all four of them looked up.Mason’s hand slid to the small of my back, warm and grounding, his presence steadying me even before I realized my shoulders had tensed. He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to the crown o
Aria’s POVMason did not let me go.Not right away.Not even when the haze slowly lifted, and my breathing steadied, when the world began to make sense again, and the sharp edges of pleasure softened into something warmer, heavier, almost sacred.He kept me close, his arms firm around me as if letting go might somehow unravel everything we had just shared.We didn’t make it very far before he pulled me with him into the private bathroom of his suite, an extension of his office, polished marble and muted lighting, the kind of place built for someone who rarely stopped working and even more rarely rested.
Aria’s POVI was already fraying, already hanging by a single thread of restraint, when Mason suddenly stopped.The loss of movement was almost cruel. My body tensed instinctively, breath stuttering as I looked at him, confusion flickering through the haze of pleasure—but before I could form a single thought, his mouth was on mine again.He kissed me like the world was ending.Not slow. Not gentle. It was urgent, consuming, as if there would be no tomorrow, and he intended to burn this moment into my bones. His hand cradled the back of my head, his lips moving against mine with a hunger that made my knees weak even while I was already laid bare beneath him.
Aria’s POVMason reached for the intercom on his desk, his expression already darkening with intent as if he had made a decision he had no plans of undoing.“Cancel everything on my schedule this afternoon,” he said calmly, professionally—far too calmly for a man whose tie I was already loosening with my fingers. “I’ll be briefing our new Luna on her responsibilities within the Federation and the Pack.”“Understood, Chairman,” his secretary replied without hesitation before the line went dead.I laughed softly, the sound light and playful, as I slipped his tie free and let it fall onto the desk. “Oh?” I asked in a deliberately innocent tone, my finger
Aria’s POVAfter lunch and our little shopping spree at the mall, I dropped Hailey off at the Larkin Estate first. She waved enthusiastically as she stepped out of the car, already talking about ideas for her birthday and asking Nina, through the half-open window, what kind of cake she liked best. Nina answered shyly, clutching the small paper bag of school supplies on her lap, and Hailey laughed like a carefree girl her age. For a moment, I wished things were always this simple.I brought Nina and Maria back home next. Nina was already yawning, exhausted from all the excitement, and Maria gently coaxed her upstairs for a nap. I watched them disappear down the hallway before turning back toward the car, a different kind of energy settling over me.Instead of resting, I went
Aria’s POV“Here,” Hailey said softly as she extended her hand toward me.Resting on her palm was a small fabric drawstring bag, pale rose pink with simple stitching along the edges. It looked unassuming, too ordinary for something that might carry the weight of suspicion, fear, and unanswered questions.“That’s the herbal tea Uncle Harlan kept gifting my father,” she continued. “I asked the maids. They said it was the only thing he ever gave him. There are four different tea bags inside, different flavors, but Uncle always said they all had the same benefit.”I took the bag from her carefully, as if it might shatter between my fingers. I loosened the string just enoug







