Aria's POVI could tell that my words cut deep into him because his face fell. I ignored the pain in his eyes as I turned to leave, too furious to care.“Aria,” he called softly, but I was too angry to respond. I stormed out of his office with clenched fists and tears running down my face.Shawn was waiting by the door with a nervous look on his face. His eyes widened slightly in relief when he saw me, but he winced when he saw my face. I furiously wiped the tears off my face, and walked off. He followed me back in silence.On my way back to the room, several thoughts raced through my mind. Was this the end? Should I start preparing to leave?Immediately I got back, I waved Shawn goodbye and closed the door, ignoring his look of pity.The moment the door closed, I dropped to my knees with a heavy sigh, and held my head with my hands. I couldn't cry anymore, maybe because my tears were finished. Knox's indifference was very hurtful, but I felt like I had gone far by comparing him with
Aria's POVHis body was tense as he moved to walk away. My chest tightened.“Please,” I called out softly, my voice cracking in exhaustion. He froze, but didn’t turn around.I sat up on the bed, and ran my fingers through my hair in frustration.“I’m tired, Knox.” I whispered with pain in my voice. “This… this isn’t what I thought it would be. I thought—” I paused to steady myself, I was done crying. “This is not… this is not what I signed up for. I left everything behind, and for what?”He stood silently like a statue.“I prefer my old life to this, Knox.” My voice said bitterly. “At least there, I knew where I stood. I knew who I was.”I took a deep breath. “I want to go back,” I said firmly. “I want to go back to the Gray Moon pack.”He tensed, and I could hear a sharp intake of breath, but still, he didn’t turn. He didn’t argue. He didn’t even flinch. It was as if my words meant nothing. My heart broke, I've been fooling myself all this while.“Look me in the eyes,” I whispered, a
Aria's POVHe opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off.“That day with Liam—was I scared? Yes, of course I was scared. I had never seen you like that before. The way you ruthlessly beat him up… it was something else.”Knox flinched and he clenched his jaw. “Aria, I—”“I’m not done,” I interrupted, stepping closer. “But he deserved it. He was going to attack me. He kept pushing you, taunting you. So yes, I was scared, but it changed nothing between us. I still want you, Knox.” My voice was firm, but my hands trembled.He stood up, shaking his head over and over. “You don’t get it, Aria. Haven’t you seen how everyone looks at me? My own Gamma is terrified of me. This isn’t about Liam or whether he deserved it. This is about me. What I am!”“I don’t care, Knox!” I snapped, my voice rising. “I want you.”“You shouldn’t want me!” he barked, “Not with what I am. Not with what I’ve done.”I clenched my fists in frustration. Knox was just going in circles, repeating the same vague
Aria's POVWe stood there in each other's arms for some time.“You’re going to regret this,” he whispered into my hair.“Maybe,” I replied, tightening my arms around him. “But it’s my regret to make.”Knox didn’t say anything else, but he also tightened his arms around me.“I have missed you,” he murmured softly.I hummed in contentment. “Me too.”Finally, we pulled away from each other. He searched my eyes, probably looking to see if I was doubting my decision in any way.“So, what next?” He asked with a small smile.I shrugged and sat on the edge of bed. He left the chair he was sitting on previously, and sat beside me on the bed.“I have a lot of questions, actually,” I confessed.He winced slightly, but he nodded in understanding. “Yeah, I know.”I furrowed my eyebrows in curiosity. “How did you get cursed? And what type of curse is it?” I inquired.An unreadable expression crossed his face, and he released a deep breath.“I did a horrible thing,” he started. I opened my mouth to
Aria's POVI was going to be introduced to Knox's pack as the Luna Queen. My heart pounded, and cold sweat dripped down my spine as I imagined standing in front of the crowd. An omega without a last name, claiming the title of the Luna Queen.My mind flashed back to the sneer on his Beta's face, and the depreciating look on the Beta sister's face. How would the rest of the pack react?I winced as I remembered how I had been pounding on Knox's office door yesterday, drawing attention to myself.“Aria?” Knox's concerned voice pulled me back into reality. It looked like he had been calling me for a while.I blinked, and turned to him with a smile that didn't reach my eyes.He furrowed his eyebrows and approached me looking worried.“Are you okay? You look… pale.”I nodded and gave him a small smile. “Yeah… yeah… I'm fine.” I tried to assure him. I didn't want him to worry.He wasn't convinced. He placed his hands gently on my shoulders.“Are you sure?” He asked softly, his gray eyes peer
Aria's POVI felt something break in me at Shawn's words. “How do you know that I can do it?” I whispered, hating how exposed and vulnerable I sounded.Shawn smiled genuinely. “Because I can see a quiet strength in you. You were previously the mate of an alpha, now you're the mate of the alpha king himself. The moon goddess must have seen some qualities in you that qualify you to be a Luna.”His words left me speechless, and I blinked rapidly to fight the tears that wanted to fall. It wasn’t just what he said, but how he said it—with such conviction and belief.“At first, I was scared for you, but when I saw how you courageously confronted the Alpha King yesterday, insisting on what you wanted, I knew that the moon goddess did not make a mistake. Nobody could ever dare that with him, but you did it so easily.”The image of Astrid leaving Knox's office flashed through my mind, but I ignored it.He shrugged. “That's why I know that you can handle it.”“Thank you, Shawn,” I said quietly,
