ARYA Anxiety gripped me as I stared at the journal in Alpha Daxton's hand, my mind descending into chaos. How did he find the journal? Had it been in his possession all along? "You're not going to talk?" He arched a brow at me, and I blinked, struggling to regain my composure. "I don't even know what that ring is. I swear I didn't steal it," I blurted out. He stared at me for a few seconds. Then he let out a sigh. "If your competitor is going this far to set you up, they must hate your guts," he pointed out, and I heaved a sigh of relief. He believed me. Alpha Daxton closed the jewellery box and held out the journal to me. "Here's your gift," he said. I tried not to act too excited, but my fingers trembled as I took the book from him, my heart thumping in my chest. "You knew that I wouldn't have stolen your ring, didn't you?" I asked, and he shrugged. "It was just an excuse to give you that journal," he replied, and I narrowed my eyes at him in suspicion. "How did you find it
ARYA I stared at my reflection in front of the mirror in my room, my fingers lightly stroking the pearl necklace around my neck. I let out a sound which was a mix of a chuckle and a sob. I couldn't believe I was really going on a date with my mother's killer. My poor mum would be so disappointed in me. The dress clung to my body in a way I struggled to get used to. It was a black satin slip floor-length dress with a sweetheart neckline. It had a daring slit that revealed too much of my legs. The lace trim on the neckline and hem was delicate, but it made me feel... exposed. I'd never worn such fancy dresses before I was sold. Never would I have imagined that my life would change this much. A knock on the door of my room told me Daxton was ready and had probably been waiting for me for a while. Taking a deep breath, I strode towards the door and pulled it open. There stood Mason. He smiled the instant he saw me. "Sallie is a genius," he said, and I nearly rolled my eyes. Even t
DAXTON Relief crashed into me so hard, my knees felt weak even while I sat there in my chair. I'd literally been saved by this unexpected situation. What impeccable timing. "What's your take on this?" I asked Arya, and she frowned. "Why are you asking me that?" "I need to know if you still need me to handle this. You were about to reject me after all." The words tasted bitter and revolting. Arya lowered her head. "If I went ahead to reject you, would you really give me away to him?" I rose to my feet. "I can't choose for you." She looked up at me, a spark of irritation igniting in her eyes. "That's blackmail." "Look, I don't know what's going on between the both of you, but we need to do something quickly," my brother said, his voice laced with concern. Arya groaned, her hands tangling in her hair, fingers gripping the strands like she could tear them out to escape this suffocating mess. "What do I do?" she rasped. At this point, it was obvious that the alpha king would hav
ARYA "I'm offended by that look on your face. Did you really think I was dumb?" Daxton said, and I blinked at him, my mind reeling. "If you knew the truth all along, why...why did you keep me alive?" I asked, and he sighed. "You don't realize it, do you?" I frowned, blinking in confusion. "Realize what?" He stared at me for a moment. Then he straightened, wincing slightly as his hand hovered over his wound. "The hatred that you feel is not entirely yours," he stated. The more he spoke, it felt as though I was spiralling further into confusion. Nothing made sense to me anymore. "If it's not entirely mine, what is it?" The wound on his chest sealed up, and he turned away from me. I watched him as he sank into his chair, his intense gaze fixed on me. "You must have heard rumours about my curse," he stated. I gulped. He was cursed? This powerful mountain of a man was cursed? It sounded like the most absurd thing I'd heard in a long time. But if he was really cursed, how doe
ARYA I saw the terror in his eyes when I fell. I didn't think he could feel fear, but there it was…raw and open. Lying there in his arms with all of the chaos unfolding, I understood one thing. I was the tribrid alpha's weakness. Seducing him didn't matter. I could hear the sound of violence and the pounding of feet from a distance. But nothing was clearer than the sound of Alpha Daxton's voice as he pulled me into his arms, whispering gentle words of comfort under his breath. The world was fading into a dull grey when he rose to his feet while carrying me in bridal style. And then everything went black. When I awoke again, I felt as though I was floating on clouds, numb to the sensations in my body. But he was right there by my side, holding my hand. Daxton. There was a shadow of grief hanging over his features, and there were dark circles under his eyes. I wanted to ask him why he was so bothered that his enemy was down, but sleep whisked me away again. I stirred awake once mor
DAXTON Lucien was at it again. He was so expertly gnawing at my nerves and pissing me off. Who the hell told him about Arya's resemblance to Anessa? I didn't need him hovering around my estate because of my mate. If he angered me well enough, I just might kill him. It was bad enough that he had disrupted my mood. "Lucien," I warned through gritted teeth as I approached him and a clueless Arya, barely restraining my claws from elongating. When he pulled away to look at her face, I placed an arm between them, shoving the bastard away from my mate. Arya's face turned red when her gaze met mine, and I couldn't resist the smirk that came on. After all, not too long ago, she'd been crouched in between my legs... entertaining me. "Why didn't you tell me about her?" Lucien demanded, and I shook my head, irritated. "First of all, I'm not obligated to report anything to you. We hate each other, remember?" I prodded him in the chest, his expression turning sour. "Secondly..." Arya beat me