Aria's POVI couldnāt stop thinking about the kiss. My cheeks still felt warm even though it happened hours ago. Every time I remembered how he pulled me onto his lap and whispered in my ear, I felt something strange deep in my chest. Xeros wasnāt usually the one to show emotions, but last night... he was different.He said he wanted to take things further with me, but part of me still wonderedāwas he serious or just playing around? He could easily be teasing me, right? But no... he said he was going to pursue me officially. Those were his exact words.I sat on the edge of my bed and sighed, holding my face in my hands. If he really meant what he said, then what about the other two? Alexander and Carlo. They're his brothers, and theyāre also my mates. I didnāt ask for any of this to happen, but now Iām in the middle of them, and itās only getting more complicated.āWhy do they all act like they own me?ā I mumbled under my breath. āWhy canāt one of them just say what they really want i
Ariaās POVI stared at the door even after Alexander walked in. My heart was still beating so fast. I couldnāt believe what just happened. Edgar⦠he was really here. In my room. He had grabbed me from behind and warned me not to say anything. Even now, I was still shaking from the fear and confusion. Why did he come back? Why now?Alexander looked around the room and then back at me. He was frowning."What's going on here? I thought I heard something. Are you okay?" he asked, stepping closer to me.I blinked quickly, trying to get rid of the fear in my eyes before he noticed. I had to say something fast. I couldnāt let him know the truth. Edgarās warning still rang in my ears. If I said anything, he might hurt everyone⦠and it would be my fault."I-I'm fine," I said quickly, forcing a small smile. "I just tripped over something. It's nothing."He raised an eyebrow, not looking convinced. āYou tripped?āāYes,ā I nodded too fast. āYou scared me a little, thatās all.āAlexanderās eyes na
Aria's POV We stayed in silence for a moment, just looking at the stars, but I canāt stop the way my heart is jumping up and down. What is this feeling called? How did I and Alexander move on so fast? And the fact that he apologized to me is something that I canāt stop thinking about. Am I really on another planet? And do I need some help in case Iām being delusional?We even shared a kiss, which is the least thing I would do with him. Am I finally going to stop thinking about having a rejection with him? After all, he and his brothers are my mates, and I want to build a relationship with them. Maybe this is the only way for me to survive, and also the only way for me to actually have a good life. Because even at the end of all of this, I still know I have a lot of problems waiting out there for me.Also, suddenly remembering that Edgar had sneaked into my room earlier gives me the chills. What if he is watching from somewhere in the shadows and I donāt know? What if he does somethin
Alexander's POV I noticed it from the way she was acting very scared. Thereās something that is bothering her, and she doesnāt want to tell me. But I found out anyway. However, talking to her now, I could see that her body became stiff again. Though she is trying so hard to hide her emotions, I can tell something already happened. And from the faint scent I can perceive, I know there is someone else in this room. But Iāll pretend I didnāt see that person so that I can catch him red-handed. I need to find a way to protect her so she doesnāt have to worry anymore. I canāt believe Iām the one saying this after everything Iāve done to doubt her so far. Did I manage to fall in love?I donāt know if itās the mating bond, but I donāt want to have any problems with her again. Also, I canāt tell her that Iām still investigating what happened to her at her former pack and why she is being targeted by her own sister and the Alphaās son, Lucas. That Lucas is very useless and doesnāt really have
Xeros's POV I found the bastard trying to run away, and I went after him faster than everyone else. Itās a bit difficult for me to catch up with him because I donāt know why heās so much faster than me or why Iām getting so weak, but I continued to chase after him while the rest were behind us. He refuses to stop, and I donāt know how Iām going to catch up to him, but I donāt want to give up. I have to catch him and make sure he pays for going to threaten Aria again.āWait right there, you idiot! Iām going to make you pay once I get you!ā I shouted at him.āWell⦠catch me if you can! Youāre too damn slow!ā he replied and continued running.Because of what he said, Iām going to make sure I catch him and also make him pay for it. I continued to chase him until I saw that he was getting towards a place that he doesnāt know is filled with many traps. I thought he wasnāt going to stop and would go in there, but somehow it seemed like he already knew there were traps there, and he stopped
Aria's POV I couldnāt be at peace after knowing that they went out there to look for someone as dangerous as Edgar. Since he managed to sneak into this parkāand also into my roomādespite the heavy security, heās capable of doing anything. And I donāt want them to get hurt because of me.I could hardly sit down at all as I kept pacing around the room, waiting for them to come back.When are they going to get back? What exactly is going on that I donāt know?I felt like something bad had happened, because my chest tightened after a while of waiting. What could be wrong? Could it be that something has happened to the three of them? I have to go out there to look for them. But Alexander has placed people outside his room to protect me. Thereās no way for me to escape unless I want to jump out of this buildingāwhich is also almost impossible, considering the fact that Iām not that much of a wolf.I had to keep wishing that nothing happened to them.Dear Moon Goddess, Iām finally getting w
