[Ayla’s POV]I look up at Marah’s balcony, wondering whether or not I should climb up. I can hear the sounds of her and Jayden going at it like rabbits, but the clawing in my chest pushes me to take my chances.Rushing to the side of her house, I begin to climb and then hoist myself over the balcony
Although, Marah and I had formed a close bond, we still had to be secretive about our friendship, and now that Aera knew about it, things were about to get complicated."Why are you here?" I continue, not letting myself begin to spiral over what would happen once he revealed this to the others. "Did
[Ayla’s POV]I stare at Aera in disbelief, trying to make sense of what he’s getting at. What the hell did he mean by saying he was going to ask Uncle Silas for me? Did he think I was some object that could be obtained that easily? And why the fuck wasn’t he turning me into the council of elders?"W
"NO FUCKING WAY!" Uncle Silas roars, attempting to jump up but stopping as Aunt Lennox grabs him. "DO YOU THINK I’M GOING TO JUST LET HER GO WITH YOU LIKE THAT?""I know that I’m asking a lot," Aera sighs, remaining calm despite Uncle Silas’ outburst. "But as an alpha and a leader, I need time to ge
[Ayla's POV]I stare out the window of Aera's car trying to fight the urge to ask him exactly what is going through his head.Since leaving Crimson Tides, neither of us had spoken, which would have been fine, but there were so many unasked questions hovering around us that it was about to drive me i
[Ayla's POV]I pull out my phone, which Aera had so generously allowed me to keep since the cell service around Caelum was jammed around the premises, and search up some music. Once a song that has recently been popular begins to play, I begin to sing along.However, before I can get too far into re
I grew up with people doubting me and thinking of me as the enemy, so this wasn’t anything new for me. And honestly, even though I wasn’t a fan of the fact that I was going to be locked away for goddess knew how long, in the end I felt that maybe it would be for the best, especially since my darknes
[Aera's POV]Ayla's words haunt me as I leave her and head back to Caelum's packhouse. I don't understand why, but they leave a bad taste in my mouth and leave me on edge as I head upstairs for my nightly visit with Alphonze.When I find him, he is sitting in front of the window, staring down at the
Nodding, I take a deep breath and rush to Ayla’s side while Gwen begins the operation, and after a few minutes have passed, I hear a shriek fill the air before she is lifting a tiny creature into the air and handing it over to Brian to clean while she cuts the bloody cord attached.Once she is finis
[Aera’s POV]9 months Late"Mmm, Aera, right there."Ayla’s voice echoes around me, spurring my movements even more. Knowing she was enjoying what I was doing to her was all the encouragement I needed."Ah!" she gasps, leaning more into the chair in front of her. "Not so hard."Chuckling, I lean for
When I reach my parents, their faces fill with relief, and I feel my heart squeeze. Even though they hadn’t spoken a word about everything that happened, I was sure that they were now expecting me to snap at any given second. I still had a lot of making up to do in order to gain everyone’s trust an
[Celia’s POV] I stare up into Alphonze’s dark, unreadable eyes while trying to figure out exactly what I was feeling. Was I just caught by surprise because he suddenly appeared, and that was why I suddenly felt jittery and my heart was racing? Right, that had to be it; there couldn’t be anything e
This had been proof to me that we were intended to be together since we didn’t meet just once by chance but twice.After that, I approached her and began to woo her since I couldn’t stand the thought of losing her. It was a love that I never imagined could exist, let alone for me, but she made me so
[Alphonze’s POV]I stand to the side, watching as everyone present for the evening enjoys themselves, laughing, dancing, and being merry. It had been a while since I had attended something like this, so it was taking a bit to get used to it again.The last time I came to a full moon ball was when I
"It seems that your date for this evening has arrived," Alphonze announces, clapping me on the shoulder. "I wouldn’t distract you any longer."Nodding, I give him a look and don’t miss the sorrow that flashes in his eyes as he looks from Ayla to me."Hold on as tight as you can because you never kno
[Aera's POV]Soft music drifts toward me as I stand to the side of the large ballroom, waiting for my date to arrive.Despite all the chaos that had been happening in our world, Silas and Alphonze insisted that we have a small, intimate gathering for the full moon as a way to relax and unwind after
[Ayla's POV]The next day, I sit in the passenger seat of Aera's car, staring at Crimsone Tides Estate while fighting the urge to run away. When I entered that building, I'd be making the toughest decision of my life, and I wasn't exactly sure if I was ready.Beside me, Aera remains silent while hol