All Chapters of Reborn To Never Chase An Alpha Again.: Chapter 11 - Chapter 19

DAMON'S POV I'm staring into the trees, watching the minutes slip away and wondering how the hell we're supposed to make it back to the pack before dark, because getting home late was never part of this sudden trip, when the cottage door finally creaks open. Aria and Dana step out. I turn to look at them properly. They both look far too calm and composed for two people who just spent an extra ten minutes inside a cottage that smells nothing like a beauty treatment they told me we were visiting. My eyes settle on Aria, searching her face for any sign that she knows how strange this looks. There's nothing. Not even a flicker of emotion. All she does is step into what's left of the daylight, and for a second, I let myself actually look at her the way I don't usually allow myself. I immediately notice that she's always been beautiful without even trying. Dark hair slightly mussed from the forest, blunt bangs framing her dark eyes, pale skin and sharp cheekbones softening the s

ARIA'S POV "I wasn't asking you. I was asking Damon." My father's voice cracks through the clearing like a whip. For a second, I actually forget how to breathe, because if Damon tells him the truth, I'm screwed. I reach for the mind-link before I've even decided to. 'Damon. Please don't tell him we went into the Dark Forest,' I say, but he doesn't answer. 'Damon, I know you can hear me.' Still nothing but I can feel him at the edge of my mind, and that he is deliberately ignoring me like a smug bastard. The previous me might have begged him to answer. But I'm not that girl anymore. I refuse to let Damon treat me like I'm beneath him, like I have to chase after him or beg for his attention. If he wants to play games, fine. But I'm not going to sit here and take his attitude. My patience snaps. 'DAMON.' 'What.' His voice finally slides into my head, flat and unbothered, like he's commenting on the weather. 'Didn't you tell me not to worry about your father? That

DAMON'S POV I don't remember much of the walk back to the pack house. My head is still stuck on what Aria said, and the more I think about it, the more irritated I get. She has a date to the Mate Ball, and I had no idea. To make matters worse, I can't figure out when it happened. Aria has never been good at keeping things from me. She's always telling me where she's going, who she's with, what she's doing, even when I don't ask. For years, if something was happening in her life, I heard about it first. So why didn't I know about this? And why did she look at me like it didn't matter whether I knew or not? That's the part that keeps bothering me, like a splinter under a nail. By the time I reach my room, I'm annoyed enough that I shove the door open harder than I mean to, and it slams against the wall. I stand there for a second, staring at it. What the hell is going on with her today? I close the door and walk over to my bed, but I don't sit right away, because I kee

ARIA'S POV But just as we're about to walk out of the house, my stepmom's sharp voice stops me. "Aria." Oh, Goddess. What does she want now? I suppress a sigh, keeping my irritation off my face because we're already running behind schedule, and we still need to find a date for tonight's mate ball. Beside me, Dana shifts her weight, looking like she's two seconds away from dragging me out of here herself. 'What do you think she wants?' Dana asks through the mindlink. 'No idea. Let's just play it cool.' We turn towards the kitchen, where Linda emerges in a deep green silk gown. As one of the evening's guests of honor, alongside Dad, she's dressed for the occasion. Yet she still has a dish towel dangling from one hand, even though it's already perfectly dry. I stare at her for a moment, wondering why she called me. Then I remember this morning's encounter. Oh, right. That. I wouldn't be surprised if she wanted to lecture me about my attitude earlier. The old Aria would have sp