Aria's POV I opened my eyes to find myself in the hospital, with Carlo sitting right beside me. His eyes lit up the moment I looked at him, and he immediately stood up to check if I was okay. I guess he has been staying beside me for a long time now. Seeing that Iām collecting a drip, I realized that I fainted after donating my blood to Xeros.Immediately thinking of Xeros, I almost jumped out of the bed.āWhatās going on, Aria? Where are you going? Lay down. You canāt get out of bed yet. You still have to finish this IV drip.āI shook my head immediately.āWe need to check on him. How is he doing? Is he awake?ā I asked.He nodded his head.āMy brother is fine. You need to rest instead. We know you gave him your blood to save him, and it was enough, but you have to rest.āSince he already told me that his brother was fine, I decided to believe him and lie back on the bed. He looked at me like he was so worried about me. I guess I made them too worried with what I did, but that was th
Aria's POV Listening to him felt like I was listening to a bunch of nonsense, but I still wanted to believe what he was saying because everything was at the right timing and it matched. It felt like he was actually telling me the truth, and maybe I should calm down a little bit to listen to him."Are you sure I can really trust what you're saying right now? Because I don't know what to believe anymore. You say you have nothing to do with this, yet the evidences point at you," I demanded from him. Instead of getting angry like I expected, he was happy somehow, and it made it feel weird to me. Why is he happy if I'm asking him a question about what I think is right?"You believe in me, right? You believe what I'm saying, right? That I have nothing to do with this?" he demanded excitedly, and it only made me angry, because this involved someone's life, and the only thing he cares about is if I believe him or not."You do realize that this is a grave situation you shouldn't play around wi
Aria's POV I couldn't sleep the entire night because I couldn't stop thinking of what happened to me yesterday. I kept turning around the bed. It was a bit embarrassing to see how I kept acting like a child and crying my eyes out because I got hurt. But maybe it worked?Xeros casually told me he loved me which was something I didn't expect. Maybe I'm just too stupid to see the signs around me. They started to care more about me than they usually would. Carlo even changed from his usual ways because of me and we've been having nothing but a slow burned romance. Now that Diane is here, things wouldn't be so easy for me. I think it's time for me to take matters into my own hands. I dressed up, ready to go to the hospital early. But looking at myself in the mirror, I realized why Diane might also be looking down on me. Maybe because I also didn't take myself seriously. I went to the door to open it, only to find Xeros waiting for me at the door. Memories of how we acted yesterday floo
Ariaās POVI stayed in the room without moving for hours. The silence felt heavy. My body was tired, but my mind was louder than ever. Everything that happened kept playing over and over again. Diane falling, her fake tears, her fake pain, her fake voice when she said I pushed her. And Xeros⦠the look in his eyes when he asked if it was true. That question hurt more than anything else.Why did he ask? Why did he need to ask? Didnāt he know me? Didnāt he trust me?I pulled the blanket around me tighter. My chest felt sore from crying, and my eyes were heavy. But sleep wouldnāt come. Not when my heart still ached this much.At least Carlo believed me. At least someone did.When I finally got the words out, when I told him everything, he didnāt question me. āShe said I pushed her,ā I mumbled into his chest. āBut she was the one who pushed me. She just missed. And now⦠now it looks like I did it.āCarlo didnāt move. āDid Xeros believe her?āI didnāt answer.That silence was enough for hi
Ariaās POVI never expected her to actually try it.One moment I was walking back to my room, still groggy from sleep and hoping to get a glass of water, and the next moment Diane was standing right in front of me at the top of the stairsāeyes wild, voice sharp, body full of bitter anger like she had been waiting just for me.What is she even doing home? I thought she was supposed to be at the hospital.I blinked at her, too tired to process anything right away. I didnāt even say anything at first. I just moved aside slightly, hoping to avoid any drama. I was still half-asleep, and my head was pounding from everything that happened the day before. But of course, Diane didnāt care about that.I was trying so hard to avoid her but she's not one to give up easily. No matter how I tried to push her away, she always continued to bother me. Telling me to pack my bags like she owned the place. Instead of staying at the hospital to help at a time like this, she chose to come home to exhibit
