Hudson's POV"I knew all of my plans were beginning to crumble down when the looks on the faces of the suddenly changed. They no longer looked at Aria with disdain anymore but now did so with pity and anger, anger that I knew was directed towards Trevor. "I made a silent prayer under my breath for the fool not to see me. My new plan was to end him after they took him to the dungeon. Luckily, the position of my seat in the room was reclined from the rest and this made it easier for me to blend well with the dark part of the room. "All of my plans were however put to void when Ryder suddenly turned to me. The moment he started talking to me, I knew Trevor would know that I was there. I was forced to speak up and this caused the fool to turn to my direction. "The next few minutes was filled with a lot of banter and arguments with Trevor moving farther and farther away from me as he screamed like a mad man. I tried reasoning with my step-brother, to make him believe that Trevor was not
Aria's POVIt took a little ray of sunshine to bring me back from the deep sleep that ensued me that night. I squeezed my eyes shut involuntarily as response to the light before allowing them to flutter open. As it did, I noticed some sort of wetness in them causing me to furrow my eyebrows in wonder.Had I been crying?I began to shuffle myself on the bed as I sat up, the memories of what had happened the day before flooding my mind ceaselessly as though I had just experienced it that very moment. It was then that I realized my reasons for the tears that had probably dried on my face.I noticed my heartbeat quicken as the image of Hudson suddenly making his way towards Trevor washed over me. He didn't have to do that, did he? There were a lot of other ways to solve that problem without drawing so much blood... or even ripping off his head. My hands involuntarily travelled to my stomach as I began to imagine the pain he must have felt - the feeling of Hudson's claws digging into his
Ryder's POVI placed my foot squarely on the stirrup and careful dismounted from my horse with a small grunt. After landing on the ground, I adjusted my coat, making sure to smoothen whatever wrinkle the ride through the town had caused. "Stay here and watch the horses" I said to the guards that had followed me and they nodded squarely in response to my orders. I turned from them and walked over to the door of Elders Vermont's house. Taking a deep breath, I knocked twice on the wooden door. Not too long after the knock, I heard the sound of footsteps slowly approach the door. "Who is it?" the person behind the door asked. From the tone of the voice, it sounded like a woman. Since when did Elder Vermont start letting women come into his home? Did he really miss his wife that much?"It's King Ryder," I answered after I suddenly realized that I had not given an answer. I heard a loud crack from behind the door after I had given this answer and I knew immediately that the lady was openi
Ryder's POVElder Vernon collected the tea jug from Matilda with a smile and then dropped it on the table in front of us. He then lifted the jug after Matilda had left the room and poured himself a cup of tea too. As he did so, he continued with our conversation. "And what about Luna Aria did you come here to talk about?" he asked, his old hands surprisingly steady as they clasped onto the handle of the tea jug. "I actually wanted to know what you think about her," I said as I lifted my tea cup and brought it to my mouth. "The elders gave me a reply concerning Aria after we cleaned up the meeting room but it was only a collective conclusion. I would love to know your personal thoughts on her." I took a small sip from the now cold tea and dropped the cup back on the table. "Hmm," Elder Vernon grunted as he dropped down the tea jug after seeing that his teacup was now filled to the brim. "You want to know my personal thoughts on the new Luna of our pack, huh," he said as he wrapped h
Aria's POV The sound of birds chirping and servants working outside stirred me from the sleep that I was in. I fluttered my eyes open and a smile appeared on my face. My sleep this time was much more peaceful than last night. Ma Levine was right. The little work that we did yesterday took my mind off everything. Now even when I think about what happened in the courtroom, I don't feel that bad. All I feel though is a small knot that tightens in my stomach but it is a feeling that would soon fade away. Another work today and it would be all gone. I slid myself out of my bed and put on my slippers. I then walked to my windows and drew the curtains wide open, the rays from the morning sun filling my room and giving it a morning sparkle. Seeing the way my room lit up in the sunlight caused the smile on my face to widen. "Time to get ready," I said with a small smile as I left the room and headed for the bathroom. After walking into the bathroom, I walked over to the sink and opened th
Ryder's POVI placed my legs on my stirrups and was about to lift myself onto my horse when it suddenly came to me that Aria did not know how to mount a horse. I quickly left mine and rushed to Aria's side to help her but then saw that she was already on the horse. "What's the matter, Ryder?" she asked with a smile that displayed her perfect milk white teeth as she turned to me. "Is there any problem?" "No, not really," I said, smiling as I slowly shook my head. "I thought your climbing the horse was going to be like yesterday.""Oh," Aria said as her cheeks flushed. She grabbed onto the reins of her horse and shrugged as she said, "I guess riding the gentle beast once made me accustomed to it. I really am actually a fast learner.""Yeah," I said, a soft chuckle escaping my lips as I stared at Aria. "You... you really are, aren't you?" Aria kept her eyes on mine for a few seconds before blushing again. She tucked a stray strand of her hair neatly behind her ears and shrugged again.
RYDER'S POVWe had ridden pass the open road and we're now on the winding path that delved deeper into the forest. The morning sun pierced through the canopies of trees above us, it's rays scattering all across the ground and giving the forest this serene look.I turned to Aria and saw that she was so lost taking in the beauty of the forest. I couldn't blame her though. The first time my father brought me here, I had the same exact reaction."Beautiful, isn't it?" I asked Aria with a smile as I turned back to the path ahead of us. I felt Aria's gaze shift to me as a small sigh escaped her lips."It is really beautiful," Aria muttered under her breath, her voice soft. "Why didn't we take this path the first time we were having our breakfast picnic?" "Well, that's because this path that I am on leads to a place that is very sacred for me," I said with a smile as I turned back to Aria. "And I actually considered it too sacred for me to actually bring you here. But... I change my mind no
Aria's POVTwo months flew by faster than the wind on a summer eve and as it did, so did the bond that I and the Lycan King shared. If someone was to walk into the dining room at this moment ,they would have found the strangest sight ever - I, seated right beside King Ryder in the dinning room, having dinner with the alpha while we laughed as we discussed a conversation that was not suitable for the mildly spicy food we were eating, a topic that caused us to burst out occasionally in laughter. The night was calm and the weather was cold but thanks to the long sleeve pajama I wore, I couldn't feel much of the chill the night wind brought. Our laughter also aided me in forgetting any other discomfort I could have felt due to the cold. Not to far from where we sat was a fireplace though, one I was still grateful for, regardless of the cold I felt.A part of me knew that I would have been out here shivering like I had just been bathed with ice if not for that very fireplace. "I can nev