Serena. The name sat in Aria’s mind like a shard of glass. She moved through the morning routine with mechanical precision—shower, change of clothes, a light breakfast she barely tasted. The estate continued its quiet rhythm around her, but everything felt slightly off-balance, as if the air itself had shifted overnight. Serena of the Northern Bloodline was in the city. In this life, their paths should not have crossed so soon. In the last one, Serena had only appeared near the end—polished, confident, already chosen. She had stepped into the clearing on Aria’s mating night as if the position had always belonged to her. Now she was here early. And she was asking questions. * * * Silas found her in the secondary library just before noon. Aria was seated at the long table with three open files in front of her, though she had not turned a page in nearly twenty minutes. Her focus kept drifting back to the same thought. Why now? Silas closed the door behind him and remained stan
Last Updated : 2026-08-25 Read more