Lahat ng Kabanata ng Torn Between Monsters : Kabanata 221 - Kabanata 230

~ Raven's POV ~Ryker being the murderer behind Nyx’s death didn’t come as a surprise to me. From the moment I saw his picture on Lucina’s phone, I knew he had no good intentions toward Aria. That was why I was furious with Thorne.He was the one who told us Ryker was a rogue who had tried to kill him before, and yet not once did it cross his mind that Ryker could be the mastermind behind Nyx’s death.It was so easy for Lucian to guess it was Ryker's doing, but Thorne had acted rashly… and in doing so, betrayed Aria.This wasn’t how I wanted her to learn the truth. When I saw her calling her mother and father after she woke up, guilt tore through me. I had gone straight to the cottage, hoping to knock some sense into Thorne—to make him abandon his madness about Aria being Nyx’s killer.I had planned on telling the truth when I returned to Sybille's house, but unfortunately for me, she found out the truth herself before I could confess everything to her.The beating she gave me? The wo

~ Aria's POV ~I wasn't yapping when I said I was going to leave Velmora for good. I had told my foster mom about it, and she agreed to go with me. Though she asked questions about why I wanted to leave, I didn’t tell her why.My plan was simple—return to Greystone Falls first. Once there, I’d decide which country I wanted to relocate to. Velmora was the last place I ever wanted to be again. It had given me nothing but pain, and I had finally reached my limit.I also asked Lucian to come with us. For reasons I still didn’t understand, he refused. He only hugged me and bade me goodbye, as if this separation didn’t tear him apart.I wished he had agreed. I truly did. But I didn’t beg him. I wasn’t in the right state of mind to beg anyone.I also didn’t tell Lucian what I had done. They weren’t the only ones allowed to keep secrets. And honestly? I didn’t care if Ryker or Caspian turned Velmora upside down in their quest for power.As my foster mom drove us out of town toward Greystone F

~ Aria's POV ~Tears blurred my vision, and my lips trembled uncontrollably as I stared at my mom and dad. They were smiling at me. This wasn't any of my visions. It was real because they could see me."Mom... Dad," I choked, my voice breaking as I staggered toward them. My hands shook as I reached out, touching their faces... one after the other. When they didn’t vanish, when their warmth seeped into my palms, a broken sob tore out of me. I threw myself into their arms, clinging to them as if my life depended on it.My mom's fingers threaded through my hair, my dad's arms wrapped tightly around me... just like when I was an infant. Their touch was familiar, comforting, and achingly real. If this was a dream, I never wanted to wake up. If this was an illusion, I wanted to be lost in it forever.I had always wondered what it would feel like to have them in my arms, and now that I knew the feeling, I didn't want to let go."Mom... Dad," I whimpered, tightening my grip as fear crept into

~ Aria's POV ~Before I could second-guess why Magnus, of all people, was kneeling down in front of me, I heard Thorne's painful scream from the woods.My eyes scanned around, and when I didn't find him among the werewolves, I bolted, ignoring Magnus, who was still kneeling.Arriving in the woods, I saw Ryker aiming his sword toward Thorne to finish him off. My wolf raged inside of me, eager to save Thorne's life despite what he did to us.My wolf took over, and I shifted into my wolf form, leaping over and knocking Ryker away from Thorne.My wolf howled angrily as she protected him from Ryker."A white wolf, just like your mother. You made the worst mistake deciding to save them," he sneered.Since I couldn't speak in my wolf form, my wolf angrily howled at him again, jumping over to him to attack.Ryker shifted into his wolf form. His wolf was black in color, it was huge, but not as huge as mine.He howled at me, leaping to attack me, but I wasn't his main focus. His main focus was

~ Aria's POV ~I stared at my reflection, slowly turning from side to side, making sure the dress I had worn truly suited me. The fabric hugged me perfectly: elegant and dangerous at the same time.I didn't want to attend the party at first. But with no real excuse and no real desire to fight it, I had agreed to go... to the party Seraphina, Lyra, and Isolde had invited me to.A party hosted by monsters at the academy.They had insisted I dress my best, reminding me, again and again, that I was the reason the party existed in the first place.It was still surprising how far they could go to throw me a party. Months ago, if someone had asked me if this day was going to come, I'd have beat my chest and said no.Those same monsters had dragged me through hell. They had tormented me, despised me, and looked at me like I was nothing more than a fragile human who dared step into their academy uninvited.Recapping those times when I was so scared of them brought nothing but smiles to my face