Dianeās POVI was still fuming from earlier. The way Alexander spoke to me⦠like I was just some extra they could send on errands while their precious Aria got to rest at home like a queen. It was ridiculous.I'm their cousin! I'm supposed to be the family they've known for a long time and they're defending that bitch over me?They defended her like their lives depended on it, like she hadnāt done anything wrong. She came into the picture unwanted! And now, I was the one being sent to the hospital.Why me?Even if I studied abroad to be a doctor, I still didn't think my precious skills should be used on a bunch of peasants.The moment I walked through the front door of the pack hospital, I wanted to turn around and go home. The place reeked of sickness and sweat. Nurses were running up and down, patients were groaning, coughing, wheezing. Some even looked half-dead. It was disgusting.I covered my nose with a silk handkerchief and walked fast through the hallway, keeping my eyes stra
Alexanderās POVThe moment we saw her, I could feel my heart settle for the first time all night.But it didnāt last.She looked too calm. Like nothing happened. Like she hadnāt just disappeared without telling anyone where she went. Like we hadnāt spent the whole night tearing through Edgarās pack, worried she had been hurt or taken.āWhat were you thinking?ā I snapped before I could stop myself.Xeros stepped forward too, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. āDo you have any idea how worried we were?āCarlo didnāt even say anything at first. He just looked at her, like he couldnāt decide whether to yell or hug her.Aria stood there, blinking fast, as if she was trying to process all three of us coming at her at once. āI⦠I was going to come back,ā she said quietly.Xeros laughed, but it wasnāt funny. āYeah? do you know I almost completely lost my mind after we couldn't find you anywhere?āāI didnāt mean to fall asleep,ā she said quickly, stepping back a little. āI finished chec
Ariaās POVThe drive to Edgarās pack was quiet.I sat in the front seat, staring out the window, arms crossed, and mind filled with thoughts. The road was mostly empty, and the silence between us grew heavier with every passing mile.I shouldnāt have come.That thought kept repeating in my head. Not because I didnāt want to help the sickābut because being around Edgar again made everything feel strange. Wrong. Complicated.But when we finally entered his pack land, I forgot all about my awkward feelings.Because what I saw shocked me.There were people everywhereāsick, coughing, lying on stretchers, some even placed in tents outside what looked like a crowded clinic. The air smelled like strong herbs and sweat. People moved around in a rush, doctors calling out instructions, nurses trying to calm crying children.It was like walking into a battlefield.āThis is worse than I imagined,ā I whispered under my breath.Edgar parked and got out quickly. I followed him, keeping my coat tight
Ariaās POVI didnāt know what to feel in that moment. Should I be scared or should I be relieved since he didn't hurt me the last time we were together?I'm supposed to trust someone like him who goes in and out of this pack like it belongs to him. I don't even know what he's planning in his mind or what is going on in his head. Let's not forget the fact that he almost tried to hurt Xeros. I mean, he would have done something if Lucas didn't. āYou shouldnāt be here,ā I said finally, standing up slowly. āI told you never to come back. We told you. All of us.āHis eyes didnāt shift. He looked the sameāmaybe a little more tired, but still him. That quiet, unreadable calm.āI know,ā he said softly. āBut I had to see you.āMy brows pulled together. āDo you have any idea what could happen if Alexander sees you? He might actually kill you this time. And honestly, I wonāt stop him.āEdgar looked down for a second, then stepped closer.āIām not here to fight anyone,ā he said. āIām here becau
Ariaās POVI shouldnāt have spoken to them like that.As soon as I walked into the surgery room and closed the door behind me, my chest felt heavy with regret. I leaned against the wall, letting out a long, tired sigh.Xeros and Carlo had come to see me earlier. I could still see the look on Xerosās face when I told him to leave me alone. I could still hear Carlo calling after me with that worried tone in his voice.They didnāt deserve that. I was just angry, hurt and frustrated. But not at them.It was Diane. She only came not too long ago and she already made sure that she almost made my life a living hell. And I was so mad that I let her words push me to act like she was the one meant to be with them.But she wasnāt.They were mine. The Moon Goddess chose them for me. Not her. And yet I let her get under my skin again.I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I would apologize when I got home. I would explain everything. No more misunderstandings. No more pushing them away.I would
Xerosās POVThe sun was high above our heads as Carlo and I walked around the pack. The heat stuck to my skin, and the dust from the ground clung to my boots.We had been hearing a lot of news lately. Strange news. About a sickness spreading through the pack these past few days.It wasnāt normal.Werewolves didnāt get sick like this. Even if we caught something, our bodies healed fast. Faster than humans could even imagine.But now?Now even the strongest wolves were lying in bed, sweating and coughing, looking weak like theyād been poisoned.Carlo pulled his shirt over his nose as we passed by another house where someone was sick.āThis is getting worse,ā he said quietly to me.I nodded, feeling a knot in my chest. āYeah. Itās spreading faster than anything Iāve seen before.āWe checked every house. Listened to every family.Most of them were scared. Some of them were hiding it, pretending they were fine, but we could see the fear in their eyes.āWeāll find a solution,ā I said to one