INICIAR SESIÓNArcher’s POVI had known this evening would be hell. I just hadn’t realized how much worse it would feel to stand beside Lorie while watching Aria fall apart from across the room.My hand rested against Lorie’s waist, exactly where it was supposed to be, and I wore the expression expected of a future Alpha attending his own Luna ceremony. I smiled when people congratulated us, nodded when the elders spoke about our future, and listened to Lorie talk about how beautiful everything was as though I hadn’t spent the entire evening wishing I were somewhere else.Somewhere with Aria. The thought had become so familiar that I barely bothered trying to suppress it anymore. I had spent months telling myself that staying away from her was the only way to protect her, that choosing Lorie was a necessary sacrifice, and that whatever existed between Aria and me needed to end before it became something the Council could use against her.I had repeated those reasons so many times that they should ha
Aria’s POVLorie stopped in front of us with a smile so sweet it made my teeth ache. Up close, she looked even more beautiful than she had from across the ballroom. Every detail of her appearance seemed carefully chosen to make her look like the perfect future Luna. She carried herself with an effortless confidence, her chin lifted slightly as she glanced between Jasper, Lucien, and me. Then her eyes settled on me.“Aria! I’m so glad you came.” Her voice was warm enough that anyone listening would have thought we were friends. “I know these sorts of events can be overwhelming, especially when you’re not familiar with our traditions. It means a lot that you made the effort to attend.”I almost laughed. There it was. The first little jab, wrapped in a pretty bow and delivered with a smile that would have fooled anyone who didn’t know her. She wasn’t glad I had come. She was glad I had been forced to come. There was a difference, and she wanted me to understand it.“I’m sure it does,” I
Aria’s POVThe moment I stepped into the ballroom, I understood why the elders had insisted that every student attend.The room was breathtaking. Crystal chandeliers hung from the vaulted ceiling, scattering light across polished marble floors and towering windows draped in deep burgundy velvet. Golden candlelight flickered along the walls, illuminating elaborate floral arrangements and tables covered in white linen. A string quartet played near the far end of the room while elegantly dressed guests mingled beneath the glittering lights, their conversations blending into a steady hum of laughter and music.Everything about the evening screamed wealth, power, and tradition. It was beautiful. I hated it. Because somewhere in that beautiful room stood the man I had been trying desperately not to think about.I kept my hand wrapped around Jasper’s arm as Lucien walked beside us, the three of us moving farther into the ballroom. I tried to focus on the conversations around me, on the music
Aria’s POV: By the time the sun began to set, I was standing in front of my mirror, staring at a woman I barely recognized. The dress was a deep, dark purple that seemed almost black in the shadows, the color of twilight just before the stars appeared. It fell all the way to the floor, fitting closely around my waist and hips before flowing elegantly around my legs. The neckline framed my collarbones, and the fabric hugged my curves perfectly without making me feel as though I was wearing something that belonged to someone else. My black heels completed the look, their slender straps wrapping around my ankles. I had left my hair loose, the dark waves falling down my back with the silver streak framing one side of my face. My violet eyes looked brighter against the deep purple of the dress, and a little makeup made me look older, more composed. More like someone who could walk into a room full of supernatural royalty and pretend her heart wasn’t breaking. I turned slightly in fron
Aria’s POV:For the first time since arriving at Ebonveil Academy, I was happy. Not the kind of happiness that came from a good day or a moment when everything seemed to be going my way, but the kind that settled deep inside my chest and made the world feel a little less frightening. For the past few days, I had found myself smiling for no particular reason, laughing more easily, and waking up without immediately wondering what disaster was waiting for me around the corner.It was a strange feeling, honestly. My life had become a whirlwind of supernatural secrets, dangerous elders, uncontrollable magic, and three incredibly complicated men who seemed determined to turn my existence into a never-ending emotional crisis. Yet somehow, things were finally beginning to settle.Jasper and Lucien were learning how to share me without turning every interaction into a competition. They still had their moments, of course. Jasper couldn’t resist provoking Lucien, and Lucien seemed to take a part
Jasper’s POV:The first thing I noticed when I woke was the warmth pressed against my side. The second was the steady rise and fall of Aria’s breathing against my chest, her cheek resting over my heart and one arm draped lazily across my stomach as though she had every intention of keeping me exactly where I was.I didn’t mind. In fact, I couldn’t imagine anywhere else I’d rather be. Sunlight filtered through the curtains of my bedroom, painting golden streaks across the sheets and catching in the silver strands of my hair. I should have been thinking about breakfast, classes, or the growing mess that was Aria Veyne’s existence at Ebonveil Academy. Instead, all I could think about was last night.About the way she’d looked at me when she realized I wanted her to bite me. About the way I’d asked her to do it, knowing full well that I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I’d spent days wondering what it would feel like to experience that part of her, and when it finally happened,