Aria's POVAs Shawn led me through the hallways, I could feel the eyes of the passing pack members on me. However, I ignored it and kept my head high. I didn’t feel confident inside, but I was going to fake it till I became confident.A sense of déjà-vu washed over me as I remembered how Shawn had led me to be introduced as Knox’s mate at the Gray Moon pack. Shawn led me to Knox’s office. He opened the door, and led me inside. However, Knox wasn’t inside.I turned to Shawn. “Where is Knox?” I asked.“He wanted you to wait for him here. He will be here shortly. Please make yourself comfortable,” he replied, leading me to sit on a chair in front of Knox’s table, then he excused himself.As I waited, I glanced around the office space. The last time I was in the office, I was too pissed to notice anything in the office.Knox’s office was very large, with a high ceiling and large windows. There was a massive desk in the center, and there were shelves filled with books and scrolls around th
Aria's POVWe walked to the grand hall in comfortable silence. The hallways were empty.“Everyone is in the grand hall.” Knox informed me as we walked.I nodded in acknowledgment.With Knox beside me, my confidence grew a thousand-fold. I felt like I was ready to face them all.I lost count of the various turns we took before we got to the front of a large double door—the door to the grand hall. Two highly muscled male werewolves stood at each side of the door. They were identical twins, and looked like mirror images of the other. They were even putting on matching tuxedos.“Alpha, Luna” they both greeted in unison, bowing slightly.Knox nodded. “Zane, Zander,” he replied, while I just nodded to them with a small smile.As they turned to open the large doors of the grand hall, Knox lifted his hand, and they paused.He turned to me with a soft smile. “You are going to be great.” He assured me.My heart warmed at his words, and I smiled in reply.He reached into his pocket, and pulled o
Aria's POVI woke up in the pack clinic with a soft ringing in my ears, and, as usual, aching muscles.I released a soft groan as I shakily tried to sit up on the bed.“Woah, woah. Easy there.” Shawn's voice called, as he immediately rushed to my side to support me.“What happened?” I groaned, squinting my eyes because of the harshness of the light in the room.“You passed out.” Shawn replied.“Gave us quite a scare.” Lisa, Shawn's mate, added.I glanced to my side to see Lisa entering the room.“When did I pass out?” I asked, furrowing my eyebrows. “The last thing I remember was…” I trailed off as I remembered what had happened yesterday.“Oh,” I mumbled softly as I was reminded of the ache in my chest.“What happened out there? Was Hunter working you too hard?” Shawn asked with concern in his eyes.“That cold-hearted asshole.” Lisa cursed under her breath.I shook my head absentmindedly, “No. Did Knox come by?” I asked, glancing behind them.Shawn's eyes softened with sympathy. “No,
Aria's POVKnox did not return home that night. I knew that because I stayed awake almost all night waiting for him.When it was 5:30am, I groggily stood up from the bed to prepare for the training session with Hunter. Yesterday's training felt so long ago, like it had happened weeks ago, and not yesterday.I reluctantly made my way to the bathroom. I cringed internally when I saw how awful I looked in the mirror. My blonde hair was disheveled, and my eyes were red and swollen from crying.I washed my face, and tried to make myself look less like a mess—there was no use giving Hunter something to insult.Honestly, I didn't want to go to training, but the more I stayed cooped up in the room, the more I was going crazy—and the dark voice had been strangely silent.I needed something to distract me, and training might be just what I needed.Fortunately, I made it to the training area without getting lost.“You're late,” Hunter said coldly, without glancing at me. Just like yesterday, he
Aria’s POVAs Knox walked in, my heart raced, and my palms became clammy. Immediately he saw me, his eyes lighted up.“Hello, my little angel.” He greeted me, placing a kiss on my lips.“Hey,” I replied, trying to keep my voice steady.“So, how was it?” Knox asked, sitting beside me on the bed.My heart raced, and my eyes widened slightly. “How was what?” I asked, wondering what he was asking about.Knox gave me an odd look. “Your visit to the pack’s clinic? To work there?” he replied, looking at me strangely. “Are you alright?”I nodded. “Yes, I’m fine.”“Are you sure?” he asked again with concern in his voice, “You look pale.”I nodded again. “Yes, I’m fine. Just a little tired. The visit to the pack clinic was... interesting. I spoke to the Head Healer, Healer Felicia, and she’ll get back to me tomorrow.” I informed him.Knox frowned with displeasure on his face, “Why is she waiting till tomorrow?” he asked.I placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Knox, you know that I have no
