Griffen's Point of View The plates are cleared away, and I find myself smiling without even realizing it. Dinner passes in a blur of laughter and easy conversation, the kind that makes time feel like it is slipping too quickly. I swirl the last of my water in my glass as Cole leans back in his chair, a satisfied grin on his face. “Guess we should head back before they lock the gates and leave us stranded,” he teases, standing and offering me his hand. I roll my eyes but slip my hand into his, warmth sparking at the contact. “That would be one way to make this night unforgettable.” We thank the waiter and step out into the cool evening air. The sky is brushed with fading pinks and deepening blues, stars just beginning to prick through. Cole leads me back to his car, and the ride is quiet at first, but not in an awkward way. The silence feels comfortable, filled with the memory of laughter still lingering between us. I watch the trees blur past the window, the hum of the engin
Aria's Point of View Two days have passed since the party, since that kiss with Cole under the stars. I did not expect it to mean so much, but it lingers in the back of my mind, warm and steady in a way I did not think I would feel again so soon. We have spent more time together since then, studying, sparring, just walking across campus, and little by little, the walls around my heart do not feel quite as unbreakable. A knock at the door pulls me out of my thoughts. “Come in,” I call, sitting up on my bed. The door cracks open, and Cole steps inside, that easy smile tugging at his lips. “Hey,” he says, running a hand through his hair. “I was wondering if you wanted to grab something to eat with me. I am starving, and I figured good company makes food taste better.” I cannot help the small laugh that escapes me. “Is that your way of bribing me into keeping you entertained at dinner?” “Exactly,” he says with a grin. I slip off the bed, grabbing my jacket from the chair. “A
Griffen's Point of ViewI have sent three messages to Maddox since the night of the attack, and not a single one has been answered. Each time I check my phone, I half expect to see his name light up the screen, but it stays dark. The silence gnaws at me. Maddox does not ignore me, not unless he is planning something big. And that thought makes my stomach twist tighter with every passing hour.I am pacing my dorm room when the door swings open without warning. Brandon strolls in, his hands shoved into his pockets, his easy grin clashing with the storm in my head.“There is a party tonight,” he announces it like it is the cure for everything. “Half the school is already there. I figured that I would drag you along before you rot in here.”I frown, about to tell him that I am not in the mood, but then I catch myself. Maybe he is right. Sitting here alone, replaying Aria’s words and Maddox’s silence, is eating me alive. A distraction, even for a couple of hours, might be exactly what I ne
Aria's Point of View By the time classes end, I am drained. My head aches from holding myself together all day, but as I step back into our dorm room, Maren is already buzzing with excitement. She is sprawled across her bed with clothes tossed everywhere, skirts, tops, even a pair of glittery heels that look like they belong on a runway. “There you are,” she says, popping up on her elbows. “I was starting to think you would back out on me.” “I almost did,” I admit with a small laugh, closing the door behind me. “But I promised Cole I would show up, and now I promised you too.” “Exactly.” She hops off her bed and starts holding up shirts against me before I can even sit down. “Okay, so what are we thinking? Fun but not too much? Casual but still cute? Because trust me, if you show up in one of those floor length skirts, people will think you are somebody’s mom.” I snort, shaking my head. “I like my skirts.” “I know, but tonight we are doing something different.” Maren pulls
Aria's Point of ViewI slip into the lecture hall just as the professor is setting up at the front. Cole is already in his seat near the middle, leaning back casually in his chair, his notebook open but still untouched. His eyes catch mine, and he tips his head towards the empty seat next to him.As soon as I slide into it, he leans closer to me, his voice low so it does not carry. “Where were you this morning? I did not see you at breakfast. Is everything okay?”I force a small smile, and nod my head though my stomach is still knotted from earlier. “Yeah. There was… some trouble back at home. My brother needed me to go with him and help sort a few things out. But it is fine now.”Cole studies me for a second, like he wants to press, but then he just nods his head, offering me the easy kind of grin that makes him seem unbothered by anything. “Good. I am glad that you are here, then.”The professor’s voice carries through the room, words about treaties and shifting alliances filling th
Griffen's Point of ViewThe cafeteria hums with the usual midday chaos, clattering trays, bursts of laughter, snippets of gossip floating through the air. Brandon sits across from me, shoving fries into his mouth and going on about some training drill we have got later, but I am only half listening to him. My mind keeps drifting back to last night in the clearing, to Maddox, to the way the pack charged into the territory before I could stop them.I shove another bite of food into my mouth, trying to drown out my restless thoughts, when the air suddenly shifts.I do not even have to look up to know who it is. I feel her before I see her.Aria.Her footsteps are sharp, purposeful, and the moment she reaches the table, the whole room feels like it tightens around me. She does not hesitate, she does not flinch, she does not even look at Brandon, her eyes are locked on me like I am the only thing that exists.“We need to talk,” she says, her voice steady, but there is fire under the surfac