CHAPTER 1

ARIAI knew my father had finally lost his mind when he decided it was okay to sell me off to marry a man who was old enough to be my father. The ruthless Alpha of the Ironcrest Pack.Even though he knew I had already found my mate, he still thought it was acceptable to drag me to another man.It had happened all too fast, and now I was sitting in the Ironcrest mansion, waiting for my old husband to meet me.I sat stiffly in the chair offered to me, my palms sweating and my heart racing as I stared at the marble floor.I did not want to see his face. I did not even want to be here. If only I could blink and wake up somewhere else, somewhere that was not this nightmare.Behind me, footsteps echoed against the floor.I stiffened.He is here.“Hello,” a deep voice said suddenly behind me. “You must be Aria. I am Mr. Ironcrest Davin.”The sound of that voice alone made me turn around sharply. It was deep, commanding, and too powerful to belong to an old man.I quickly stood up as my eyes

CHAPTER 2

ARIAToday, I was going to leave the house.I have a mate, and I am not going to sit back here and get forced to marry people I did not even know.My plan was simple. I would say I needed to get something from town. If anyone asked questions, I would just say it was a woman thing, something I could not really talk about. From there, I would head straight to my mate Karlo’s house. I knew he would help me.At this point, that was the only way I could get out of here without getting lost or caught. I did not even know my way around.Putting on my most innocent face, I stepped out of my room. I needed to find Kavin. He was my escape ticket. I knew he would let me go if I asked nicely, unlike his brother. Mr. Gerald had already told me he was in the training room, so I made my way there quietly.The sound of muffled grunts reached me before I even opened the door. When I finally stepped into the training room, the sight before me made my breath hitch.Kavin and Davin were sparring. They we

CHAPTER 3

ARIA“What are you doing here?” Karlo’s voice cut through the room. Karlo sounded irritated, not shocked, not guilty. He did not even try to cover himself as he sat up in bed with my sister still straddling him.My sister turned toward me, smirking, and I instantly knew she was happy I caught them.“Oh, Aria,” she said, her tone dripping with mockery. “Does your daddy husband know you are sneaking out to see another man? That is a little shameless, do you not think?”For a second, I could not breathe. I could not even think. The sight before me was something I never imagined I would see. My sister, in the same bed as the one person I thought I could trust.“Get out,” Karlo snapped, his voice rough. “Go back to your old husband, Aria.”His words pierced my heart. I could barely see through the blur of tears welling up in my eyes.I turned to my sister, my voice shaking. “How could you do this to me?” I whispered. “I am your sister. Why do you hate me this much?”She did not flinch. She

CHAPTER 4

DAVINI slowly stood up from the bed. Goodness knows I did not want to stand up or leave at all.I adjusted my hard-on in my trousers and looked at her once more before walking over to the door. It was one of the servants waiting there.I stepped out, closing the door behind me. I knew she would feel embarrassed if anyone saw her like that.The servant told me that I had a guest waiting for me in the study. I had totally forgotten I had an appointment with Kylie today.Kylie is my business partner, and more. My occasional escape. My fuck buddy.But I guess she likes to think she is a little more than that.She was sitting on the chair, wearing a tight dress that showed way too much cleavage. Normally, I would not have thought twice before pulling her onto the desk and losing myself in her, but right now, I could not even bring myself to touch her.Because all I could think about was Aria.I knew from the moment she stepped into the training room with an innocent face that she was up t

CHAPTER 5

ARIAMusic and laughter echoed through the grand Ironcrest hall. There were clinking glasses and the low murmur of pack members gathered to welcome me.I stood among everyone, dressed in a glittery black dress, the fabric hugging my curves in all the right places before flowing to the floor. My honey-blonde hair was let loose.And for the first time in a long while, I was truly happy.I laughed and danced with the pack members, and for a while I forgot how life seemed to be throwing me around.And just when I was getting lost in the moment, I spotted someone among the crowd.It was the same woman who had been in the office with Davin.The one who had been sharing a kiss with him.She was dressed in a pale gold outfit, her blonde hair tied up in a ponytail. She looked so confident and beautiful, like a supermodel.My smile died as I began to feel small and threatened by her presence.“Oh, Aria,” Kylie said as she walked up to me. “I am Kylie. It is important you know that, as you are g

CHAPTER 6

ARIAI have never felt more lost in my life than I do right now.I wanted to scream, to deny it, to say Nesta was lying but her words made sense. No wonder Father had never shown me any affection. No wonder I had always felt like an outsider in my own home. Now, I understand why .The party still continued, the music was loud and laughter was ringing through the hall, but I was no longer in the mood for festivities. I sat quietly in a corner, wishing my mother was here. I had too many questions to ask her, too many answers I desperately needed, but she was gone and I was left sitting alone, sad, in a party that was supposed to cheer me up.After a while, I quietly made my way to the garden, trying my best not to draw attention to myself.The cool night air kissed my skin as I sat unto one of the chairs as I clasped my trembling hands together. I had barely settled down when I heard footsteps behind me.“Hey there,” someone said from behind me.I turned to see a girl smiling widely at