All Chapters of His Christmas Mate : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

_Aria’s POV_Lucien noticed that I was quiet during the drive. I kept staring out the window and watching the trees blur past. My hands were still shaking from the fear of almost being caught and even though the air inside the car was warm, I felt cold inside.He glanced at me, then leaned his elbow on the center console. “If you keep frowning like that,” he said softly, “your face might freeze.”I blinked and looked at him. “I’m not frowning.”“You are,” he said with a small smile. “You look like someone who has the whole world sitting on her shoulders.”I looked down at my hands. “Maybe I do.”Lucien’s expression softened. “You left everything tonight,” he said gently. “Of course you feel heavy. But you did not make a mistake, Aria. You chose yourself for once. There is nothing wrong with that.”I felt a sharp sting in my chest. “It doesn’t feel right,” I whispered. “Sneaking out like this. Leaving without telling anyone. It feels wrong.”“It feels wrong,” he said, “only because nob

_Aria's POV_For the rest of the day, I stayed in the library and read. The shelves rose like walls of a small city. The air smelled of old paper and polish. Sunlight came through the tall windows and landed on pages like warm hands. I pulled down book after book and let words crowd around me.Many books were about pack life. They explained the rules. They explained the ranks. I read about Alphas, Betas and Gammas and how each had a role. The Alpha led. The Beta helped the Alpha keep peace. The Gamma organized training and duty. It sounded like a family and like a company at the same time, and the words made clearer what Lucien had tried to tell me at breakfast. The pack was careful and ordered. It was also sharp and dangerous if you did not know the rules.One book said that the things I had always seen in films were wrong. The full moon was not the only time a werewolf changed. Many of them could shift when they wanted. The old stories were prettier than the real rules. The books sa

_Aria's POV_I locked the door and slid the bolt home. Then I moved to the windows and latched them all, one by one, fingers trembling as I pressed the catches into place. The screaming outside did not stop. It only grew louder. It was a wild mix of human shouts and animal cries that shook the panes. I pressed my forehead to the cold glass and watched the yard below. Figures ran back and forth in the snow. Fires burned in small piles. Shadows moved like a crowd that had come to fight something bigger than any of us.I could not make sense of it. Men shouted orders. Women cried. Wolves answered back with low, rolling howls that set my teeth on edge. The clear line between man and beast blurred in the dark. I had expected the mansion to feel like a fortress. Now it felt like a house cupped in a storm.A hard knock split the noise. It hammered the wood like a fist. Someone outside was shouting my name in a voice that sounded too loud to be patient.“I know that you are hiding in there, h

_Aria's POV_The hot water hit my skin and ran down my back, washing away the last pieces of fear clinging to me. I stood under the shower longer than I planned. I needed it. My body felt sore. My mind felt heavy. I kept replaying what happened last night. The water helped a little. It made me feel normal again, not fragile or broken…. but just tired.When I stepped out, I wrapped a towel around myself and stared at my reflection. My eyes looked puffy. My face looked pale. But at least I looked steady. At least I was standing.I dressed quickly and combed my hair. My stomach growled loudly. I hadn’t eaten since yesterday evening. I felt empty and weak.“I should get breakfast,” I whispered to myself.When I reached the dining hall, it was completely empty. The long wooden table was clean. Not even a plate, not even a cup. It looked as if everyone had already eaten a long time ago.“Oh…” I said under my breath.I felt awkward standing there alone. Normally, someone would be around. Th

_Aria’s POV_The next day Lucien and I had breakfast together.The dining room smelled of coffee and warm bread. Sunlight came in through the tall windows and made the dust in the air look like soft gold. Lucien sat across from me with that calm smile he used when he wanted everything to seem alright. He watched me as I stirred my tea with my fork. My hands were still a little shaky but the food tasted better than it had the day before.“You look like you’re thinking of a thousand wrong things,” Lucien said while teasing me. His voice was low and easy. “Tell me one and I’ll chase it away.”I looked up and tried to smile. “I’m thinking about whether bread tastes different when you are an Alpha’s guest.”He laughed and the sound warmed the air. “Not at all. It tastes the same. Unless the bread is jealous of the butter.”I rolled my eyes. He reached across and nudged my foot with his under the table. The small touch made my chest jump in a way I could not explain. He saw it and his smile