Mag-log inDECLAN
"What if Dr. W is just your ex-girlfriend Aria in disguise?"
The suggestion is so absurd I almost laugh.
"That's ridiculous," I say sharply. "Absolutely ridiculous."
Celeste blinks up at me, her expression innocent. "Is it? I mean, Aria did study healing. She worked at the pack clinic. And no on
ARIAThe ceiling of the guest house has a hairline crack running from the light fixture toward the window, and I have been staring at it long enough to know exactly where it stops.Wolcott is coming to the pack house today.There's no reason for me to go. Everything I need is in this room. And what would I even be going for? To stand in front of him behind this mask and let him ask me the same question he asked yesterday, so I can give him the same answer?There's no point in seeing him if I'm not going to tell him the truth.Unless I tell him the truth.I turn onto my side.After hearing Maya tell me he'd been looking for me even after the p
ARIA"Are you Aria?"His voice is softer this time, but the question hangs the same way it did the first time. I keep my hands still on the desk, my mask firmly in place."No, I'm not." I say.Something crosses his face. Quick, there and gone. It looks almost like disappointment, but that doesn't make sense. Why would a stranger be disappointed that I'm not the person he was looking for?He studies me a second longer, then nods once."My apologies for the intrusion," he says. "I must have been mistaken."He turns and walks out, pulling the door shut behind him.I don't move.
ARIAMy phone rings, cutting through the silence of the guest house. I glance at the screen and see Mr. Bennet's name.I answer quickly. "Hello, Mr. Bennet. Is everything alright?""Dr. Sinclair." His voice is gentle, but there's hesitation in it. "I hope I'm not disturbing you.”"Not at all," I say. "What's wrong?""I apologize for calling like this," he says. "But something's come up, and I... well, I thought you should know about it."I lean against the desk. "Go on.""There's a family here in the community. The Hastings. They're quite wealthy—live in that big house on the hill past the park." He pauses. "Their daughter has the same illness m
DECLANThe door slams in my face.The sound echoes down the hallway, sharp and final. I stand there for a moment, staring at the wood grain, trying to process what just happened.Dr. W made herself perfectly clear. She's done talking to me.I knock. "Dr. W, I apologize. I didn't mean—"Silence.I knock again. "Please. Let me explain properly."Nothing.I try once more, my knuckles rapping against the door. "I was trying to keep you out of pack drama. That's all. I wasn't trying to—"My wolf's ears catch something through the door. A faint sound. Her voice
ARIAThe tears come hot and silent, soaking into the fabric of my mask. My shoulders shake with the effort of keeping quiet—of not letting anyone outside this room hear me fall apart.She’s just an insignificant person.The words echo in my head, relentless. Each repetition carves deeper, opening wounds I thought I’d sealed shut years ago.I stare down at my phone, at the photo of my babies grinning with their Papa Bear, and something cracks open in my chest.A memory surfaces—vivid and terrible and impossible to push away.***The forest is dark, the branches tearing at my clothes, my skin as I run. My feet are bare&mda
DECLANI'm stunned when I hear Dr. W's question.Do you also think your ex-girlfriend was a freak?I try to read her expression, searching for some clue to what she's thinking, but the mask blocks me completely. All I can see are her eyes—downcast, avoiding mine. Her tone is devoid of emotion, cold as ever. Or rather, she seems especially cold when asking that question.I'm already irritated by Celeste's loose tongue. Over the years, Celeste has always been like this, using every means possible to drive away any woman she thought might be a "potential romantic rival" from my side.The last time Celeste showed this much interest in someone near me, something unexpected happened.***







