Aria’s POV Three years later… “Blow the candles, mommy!” I smiled at my seven-year-old seeing her grin from ear to ear while holding my birthday cake. I pinched her rosy cheeks before taking a deep breath and puffing the candles. Cheers from the background roared. We were inside Alpha Axel and Luna Sheila’s house where I decided to celebrate my 23rd birthday. Aside from them and their equally cute daughter Krissy who was now playing with my daughter, I invited my close friends and family from Moon Valley to celebrate with us. There’s my mom who was busy handing the food to everyone. Meanwhile, Ash and his wife were having their sweet moments on the couch. He touched Thea’s growing bump. Like him, we couldn't wait to see the new addition to our family. Beside them was Beta Nick, who just found her mate, Klea, recently. Ahh…This is life. And yet, something still feels missing. “Have you heard from him?” It was the voice of Luna Sheila that brought me back from spacing out. “N
Aria "Happy birthday, Aria!" my mom exclaimed, holding a strawberry cake with a lit candle on top, grinning from ear to ear. "It's time to blow out the candle and make a wish!" Mom inched happily closer to the side of the bed, still wearing her festive demeanor. I heaved a sigh before extinguishing the flame. My mother's forehead formed vertical lines in the middle, and her smile vanished, replaced by a mixture of confusion. "Did you not make a wish, Aria?" "As if it will make any difference to her already pathetic life," I heard my older sister, Cassie, say. She was leaning against the door, arms crossed on her chest, disdainfully looking at me. "Don't talk to your sister like that, Cassie! Can you spare her your hate just for now? It's her birthday for crying out loud!" Mom yelled at her. "Whatever!" Cassie flipped her hair and walked away, rolling her eyes. I heaved a sigh. My sister really hated me. We may have shared the same womb, but Cassie and I were very different from
Aria The pain was undeniably excruciating. It suffocated me. It was killing me, little by little. My heart shredded into pieces as those words came out of his mouth. I couldn't help but cry as I digested those painful words. Just when I thought the torment was over, he leaned down to kiss my sister in front of my face. I felt betrayed. My devastation couldn't be expressed in words. That hurt me a lot. How could they do this in front of me like I didn’t exist? “There’s still a way to get him back, Aria. Tell him that he is wrong. Tell Adrian that we are not weak!” My wolf yelled at the back of my head. However, I silenced her as I didn't want her to take over without my prior knowledge. “Wake up, Aria! We will lose our mate if you're not going to tell him the truth!" My fist clenched as those words were uttered by my wolf, Cleo. I could feel her agony. She was in deep pain as well after witnessing our mate kissing another woman. Cleo was already frantic, and she was begging me to
Aria The day was about to end. My legs hurt as I continued running through the forest without stopping. I didn't realize that I had been running for a while now. My head tilted up to the sky. The sun was about to set. Darkness would arrive soon, and I had to go back to the house before a tracker saw me. I had always felt pressured to be Ash and Cassie's sibling. Running through the forest helped me to be at ease. This was my solace. I would feel better afterward and ready to face the world again when I came out of the forest after a short sprint. However, the pain that I carried deep within my heart was still there. That pain shredded my heart into pieces. The rejection of my mate was the worst experience I have ever had in my life. Being rejected by my mate was beyond compare. Minutes passed, and I could already see our home from afar. We had the best in life, a luxurious home, and anything we could need. Our cabin was one of the best homes in the pack. The Alpha gave us this home
Ash Just as I remembered a quote from one of Robert Dunn's works, my sister crossed my mind. Guilt is what I feel right now for what I did to Aria. I still can't imagine that I did those things to her. Aria didn't deserve that. Maybe she was the youngest and the weakest, but definitely the sweetest. All her life, people looked down on her because of us. She was always known in the pack as the “weak” sister of the great Williams siblings. Despite all the disdain they threw upon her, she remained strong and unbothered. She only dreamed of one thing, which was to find her destined mate. She was kind, innocent, and pure. But the question is, why did I smack her? Obviously, I was an asshole for doing that to her. Aria's fantasy of being mated to our alpha's son was something that I couldn't handle. I love my sister, but I won't make her believe a lie. I couldn't let her believe that she was fated with the man who would become the next ruler of Moon Valley. Do I believe it wasn't possib
Adrian “Take me…” It was more of a desperate plea than a command. She moaned seductively as she caressed her fingers to my chest. The gesture made the hairs at the back of my headstand. Without hesitation, I claimed her lips. I had been tasting the same set of lips for a while now but I had never seemed to get over it. Lust claimed my reasoning. My lips traveled down to her neck. I paused when I reached her collarbone. I stuck my tongue out and licked it. Cassie moaned, sending me into a frenzy. I began to take off her upper garment. Her white, smooth breasts were revealed to me. The next thing I knew, I was sucking her breast like a hungry child. I held my teeth in between her nipples, pressing them slightly to put pressure on them. Then, I continued to play with it using my index finger. This action made Cassie go out of control. “Ohh ..” A soft moan escaped from her mouth. This was the signal I was waiting for. I immediately laid her on the bed. Then, I took off my shirt
Adrian A million and one things were circulating inside my mind. Mind games had never been my thing. This was something my father had always warned me about. In his words, I needed to balance my brain with my brawn if I wanted to be a successful alpha someday. I wasn't saying I was dumb; instead, I knew I still had so much to learn. One of those things was discerning people, knowing what was going on inside their minds, or predicting their next steps to help me screen the people who would become my future leaders. So, it was crucial for me to find out what was going on with Ash. What was the deal behind his sudden change in behavior? Why had he acted so weird earlier when he called me? I must have fallen deep into my thoughts because I failed to notice that the Williams Residence was within reach. I had decided to walk from my place to theirs since it was just a couple of blocks away. Their home was one of the biggest houses in the pack, making it easy for me to spot in my location
Adrian This probably was the longest day of my life. It had been less than an hour ago since I went to the Williams Residence and found out that Aria ran away from our pack to live on her own. I was already at my own home trying to comprehend what just happened. Was that enough reason to leave the comforts of Moon Valley and live as a rogue? At the back of my head, I saw my wolf Rickon roll his eyes at me. He gave that “Are you stupid?” look that I kept on getting since I decided to date Cassie. I shook my head in disbelief. Even my wolf was not supporting me with my decision to not be with Aria. Well, it should be obvious. He would always choose our mate over any girl that I would be with. Why did I feel that the world was despising me for not choosing her? Am I that selfish to think about the future of my pack ahead of my happiness? I heaved a sigh. I looked at the cassette tape sitting on top of the bedside table and began to ponder whether l should play it or not. I mean, wha