Ethan’s POVI wished Aria had just agreed to have dinner with me. Forcing her into it with a vague threat had never been my intention, but here we were. Why she wouldn’t want a handsome, powerful Alpha to cook for her was a mystery – but that was her all over, wasn’t it? She was a mystery wrapped in an enigma, and damn, it was really working for me.My charms seemed lost on her, though. Whatever secret she was keeping had to be a pretty juicy one, because the second I’d wielded that tactic like the poisoned chalice it was, her sharp expression had crumbled.I had no idea what that secret was, of course. I just wanted her to have dinner with me.As I smoothed down my suit, running not at all sweaty palms over its sleek lapels, I recalled the way she’d barely managed to choke out a, “What?”She’d not given anything about it away, but she’d told me enough. There was something I could hold over her, blackmail her with, even, if I wanted to. Not that I did – yet. It was always wise to make

Aurora’s POVI wasn’t sure what reaction I’d expected from Ethan, if any, but it certainly wasn’t the hurt that lashed across his face. Like sudden, heavy rain, his expression darkened.“She did?” I nodded. Guilt ate me up inside, but I couldn’t let it show. I’d dug this hole for myself; it was my responsibility to deal with the consequences. With nothing else to go on, and nowhere to go but down, I picked up my shovel again and carried on digging.“She told me that… that your ex-wife died in mysterious circumstances.”His eyes narrowed. “She what?”I gulped. I’d have to make this up to Zoe somehow. “She just said that things ended badly between the two of you, and then, a few months later, she died. A lot of people think you killed her,” I blurted out, realising how stupid I was being only after it was too late.“A lot of people think I killed my ex-wife?” A muscle ticked in his jaw. “A lot of people? And Zoe told you this?”“Yes. You were right; we do know each other.” Better to ad

Aurora’s POVEthan’s hands moved to cup my face, then traced the line of my jaw. I shivered into his touch. His mouth felt both familiar and new at once; he tasted of whiskey and ginger, the alcohol lingering on his lips and tongue.His body was warm against mine. I dug my nails into the hard muscles of his shoulders, moaning into his open mouth as he deepened the kiss. I wasn’t myself, not anymore: I was pulsing heat and bad decisions made manifest. I also didn’t care.I was falling into a dark and tumultuous unknown. The past was paved with horrors, and the future…If this was what hating Ethan felt like, it was worryingly close to how loving him had felt. The mate bond roared to life in my chest, revived by the way his fingers curled around the nape of my neck, pulling me closer. It had lain dormant for many years, broken after his rejection. Being around him had sparked it – but this was no spark. This was a burning flame, guiding me home.Terror sluiced through me, ice chilling m

Aurora’s POV“Nobody can hear you,” Dominic said, his voice full of glee. “Make as much noise as you like, gorgeous. It won’t help – but I do enjoy hearing it.”The problem with being a doctor was that I was good at calculations, especially when it came to matters of life or death. I could see, clear as day, just how much my chances of survival decreased with every passing second, with every stab and slice of the stake.My wounds throbbed and pulsed and stung. Warm blood dripped down both arms, down my cheeks, following the line of my jaw and the curve down to my neck. I could smell it in the air: my own blood, dizzying my head.He lifted the stake again. Splinters dug into the soft skin of my inner arm, just above my elbow. The blunt tip of the stake pierced my arm, carving a long line down to my wrist.I gritted my teeth, unwilling to let so much as a whimper escape after what he’d said. I wouldn’t give this sadistic bastard the satisfaction. “Aw, don’t be like that. Look, I’ll tr

Ethan’s POVI swallowed hard. The knife pricked my throat. Droplets of blood soaked into my fur.“That’s it,” the woman cooed. As she stepped into the light, finally letting me see her face, Dominic Butcher slammed the stake into Aria’s chest.Everything happened very fast then.I saw long blonde hair. Green eyes. Full lips. A dusting of freckles over her small, straight nose. A delicate beauty mark under her eye.Aurora. The woman holding me back was Aurora, but I could barely spare a glance for my not-so-dead ex-wife. Not when Aria was screaming, howling; the sounds she was making weren’t even human anymore. It was a nightmare, that scream, the noise of a life being stolen by the shadows.I let my throat get cut as I shoved Aurora aside. It couldn’t be Selene because it didn’t sound like Selene, and because Selene was in Berlin, but then again… it couldn’t be Aurora either. Aurora was dead. But the woman looked just like her as she flailed to regain her balance. Taking control of