Masuk~ Aria's POV ~"What are you doing here, Raven?" Thorne asked, his hands tucked into the pockets of his shorts.I used to admire the way he did that, so casual, so effortless. Back then, it made my heart flutter. Not anymore. Now, all I felt was hatred. Hatred for the boy who had nearly sent me to my death."Didn't I tell you Skylight wasn't the one who murdered Nyx?" Raven said sharply.Thorne let out a bitter chuckle. There was no humor in it… only venom. "How long will you continue to side with that murderer?" he seethed.Raven grabbed him by the collar, fury blazing in his eyes. "You need to wake up from your delusion, Thorne! Skylight is innocent!""Say whatever you want," Thorne snapped back, shoving him away. "She clearly told me herself that she murdered Nyx. She left evidence on the wall that she killed my sister!"Evidence?My chest tightened.Had I been framed… just so Thorne would believe I murdered Nyx?"She’s missing from the dungeon my father locked her in," Thorne cont
~ Aria's POV ~"What did you just say?" I asked, my eyes widened in shock, as I stared at the boy who I thought was now my ally."I'm sorry... everything I had said to you from the day we met were all lies. I knew your parents. I was friends with them... I watched you grow in your mother's womb, that's how I was able to know your name was Rowena... that's how I was able to save your life, because when I went to see your parents after a long time, I saw you unconscious under the bed," Lucian said.My head spun as I tried to process his words, to force my mind to make sense of them. He knew.He fucking knew my parents were dead, and yet he never said a word. He watched me cling to hope, watched me desperately wish to see them again, and still pretended he didn’t know what had happened to them.Hot, bitter tears spilled from my eyes as I stared at Lucian. Everything he had ever done was built on lies, and I had been stupid enough to believe every word he said."I’m sorry..."I slapped hi
~ Aria's POV ~I screamed as I jolted awake, gasping desperately for air, my chest heaving as my entire body trembled from what I had just witnessed."Nooooo! Noooooo!! Noooooo!!!" I screamed again, my voice breaking as I squeezed my eyes shut, too terrified to open them, too afraid of what reality might show me."Aria."I heard my foster mom’s voice, shaky and panicked. "Aria, are you okay?" Her hands tapped my body gently, urgently, as if afraid I might disappear if she stopped touching me.My eyes slowly opened, and I realized where I was. I was back in Sybille's house."Aria," my mom whispered as she caressed my face.I looked at her, and thick, burning tears spilled from my eyes without warning."Mom," I whispered weakly, my voice barely holding together as my tears continued to fall."I’m here, Aria. I’m here," she said softly, wiping my tears with trembling fingers. "Why did you suddenly lose consciousness earlier?"She took a breath, steadying herself. "You were talking to Luc
~ Aria's POV ~I walked toward the cottage as confusion gnawed at me. My steps slowed when recognition hit—I was staring at the very cottage my parents used to live in. I had seen it countless times in my dreams, where either my mom or dad would always place me inside a woven basket. I never knew it was hidden deep within a forest.As I walked closer to the cottage, I heard the cry of a baby, a cry that sounded so much like mine. I pushed the door open, my breath hitching as I stepped inside. There, in the center of the cottage, was a woven basket… and inside it lay my infant self, crying softly.My brows furrowed. I just couldn't understand why I was suddenly seeing my younger self. Was this a trance or a dream? It couldn't possibly be a dream because I was talking to Lucian and Raven just now. A trance? Is that even possible?I tried to go closer to my infant self, and that's when the door of the cottage was pushed open. I turned around to see my mom. For the first time in my life,
~ Aria's POV ~I waited patiently for Miss Hellcat at the abandoned playground, my thoughts tangled as I replayed everything Lyra had told me. My mother had gone missing after speaking to Magnus... the same way my father disappeared after talking to Alistair.What was really going on? Were they taken together, or did they vanish separately? I hadn’t heard from Ryker since the day he ditched me. Even if he wanted to reach out, he wouldn’t have been able to, not after everything that happened to me.I didn't want to believe the instincts screaming in my head that my parents might be dead. I didn't want to believe it because I wanted them alive. I wanted to be with them, to be loved by them and cuddle them in my arms. I wanted to know what it feels like dining with them and laughing around a table with them.I never had the chance to experience any of that, which was why I couldn’t accept what my mind kept trying to tell me.I needed them alive."Aria." Miss Hellcat's voice sliced throug
~ Aria's POV ~Just as I was about to step into the academy premises, a hand suddenly yanked me into a narrow alley. Rage exploded inside me, and I almost attacked whoever it was… until the person quickly surrendered."It's me, Lyra," she said breathlessly, pulling the hood off her face."Lyra?" I narrowed my eyes."Yes.""Why did you stop me from entering the academy?" I snarled. "Were you sent by your Alpha?" I was already on the brink of attacking her when she abruptly dropped to her knees."I wasn't sent by Alpha Magnus," she said in a panic. "I’m here to save you.""Save me?" I scoffed darkly. "Between the two of us, who would be saving whom?"She sighed and stood up. "I know you’re a Vamwolf... the most powerful being alive," she said quickly. "But I just saved you from being seen by Alpha Magnus.""He's here in this academy?" I asked."Yes. I don’t know how you managed to escape, but the pack is furious. Alpha Magnus came with his warriors to capture you." Her voice trembled. "







