AriaSince war had been the topic for some days now, the used the scent of moonflowers to calm me.Now, not even a bouquet of moonflowers could calm the millions of uneasy nerves in my body. I sat on the stone bench in the heart of the garden, wrapping my arms around myself as my eyes watched a lizard mating with another on the wall. Everything felt like it was crumbling, walls, alliances, even the people I loved.“Aria.”I turned to see Liam standing a few feet away. His expression was softer than it used to be. He looked better than he did days ago, cleaner, cheerful, but there was still worry behind his eyes that I just couldn’t miss.“Kol let you out of your cave?” I asked, trying for levity, but my voice cracked.He smiled faintly. “He let me speak to her.”“She’s alive,” he added. “Battered, but breathing.”I swallowed. “And still holding on to her truth, I assume.”“She asked for you,” he said. “Specifically. Said she wanted to see you one last time.”I looked away.“I don’t k
KolWe were back in the cell. It was quite chilly with only a flickering bulb serving as the only source of light. Lira was on the floor with her back against the wall and her hands tightly bound in silver cuffs. As I paced in front of her, her eyes followed me, wondering when I was going to finally end her.In that moment, under the dim light and in the quietness of the cell, she didn’t look like a monster. She looked like a tired, bruised woman. But I knew better.“You really expect me to believe this?” I said, breaking the silence. “That you came back for what… redemption?”She pouted. “Believe whatever you want, Kol. I’m here. That should count for something.”“You have more blood on your hands than anyone I’ve ever known.”“And yet here I am,” she shrugged, “unarmed, unguarded, walking straight into your jaws.”“No,” I corrected her, stepping closer. “You walked into her heart. You used Aria, your own sister, to get close to me again. And when that wasn’t enough, you sent pieces
AriaHow do you know that it’s going to be a bad day? When it’s only morning and the sky was looking dull and grey.I stood by the window in Kol’s room with my arms crossed as I watched the training field bristle with paranoia. The guards moved in a practiced formations, repeating drills and duelling one another. Kol stood at the centre of it all. Even from where I stood, I could see how tightly his jaw was set. I could see how tensed he was. I would say almost… afraid but knowing Kol, he’d never show it.Since the council’s reckless decision to retaliate against the New Moon Pack by sending back two of their scouts' heads, an act I still couldn’t entirely stomach, Kol and his men had become creatures of vigilance. No one slept. No one smiled. Every passing hour without word from Herald and Heraldine was a ticking bomb.I pressed my forehead against the glass. Everyone was anticipating something from Herald. Especially he’s crazy wife, Heraldine.Just then, the door behind me opened.
LiraThe heads sat in a sealed black box in the centre of the New Moon council table, surrounded by a silence so thick you could hear Heraldine’s breath catching in her throat.The blood still smelled fresh. In the box was one head, a scout named Devon, barely recognisable and his mouth open in terror. The other who was older, had the tattoo of their pack's crest just below his jawline.The box was delivered by Moonlight wolves. Kol’s people. It was packaged with precision and labelled with names.This wasn’t a message. It was a declaration. And it was exactly what I’d hoped for.“They really did it,” Heraldine whispered, her eyes wide and wet.Herald, who was seated at the head of the table, said nothing. His fingers traced the rim of his cup with his eyes fixed on the mutilated trophies.I didn’t look away, not because I enjoyed it, but because someone had to own this moment. And Kol? He wasn’t here to explain. But I was.Elder Voss broke the silence first.“This was not Kol’s style
KolI stood by the mirror, dressed in full black with Aria behind me lacing the last of her boots. We were preparing to visit Herald. In person. With proof in hand and with every intention to douse the flame before it became a wildfire.Aria picked up the tape recorder and slipped it into a velvet pouch. While I had her memory box in my hand. I glanced at her through the mirror.“You don’t have to go with me,” I said.She didn’t even look up. “Yes, I do.”I wanted to argue. To tell her the political terrain was too volatile, that she didn’t owe anything more to Herald or his Luna after what they’d done. But the truth was, I didn’t want to go without her. She was the proof. She was the weapon. She was the one thing I knew would keep me from letting rage speak louder than reason.Then we heard a knock. Three hard knocks at the door.My most trusted guard, Elias, stepped in without waiting for permission. His demeanour read urgency.“What is it?” I asked.“The council,” he said. “They’r
AriaSince the attack and the letter, Kol had tried to down his rage with whiskey. I sat by the window, tucking my knees beneath me and staring out window, looking at the aftermath of the chaos. A few guards whispered to each other beyond the glass. One of them glanced up at me, then quickly looked away.Behind me, Kol paced. Back and forth. In his clenched fist was the letter Herald had sent, the same one that claimed I wasn’t who I said I was. That I was Lira. That Kol had been hiding a traitor and had murdered the New Moon Alpha’s heir with me by his side.My name. My identity. It was all being pulled into a war I didn’t want.“I didn’t know,” I whispered with my voice barely audible. “I didn’t know she’d use Jeremy like that. I didn’t know she’d twist things so far.”There was silence. Only the sound of Kol’s back and forth movement. Then finally, without looking at me, he spoke.“Do you think your sister wants to destroy you too… or just me?”The words hit harder than I expected.