Mia sighs, fluffing the covers for me. "Aria, are you sure you don’t like Alpha Lucas?" I glare at her. "I don’t. It’s just the stupid mate bond making me act this way." "Alright," she says, clearly not convinced. "We’ll see you later." The second Mia and Lily leave, I lose it. Tears pour out of
Mia “So that’s what happened,” Theo says thoughtfully. “Poor Aria.” “We’ll tell her the truth,” Lily sighs. “She’ll be alright.” “Is there even a point, though?” Damon chimes in, leaning back casually. “Maybe they’re just not meant to be together.” Everyone glares at him, but honestly? The
Aria I’ve been lying in bed for what feels like a century trying to sleep. But it’s not happening. My brain’s doing the Olympics of overthinking, and the main event is Lucas the Jerk. The fact that he didn’t even bother to check on me? Yeah, that stings more than I care to admit. I’m mid-sulk whe
“Yeah, okay,” I scoff. “I’ve known you guys forever. You can’t hide anything from me.” "Fine," Mia sighs, defeated. “We saw them, but they didn’t say anything. Honestly, Aria, just forget that bastard.” I swallow hard, nodding even though my chest feels like it’s caving in. “It’s fine.” Mia hops
Lucas So, there I am, sprawled out on this lumpy-ass couch in the cabin, trying to relax, but my brain? Oh, no. It’s staging a full-blown coup. My eyes keep drifting over to the door like Aria’s just gonna waltz in, looking all pissed and gorgeous with those soft green eyes of hers. Man, the way s
I still can’t believe Sarita’s on this damn cruise ship. She just showed up out of nowhere this morning, waltzing into my cabin while I was chatting with Damon and Theo. "Anyways, Kevin works for the company that built this ship, so sneaking on without Dad or Beta John knowing was easy," she adds.
Aria I’ve been pacing this damn room ever since Sarita left, and honestly? I can’t decide if I’m going to the party or not. But urge to go is so fucking strong. Then there’s a knock on the door. Great. More distractions. I yank it open, and in stroll Mia and Lily, laughing like they’re fresh off
And Lucas? That asshole hasn’t even bothered to check on me. His sister came, and still nothing. Not even a crumb of effort. I stay on the floor, crying until my head feels like it’s going to split open. Finally, I drag myself to the bathroom. Maybe a hot shower will wash away this mess in my head.
I groan. "Beta John? He’ll tell Alpha Marcus." "He won’t," Theo argues. "Alpha Marcus is weak right now. I doubt he’d risk stressing him out. But we need to let them know, Damon. Do you realize what this means?" I run a hand through my hair. "I don’t know, man. Lucas is crazy, yeah, but he wouldn’
Damon We make our way over to where this Joel guy is sitting, but he acts like we don’t even exist…just keeps drinking his beer and puffing on his pipe like he’s got all the time in the fucking world. Theo and I exchange a look before I let out a deep breath and face him. "Hey, can we have a word
"What's the matter? We gotta keep looking," I say, frustration boiling over. "You're not even in the right frame of mind," he points out. "Believe me, I am. So don't fucking worry about me. Let's go." "You're not okay, Damon. You just fought with your mate. Of course, you're going crazy," Theo si
Aria I can't believe I let Mark drag me into his fucking car. Like, seriously, how did I end up here? He’s literally the reason I’m in this mess. My friends are pissed at me because I still talk to him, Lucas is missing, and now I’m soaking wet, sitting in his car, and questioning every life decis
Mia I’m fucking pissed. At Aria, at myself for being too pissed at Aria, at our friends for coming down too hard on her, and at Lucas for disappearing like a damn ghost. "Lily, don’t," Damon says, stopping her before she can go after Aria. "Let her be. Until she’s ready to cooperate, she can sta
I hesitate. "He… he said he felt it." Theo lets out a sharp laugh. "And you actually believe that crap?" Damon scoffs, pacing in frustration. "I’d bet my damn life he planned that whole thing." "You guys need to chill. Mark isn’t the enemy here," I argue, trying to keep my voice steady. I know
Aria I can’t believe this shit. Lucas is fucking missing, and I have no idea where the hell he is. I’ve tried to reach him through the mind-link at least a hundred times, but every single time, I get the same thing…nothing. Just silence. A big fat fuck you from the universe. Mia, Lily, and I ha
And that? That makes me nervous. I push back from the table, suddenly needing distance. "I’m going to bed." Mark watches me as I grab my plate and take it to the sink. He doesn’t stop me, doesn’t say anything else. But I can still feel his eyes on me, burning into my skin like a damn brand.
Mark shrugs, already dragging my bag inside like the conversation is over. "They have their ways. You need to be more careful." I follow him, still not entirely convinced. Something about all of this feels… off. And something about him feels even more off. There’s a mystery there, just beneath the