[Aera's POV]I pull up a chair beside Ayla and begin to get comfortable while Olga watches me. Her eyes all but scream that she thinks I don't trust her, and she would be right. I didn't trust her, nor did I trust Barren. If anything so much as came across as weird to me, I was going to grab Ayla an
"What... did… you?" I manage as pain shoots through my stomach. "Do?""You'll thank me for this in the future," he says, pulling out the small dagger that he manages to stab into me. "I've already got my men cleaning up the mess you and Barren Holding made and any evidence that you had any sort of r
[Ayla's POV] My mind whirls as Hubert's words slam into me like a ton of bricks. They echo around the empty void that is my mind as I try to process whether they're true or not. Despite one part of me wanting to believe they weren't, another believed they were, and in the end, I couldn't stop their
[Aera's POV] "What did you just say?" I stare at Benny, waiting, as he looks from me to Corinna and then back. "I just got word," he continues, seeming genuinely uncomfortable. "Your father is dead." At his words, I feel my heart drop, and many different scenes begin to play in my head, but inst
[Ayla’s POV]I stare down at the raging river below me as my feet dangle in the air. How many times have I thrown myself into that damned river to try to wake up, only to find myself back in this place? Again and again, it continued to happen, making it more and more clear that I wouldn't be able to
[Ayla's POV]Fire envelopes me, attempting to lick at my skin but not doing any damage. However, even if the fire wasn't a real threat, the large beast towering over Alphonze was."No, you don't!" I hiss, lifting my arm, so a flame thrower appears. "Don't you fucking touch him!"A scream of rage esc
"Chop chop!" He growls, slamming his hand on the desk. "Where the fuck is he?""He…" she begins, eyeing me warily. "Isn't allowed.""I'm not what?" I hiss, moving forward and joining Silas. "Do you want to try to repeat that?"I didn't give a damn if this was what my father instructed; no one was go
[Aera’s POV]"Well?"Barren’s face is calm as he stares me down. It’s clear that he is already convinced that I will agree to his terms since he is the only one who can find Ayla since she has gone missing."Listen here," Silas snaps, shooting a glare toward Barren. "I don’t think you’re truly in an
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