جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 60

MAYAThe moment the carriage doors opened, I knew I had made a terrible mistake by agreeing to come to Blackwood.Not because I was afraid of the pack, although the enormous gates and the guards stationed around them were enough to make anyone reconsider every decision that had led them there, but because I had spent the entire journey convincing myself that seeing Aria again would be simple. I would walk into the palace, find my mistress, bow respectfully, and behave like the perfectly trained maid I had pretended to be for years. Unfortunately, the moment I stepped down from the carriage and caught the scent of wildness drifting through the air, my heart immediately reminded me that I had never been particularly good at doing anything the simple way.“Careful,” a deep voice warned from beside me when my foot caught the edge of the carriage step. “Unless you intend to make your grand entrance by falling face-first into Blackwood's soil

ARIAI met Isolde in the palace garden.After the noise that had taken over Blackwood since her arrival, I needed somewhere quiet enough to hear my own thoughts again. The servants had spent the morning rushing through the palace with flowers, ribbons and trays of food, while the guards stood straighter than usual and everyone seemed eager to welcome the woman who had apparently been part of Xavier's life long before I ever knew his name.The garden was the only place that felt untouched by the excitement of these people.I sat under a large tree beside the fountain, resting my back against the wooden bench while I watched the water fall into the stone basin. I was still thinking about Xavier's apology when footsteps sounded behind me, and I turned slowly to find a woman standing a few feet away.“Are you Aria?” she asked with a warm smile, her voice carrying none of the stiffness I had come to expect from people who approached me because of my new position.I straightened slightly be

ISOLDEThis moment was what I had imagined ever since I left the Blackwood pack. The moment where Xavier would walk into the room, see me and forget everything else except me. I had thought of how he was going to walk up to me because he had missed me too much.I had spent years believing that when I finally returned, nothing would have changed between us. But, I was so damn wrong.Instead, I watched him walked into the room, and his eyes went straight to that pathetic fat bitch. The one everyone calls Aria, rejected and mocked by all.Xavier didn't even glance at me. And here I was whining to Aria that I knew everything about him. I kept bragging with twisted words how much he loves me, yet at the end, Xavier chose her.Aria.I kept the smile on my face as I watched him cross the room my chest tightened as I desperately tried to hide my claws. “Xavier, you finally came looking for me.”His eyes shifted to me as I called softly. I forced a squeezed bit of warmth into my voice as I ros

ISOLDEI waited until the dining hall had emptied before I allowed the smile to disappear from my face.The servants had cleared most of the dishes, leaving only a few glasses and plates on the long table. I sat there with my fingers wrapped around the stem of my glass, staring at the doorway where Xavier had disappeared after Aria, and the longer I stared, the more my anger grew.Nyx shifted inside me, her presence brushing against my mind like a cold hand. " You should have stopped him."“I know,” I whispered, keeping my eyes on the doorway."Then why didn't you?"“Because I wanted to see how far he would go for her.”Nyx gave a quiet laugh inside my head. "And now you know."I did, and that was what bothered me the most.Xavier had always been protective of people he cared about, but this was different. The way he had spoken when I mentioned Aria, the way his eyes had changed when she stood up and th

ARIA I wanted to laugh, goddess, I truly wanted to as I glanced at Maya. She was chewing on an apple, each crisp crunch the sound of someone who hadn’t spent the last few minutes throwing jabs at an Alpha.“Ronan.”Still nothing. And that was when Xavier's voice became slightly louder. “Ronan.”The Beta finally blinked and looked at him, not the slightest bit embarrassed. “Yes, Alpha?”Xavier stared at him for a moment while Ronan cleared his throat. I bit hard on my lips, holding back a chuckle that could make the situation awkward. While innocent Maya looked up too, her brows raised in confusion.“What were you asking me?” Ronan asked.Xavier's eyes narrowed. “I asked whether you sent the message.”“What message?”I couldn't hold it anymore. Damn! I truly wanted to be that angry mate who want nothing than to make Xavier restless tonight, but this scene wouldn't let my poor soul be. A laugh escaped me, my hand holding tighter on the door frame.Maya must have realized the cold beta