LOGINARIATen Years Later"Ready?"Barty pulls a face and looks at me uncertainly before his gaze returns to his father. "I don't know...""It's easy. Come on."He looks down at his skates, then his gaze sweeps across the ice rink. Ryder and I exchange a look. The corners of his eyes are crinkled and he looks more amused than he should be, considering this is the first time that Barty has agreed to skate.It seems he inherited my fear of the ice.Wren, on the other hand, is practically a pro at skating. Who knows? Maybe a few years down the line, she'll play ice hockey. The tradition has never included women in the team, but a lot has changed since then.She's seated in the bleachers right now, watching the scene unfold. Barty tries to step forward and closes his eyes in fear."I can't," he proclaims. "I don't want to!""Look," Ryder says, skating backward effortlessly. "All you have to do is focus on your balance and not think about it too much. There's not much to it. Just give me your h
ARIAFive Years LaterI pull the casserole out of the oven and kick the door closed with my foot, careful not to burn myself.Somewhere deep in the house, I hear screaming."Barty?" I say loudly. "What's going on?"There's a considerable pause before he responds. "Nothing!"I shake my head and set the dish down on the dining table. "Wren? Wanna tell me what's going on?"Again, she doesn't respond right away. I know those two are up to something. They're always fighting and their relationship is not at all what it should be—Wren's his aunt, but Barty doesn't seem to understand that.They're like siblings. Then again, what did we expect?"I want both of you to come downstairs right this minute!" I yell. "Lunch's ready and Dad will be here any minute. Don't forget to wash your hands!"I hear them clearly arguing before the sound of their footsteps fills my ears. I can't help but smile to myself. Those two are so adorable and I don't know what I'd do without them in my life.I didn't have
RYDERI was selected to be a part of the Nocturnal Council along with Alpha Wilson and a few other Alphas who'd declared themselves our allies until the impersonators began attacking everyone and sending death threats to everyone who refused to accept their ridiculous terms.Aria, of course, is the only Nocturn in the council. Things were arranged this way because Alpha Wilson trusts her not to use her Alpha Command over everyone in the council. We've always fought for what's right, but the same can't be said for other Nocturns.Naturally, I would trust anyone from Anne's group with my life, but the other Alphas don't know that.Who knows? Maybe a few years down the line, things will change.What matters now is that we've come to an agreement and this pointless war has come to an end. I can't help but feel terrible and even guilty about all the lives that were lost.I guess, deep down, I'll always feel guilty about what happened.But I can't change the past—I can only make sure that s
ARIARyder's hand tightens around mine and I turn my head to look at him.He nods at me encouragingly and with so much confidence that I can't help but feel calmer. Right now, we're waiting for a meeting that could change the outcome of this entire war, so I don't know what to expect.There's a whole lot of resentment toward Nocturns and everyone who supports us, but the other packs have already figured out that they won't get rid of us so easily, so if we don't agree, more people will keep dying.It's crazy for me to think about everything it took to get us here. Was the attack at Moon Rose truly two days ago? The helplessness I felt back then washes over me once more as the memories crash into me. No matter how hard I try to forget how terrible those moments following Ryder's arrival were, they keep coming back, demanding to be acknowledged. Ryder and I were staring at Ray, who was clearly dying. It crossed my mind a few more times to just finish the job so there would be no chance
ARIAThere's very little time to figure out what's happening but I know for a fact that the mob isn't trying to attack me.They go for every guard standing in their path. I turn my attention to Yarina and see her looking around in shock, mouth wide open. She lowered her hand, and I don't allow myself to even think about what I have to do next.I race toward her and she turns her head to face me again right before I lunge at her. She crashes into the ground, the gun going off before the collision, and I sink my teeth into her shoulder.Yarina cries out in pain and I sink my teeth even deeper. However, before I can finish what I started, someone hits me on the back and I release her. I whirl around to see one of the guards holding a metal bat high above his head, prepared to strike me down again.Zach appears in wolf form and takes him down.I turn my attention back to Yarina but in the handful of seconds that I got distracted, she shifted and is now heading away from the farm. I jump o
RYDERHearing the full story makes me sick to my stomach.These sons of bitches...how could they?What kind of animals are they?I don't take my eyes off Dorson, or rather, Sean. Alpha Dorson was killed by his own hand. He and the guy we all thought was Wilson are brothers, and they were raised by the real Alpha Dorson of the Moon Rose pack and his mate, Yarina.No wonder they looked alike.Moon Rose was truly a place where Nocturns could live in peace, and the real Alpha Dorson was always welcoming to them. When they heard that there was a war against every Alpha who wanted to oppress Nocturns, he decided to join the battle, but Sean here and his brother, Damien, decided that it was an opportunity for them to rise, and so they killed the man who treated them as if they were his own children along with his Luna and his sons, and they came here impersonating them.Their goal is to ensure that every pack is run by a Nocturn. Well, that was the initial plan. Now, they want to destroy the
ARIA The woman approaches me later on in the day, after dinner. "Aria," she begins calmly as she sits beside me on the forest floor, "how was your day? Is it safe to assume that you're feeling a lot more at home?""Absolutely," I answer, smiling. "I never realized that I spent so much time runnin
RYDERThe sun's barely visible above the horizon when I wake up. We've been here for some time now, which means we're running out of supplies again. I told Aria I'd head into town to grab more things, and then I'd be right back. She's much better now. In my eyes, it's nothing short of a miracle b
ARIAIt's getting late and Ryder still isn't back. I'm so nervous that I can hardly breathe. The Nocturn—a woman, I've now decided—is watching me patiently with her hands on her lap. She's seated directly across from me, watching me in a way that I find totally unnerving. Never saying a word. Imp
ARIA I try to ignore my anxious thoughts as I follow the woman, in wolf form, through the forest. When she first shifted, I couldn't believe my eyes. Her wolf was different from all the others I'd seen before. I asked myself if I looked the same way and realized I already knew the answer. Ryder







