‘I killed you,’ I whispered in my head. ‘You did nothing wrong and I killed you.’
"Ahh...," was the only sound that left me.
I was fairly certain that telling him that information didn't exactly scream that he could trust me; a vital part of any possible relationship to start. Would it be wrong of me to keep it a secret? It seemed like such an unnecessary gamble to ruin something that didn't need to be tarnished so quickly.
"...Aria?" he prompted.
"I'm trying to remember," I lied.
I could see it now... his eyes changing to become wary, unsure of who I was. His death was just the start of a list of names whose lives I had ended up claiming. Would he see me as a murderer?
I swallowed back my hesitance and cleared my throat. If I was willing to finally put the past behind me then there was no reason to ruin my future because of it.
"No," I eventually answered. "I... can't recall ever having
"Aria?" Cai asked, pulling me from my thoughts.He gently reached out and poked a finger between my brows, making me realise I was frowning."You've got that look on your face," he said. "The one that usually tells me you're overthinking something... Should I be locking the bedroom door to prevent your escape?"Instantly I relaxed, smiling a bit at his joke. I hadn't realised he'd learnt my expressions so well."I'm sorry," I said, as I stared into his pure golden eyes that had always made me want to melt. "...I'm not going anywhere, I promise. I... I want to be with you too, Cai."'Even if it's just temporary,' I finished in my head.Cai had been there at the beginning of my return, witnessing my worst moments and helping me even when my plans were insane or not his concern. He'd been there for me when I'd cried and broken down, unsure of who I was or who I could lean on. And it was true he'd ended up hurting me, but I'd hurt him t
'So handsome,' I thought to myself as I watched Cai sleeping next to me.I wasn't sure how long I'd slept for but I'd woken up to find him by my side. He looked so peaceful; his hair had tousled into a mess as his chest softly rose and fell. I could have watched him for hours.I lost track of time as I recounted the events that had transpired the evening prior but soon Cai stirred next to me. In his slumber, a strand of hair fell across his face and I couldn't help but reach out and gently brush it away back into place. It was so silky to touch.As my eyes drifted back to his face though I froze, realising he was now awake and watching me."Morning," he mumbled sleepily, reaching out to pull me close to him.I had fallen asleep in one of his t-shirts but could still feel his warmth through the fabric. If not for the confusion of his words, I would have melted myself into his touch willingly. But the nagging in my mind prevented me, forcing
"What the fuck are you doing here?" Aleric frantically whispered. "Do you have any idea how much shit you'll get into for this?"In an involuntary reaction, I quickly pulled the blanket up over my chest to hide myself even though I wasn't naked. And yet at the same time, I'd never felt more exposed.There had been no time to react, no time to hide. I knew what Cai had been desperately looking for now; an escape. But it would have been futile. There wasn't enough time to cover my scent and the window had outside privacy panels preventing me from squeezing through. Cai must have realised the same thing. All he could do was apologise for the fact that we were now in this situation."We've found it!" I heard a voice yell from somewhere in the house.Aleric's eyes suddenly showed signs of worry as he looked at me. Already he looked pale, confused, both of which I'd never seen on him before, but it was his worry that unnerved me the most. Aleric was co
"Fuck!" I yelled in frustration as I threw yet another folder of files to the ground. "It's been months now, Aleric, and we're still no better off than when we started."Aleric was seated by the windowsill of our small office area, papers of his own in hand that he'd been reviewing. He seemed used to my small occasional outbursts these days and usually ignored them, but today he just turned his face to me, raising a sole eyebrow as if to silently ask 'really?'.I buried my face in my hands, utterly exhausted and not needing his further judgment. When was the last time I'd slept peacefully? Before Myra's death?After Cai was taken in, days had turned into weeks, which had turned into months, all with little change.My seventeenth birthday had passed without celebration, or even with any sort of acknowledgement. How could I while Cai remained imprisoned when I'd promised to quickly clear his name?The allegations had ended up being a lot wor
"...What did you just say?" I asked, my voice thick with disbelief."I said they've declared war," Alexander repeated. "They've said that if we don't release Caius before sunset tomorrow that they will officially announce their intent to bring him home by force."Less than twenty-four hours. I had less than twenty-four hours to free him or we would be initiating a war....And it would be my fault."It's not enough time," I whispered, the panic rising inside me once more. "...It's not enough time... It's not enough time."I took a step backwards as my mind continued to whirl. This was it. Everything had been leading to this moment and it was finally here."Is there anything else I need to know?" Aleric asked him.Alexander frowned as if he'd expected him to have a different reaction. "...No? Just that we received a letter from the Silver Lake just now... —.""You can go then," Aleric interrupted. "Thank you for te
I paced nervously around the communal waiting, located area just outside the meeting hall. Every step in unison with the seconds that ticked by on the clock on the wall, my breathing and heart racing so loud it was only increasing my anxiety.The meeting was planned, everything was ready. All that was left was Aleric. Any minute now he would be walking through that door with the news that would decide my fate. How strange that once again I would be finding myself tempting death in the hands of Aleric; though now relying on him as my saviour, not my executioner. Though I had to admit, I would be lying if I didn't acknowledge that he had been doing that very thing anyway these last few months.But no, I wouldn't be killed. I had to believe in Tytus' own thirst for power should the worst-case scenario come to play. I had to believe that my value outweighed my death... at least for now.Around me were several other people. I could see a few Elders that arrived early
"Alpha... I am here today to confess my crimes of treason."The room around me became icy cold, a deafening silence hanging as no one even dared to breathe too loudly. All of them too shocked over my words.And, among them, seeming the most shocked and hurt... my father. I hadn't told him what I'd done. In fact, we'd barely spoken the last few months since we'd had that argument about Thea. Not because I was still angry at him, Goddess knew I was in the wrong there, but because I was ashamed. I'd tried to force him into doing something that jeopardised not only his safety, but my mother's also. Even in grieving, it was stupid.Tytus looked me up and down, the only person who hadn't been affected by my sudden announcement. Knowing him, his mind was already thinking of ways to turn whatever I was about to say into something that could benefit him."...Elaborate," was all he said.Strong. I needed to be strong."I...," I started, my vo
In the past timeline, I was sixteen when I first realised I had feelings for Aleric, eighteen when I knew I was in love with him.All my life I'd grown up believing that he would be mine one day, hoping I would make him proud. I was groomed, controlled, and moulded to become the perfect Luna from the moment I was born.I remembered my first shift, how it felt once I saw him with the mate bond connecting us. It was like the air around him shimmered, beckoning me forward, demanding that I gravitate around him. If I focused enough, I could even still recall how his skin felt on mine; like tiny sparks of pleasure wherever it touched. So strong, an incredible leader, and capable of feats in battle no one else had accomplished. Those were the good memories of Aleric I'd buried.So why was my mind surfacing this now? Maybe I was trying to justify to myself that at one point in my life I'd wanted this. That the old Aria would have revelled in this moment. To wear an Alp