Aria's POV:“I’ve set the date for our mating ceremony,” Xander says, setting me down on the couch.“You did what?” I bark, standing up from the couch. I have been trying to irritate him, make him hate me, and maybe even kick me out of the pack or something. But hearing him tell me he has set the date for our mating ceremony? I can’t let that happen; mating with him means tying myself to him, in other words, staying in this pack forever.“It’s high time you meet the pack members. The healers haven’t said anything, but the patients going in and out the bay have been curious. We can’t have any rumors going around about your identity,” he states.I can’t have that ceremony or whatever it is happen. It can’t.“So? Rumors don’t kill, you know. They can say whatever they want,” I tell him.“That shouldn’t be a reason for you to set the date without my consent. Oh my God, Xander! Why are you so inconsiderate?” I yell.“Rumors or no rumors, we’re supposed to have mated and marked each other b
Aria’s pov It has been three days of silence hung between us, making the house feel smaller. Xander's presence was there, but he kept to his study, and when we crossed paths in the kitchen, he'd just stare and vanish into his study.He stopped cooking for me. Jackson brought food, and the fridge was stacked with microwaveable dinners. I hadn't gone back to the healers, Lucas only visited once and told us my case is complicated but I’ll try to find some solution soon. I’m currently seating on Xander's bed, wearing a white tank top and one of his sweatpants—the only wardrobe I had since leaving the healers. Then, a crash from Xander's study broke the silence. He'd been so quiet lately, and oddly enough, I found myself missing him.I missed those soft forehead kisses, his warmth, and even our nightly arguments that weirdly felt like home. The silence became too much, so I decided to face him. I made my way to his study. Jogging down the stairs, I sensed he must've heard me from the
Aria's pov:Things have been going great between Xander and me. He's back to being the old Xander, even better than before.Being around him feels so right. I left content as I nestled on the couch with Xander, wrapped up in the soft glow of the movie. His tongue explored every inch of my mouth as our kiss wove into the background noise of the film, creating a private world within its scenes. Suddenly, Xander's phone buzzed persistently in his pocket, shattering our tranquility. I gently pulled away, suggesting, "You might want to pick that up."Xander let out a reluctant groan as he retrieved his phone and answered the call with a serious demeanor. He excused himself to answer the call.When he returned, a weighty expression lingered on his face. "We gotta go to the healers," he announced, leaving me slightly taken aback."Right now?" I questioned, the surprise evident in my voice.Xander nodded, urgency etched in his eyes.“Okay,” I told him. It must be something important if Lucas
Aria’s POVI feel like my soul is placed in the body of a different person. Everything about my body feels strange, but in a good way. I tried sitting up, but I can't."Oh, my heavens, she's awake. She's finally awake," Rose says. I don't know if she was screaming, or my hearing seems to have sharpened, but I could hear everything Rose was saying in my ears like a very loud drum.I feel her steps coming closer; she props me up, placing pillows behind me. "Aria! How are you feeling?" Rose says like she has been waiting for me to wake up for a thousand years.I part my lips to tell her I feel like shit, but nothing comes out, so I only smile. "It's official, Aria. I think you're related to Sleeping Beauty," she smiles, sitting on the seat next to my bed and holding both my hands."Do you know how worried I've been? I thought you were planning on staying in that bed for another week-""Who are you talking to?" Lucas asks as he opens the door."Dear heavens, she's awake?" he asks, surpris
Aria's POV:“You know you don’t have to go if you don’t want to, right?” Xander tells me as I rummage through his closet for my clothes and a few of his hoodies.I only smile at him as I stuff the clothes into a duffle bag I found somewhere in the closet.“I’m serious, Aria. If you don’t want to go, I can tell Meredith you won’t go,” he says.I still haven’t regained my complete strength. Zipping the duffle felt like a very hard task. But the a few extra pull and curses under my breath, I manage to zip it up.I realize I never asked Xander if I could borrow the duffle, so I turn to him. “You don’t mind me borrowing this, right?”“You don’t have to ask; we are mates for heaven’s sake,” he chuckles a bit.“Okay, I’m ready to go,” I tell him as I stand up from the floor.“Are you sure you want to do this?” He sounds concerned.“What choice do I have?” I force a smile.“I can talk to Meredith if you don’t want to,” he offers.“Just so she can rat me out to the healers' council, right?” I
Aria's POVI feel like a lonely wolf all over again. Living the pack life isn't the best thing for me, I guess. I'm currently in the yards watching some pack members as they train.I'd love to join, but I'm still feeling weak. Plus, sitting here alone feels like I'm disrupting their training. But I'm tired of sitting around in my room.The older ladies didn't seem to like me helping out. When I tried cleaning the table, they stopped me immediately and told me I couldn't help in my condition. Maybe I can when I've fully recovered. Watching them work while making small talk didn't feel right to me.So, I decided to go play with the pups, but then Nana Maggie told me they left for school. So, I decided to sit in the yards.But I think I should leave because it doesn't seem like I'm welcomed here, also because a group of three wolves dressed in the same track suits in different colors kept throwing glances my way, they look like the brunette version of Barbie, stretching a few feet away
**Aria’s POV**“Fuck, I’m so sorry,” I croaked out, hastily wiping my mess from his chest.Thankfully, it was just his chest. It hadn’t reached the floor.“Aria,” Xander says, holding my wrist to stop my futile attempt to clean my vomit. Looking at his chest, I only managed to make it worse—little rice particles and my saliva adorned his shirt, changing its color from white to brown.“Are you okay?” he implored. Worry etched across his face.“Uhm, yeah, I’m good,” I lied.I was nowhere near good. I felt awful inside. If I didn’t get the remaining rice out of my stomach, I might have to puke again, and this time, it wouldn’t just be on his shirt; I might get it on the floor. So I needed to get to a bathroom as soon as possible.“I just need to get to the bathroom,” I told him and began running in the direction of our room. It was only a few doors away, but it felt like I was ten miles away, so I ran faster.I could feel him running behind me, but I didn’t care. I just needed to puke wh
**Content Warning:**This chapter contains explicit content and mature themes. Reader discretion is advised Aria's POV:As he walked deeper into the room, the dim light revealed Xander. His nose flared in alert, and his jaw clenched. His eyes flashed golden a few times as he walked towards me.I don’t need to tell him what was going on with me because from his eyes, I know he must be able to smell the heat and my arousal.A whimper escapes my lips when the heat increases. “Help me,” I say between sobs.I felt as if Xander’s steps towards me were too slow, so I walked closer to him with two long strides. I almost closed the gap between us. “Are you okay?” he asks.And I almost smack him hard on the face, then ask him if I look okay to him. I am in my underwear, sweating like a racehorse. He knows what is going on, so I don’t appreciate trying to act dumb.“I’m not okay,” I whimper as hot tears roll down my face, burning the skin as they fall. He wraps his arms around me, and my body im