ARIA I was conflicted. Damara was right about one thing: I would rather keep her alive in the filthy cell for years than kill her. I wanted to punish her, but I also thought that she didn't deserve a quick death. Now she could even be freed… I couldn't imagine Damara getting away with everything she had ever done just because she saw something! Anger tensed up my every muscle as I was walking back to Tyrion's chamber. I knew that I needed to pass Damara's message to him; it was too important. I wish I could just pretend I didn't hear anything from her... Once I walked into Tyrion's room, I found him discussing something with Felix. Tyrion was still lying down, and Felix was standing by Tyrion's bed. As I walked inside, he smiled at me and gave me a flirtatious wink. Goddess, this guy would never change his boyish behavior... He and Tyrion were discussing transporting bodies back to the packs, and I sat in the armchair opposite Tyrion's bed, delaying delivering the message from Damara

ARIA"A date?" I repeated Tyrion's words, my voice filled with nervous laughter."Yes, I'm inviting you on a date. Don't you think we both deserve to spend some time alone, away from all this shit going on around us?"Two days had passed since Tyrion killed Neil in his office. Finding out that someone whom Tyrion kept close was a traitor must have felt devastating, and I didn't blame Tyrion for throwing himself into work. He wanted to deal with the after-attack crisis in the kingdom and lay the groundwork to present me as his future Queen. Yes, the Queen, and yes, the more I thought about it, the more terrified I was.I had only become an Alpha a month ago, and taking care of my own pack surely was a challenge. Now, my pack was not only supposed to merge with the biggest pack in the world, but I was about to wear the crown and rule over all the packs in the kingdom! I know that it was something natural for Tyrion; he was born into the royal family and knew his fate from the beginning.

ARIACertainly, my romantic date with Tyrion ended right after Felix called. Tyrion was not pleased with it, and neither was I. The blush from my bold statement kept washing over my cheeks while we were on our way. I couldn't believe that I nearly begged him to claim me! I didn't know what came over me, but I felt as if everything I was afraid of dissolved in the mountain air, and every part of me became ready to become his.Thinking about my unstoppable need for Tyrion almost overshadowed the fact that Kestrel showed up, and he was most likely stronger than before. I had never seen him fight, but I already knew how brutal he might be. I had also heard that he never granted a quick death and liked to torture those who had lost to him, cutting them, or dismembering them just to watch them squirm in agony.Tyrion contacted a few other packs that owed him favors and organized the hunt in no one's land outside the Moon Blade Pack's borders. I wanted to join that group, but Tyrion wasn't e

ARIAFelix and Zane ran toward the palace's courtyard a few minutes later. I was still sitting naked on the ground with an unconscious Tyrion lying on my lap. My hands stroked his cold, pale face while I stared numbly at his closed eyelids."We have to get Tyrion to the hospital," Felix explained, handing me a shirt the size of a short dress so I could cover myself.I frowned and shook my head. "No. It isn't something doctors in the hospital can cure. Bring him to his chamber, and I will call Nova.""Nova?" Felix sounded surprised.I nodded. "I believe that she can help."Felix smiled wryly. "Are you sure about that?""I'm positive."He sighed and ordered two of his men to carry Tyrion into the palace before helping me get on my feet. "We're so sorry, Aria," he said, lowering his head. "They tricked us. The witch somehow copied Kestrel's scent and got us chasing several wolves through the woods, but none of them was Kestrel. Then we were notified, that someone broke through our border

TYRION I was sitting in the back seat of a black Bentley, with Aziz next to me and Nova in the front passenger's seat. I kept wondering what the fuck I was doing. The frown painted my face throughout our way to Bright Haven. The overwhelming feeling of uneasiness tied my stomach, but the worst part was that I couldn't even call Aria and tell her how I felt because that would imply that I didn't trust her. Hell, I knew that she was an amazing leader; she might have had better leadership skills than I did, but I couldn't stand the thought that I was literally sending my mate to fight MY battles while I was going to some fucking magical SPA. Of course, Nova and Aziz were quite entertained by my grumpiness. "Don't worry, Alpha Tyrion. You will get back to Aria before you know it," Nova said, hardly stifling a giggle. "You should brighten up, Alpha King. One may say that you've never been to the countryside," Aziz teased. I glared at him. "I don't feel fine leaving, knowing that more ma