Aria’s POV“So you slammed her head on the table?” Shawn questioned with wide eyes.I shrugged in response as we turned a corner, and Shawn released a loud bark of laughter.“I cannot believe it!” He exclaimed. “Our very own Luna showed them who's boss!”A small smile crossed my lips at his words. “Come on, Shawn. It’s not a huge deal. She was being awful, and I couldn’t just stand there and do nothing.”Shawn gaped at me. “Have you even heard what the pack members are saying about you?”I gave Shawn a sideways glance. “I really hope it’s something good,” I said, half-joking.“Hell yeah it’s good! They’re calling you a hero, a true Luna, who will not stand by and let things go wrongly for any reason, even though you were previously just an omega. This pack is so happy that you’re here, Luna.” Shawn said with a serious look.I paused for a moment with an uncertain look on my face. “But, I didn’t do anything, Shawn. Why are they making it sound like I did something so huge?”Shawn gave
Aria's POVAs I walked down the hallway, I felt eyes watching me. The sensation got so great that I subtly glanced around as I walked to confirm.Sure enough, some healers and some patients were staring at me as I walked out of Healer Felicia's office. It wasn’t the type of unpleasant stares that I normally got. No, for some reason, this one felt different. Just as I was wondering about it, a voice called me from behind.“Luna!” the voice called, and I turned back. It was the man whose pregnant mate had been in pain that Melissa had treated awfully.I gave him a small smile, but my smile immediately faded when I saw tears running down his face as he approached. I instantly feared the worst.“Hey,” I said softly “How is she doing?” I asked, praying that it hadn't been too late.“Oh, Luna!” He cried in reply, falling down to his knees before me.I immediately dropped to my own knees to console him. I couldn't imagine the pain he was feeling at that moment about losing his mate.“I'm so
Aria’s POVFor a moment, silence filled the room. Cornelius’s confident smirk faltered slightly, but his smirk widened again, and he scoffed.“I won’t dare you to do anything, Aria, because I don’t want you to disgrace yourself.” He started, “Because it’s pretty obvious to everyone where you stand with Alpha Blackwood.” He sneered.I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. What was he talking about? Then he smirked. “He hasn’t marked you as his yet, Aria.” He taunted me.His words felt like a blow to me, but I refused to let him see that. I folded my arms, lifting an eyebrow at him.“That’s none of your business,” I replied, keeping my voice steady even though sadness swept over me. “Knox’s decisions are none of your concern, Cornelius.”His smirk deepened. “Oh, but they are, little Luna. They are the concern of the whole pack. This pack needs a real Luna. And without that mark, you’re just....temporary.”Blood rushed to my ears as his words, and I took a deep breath to steady my voice.“H
Aria’s POVSo, let’s go back to business. I heard you were here to see me. What is the matter? Are you here for a medical matter? A check-up?” she asked with a small smile.I shook my head, returning her smile as I tried to shake off my earlier feeling of unworthiness. “No, nothing medical. I’m not here for a check-up either.” I replied.“Oh,” she said with an odd expression on her face. “Then what are you here for?”“I want to help out in the pack’s clinic.” I replied, watching her face carefully as I spoke.She lifted an eyebrow at me skeptically, “Oh, so you want to help out here?”I nodded. “Yes, Honestly, I don’t want to sit idle every day, doing nothing.”When Felicia opened her mouth to say something, I cut her off before she could protest.“I know I don’t have any medical training or experience, so I’m not going to try helping out in those areas.”Felicia was looking torn. She didn’t know what to do. Everyone in the clinic had medical training, no matter how little, even Melis
Aria's POVI followed Healer Felicia into her office, my mind racing as my encounter with Melissa replayed in my mind. I couldn't believe that I had actually slammed her head on the counter. It had to be the most bizarre thing I had ever done in my life.I gave Healer Felicia a slightly suspicious look as I followed her. What was she going to say to me? Was she part of the group of people that didn’t want an omega as a Luna?She opened the door to her office, and walked in, going to stand behind the large desk in the office.“Look, Healer Felicia, I don’t regret what I did to–” I started, because I didn’t want to waste my time with anyone who wasn’t worth it.“Luna, please take a seat.” Hunter Felicia said softly, interrupting me, still standing behind her desk.Her tone was soft. Even though she had interrupted me, her tone didn’t sound disrespectful in any way, and she had called me, Luna. I furrowed my eyebrows slightly, as I lowered myself to one of the chairs in front of the desk
Aria's POVThe man’s shoulders slumped in defeat, and he released a sigh, and led his mate back to the waiting area.I watched the two of them for a moment with anger simmering within me. I didn’t want to cause a scene, but I couldn’t sit by and see injustice. I stepped forward, ready to face the receptionist myself. I glanced at the name tag on her chest. Melissa.She glanced up, and annoyance flickered through her face. “What do you want?” she asked flatly with impatience in her voice.I straightened my posture, keeping my voice calm. “I’m here to see the head healer.” I stated.Melissa sneered at me with disdain. “And who the fuck do you think you are to waltz in and demand to see the head healer?” She spat.I maintained eye contact, watching her with a calm expression on my face. “Tell her Aria, Luna Aria is here to see her.” I replied calmly.Her sneer faltered slightly, but her expression didn’t change. Instead, she smirked. “Luna Aria?” she repeated with a mocking sneer.I igno