“Okay, okay, stop!” I laugh, feeling dizzy. “My eyes are crossing here.” “Let me help you.” He chuckles, steadying me before leading me to a nearby chair. I plop down with a sigh of relief…until the chair collapses beneath me. I hit the floor with a thud, my dignity shattering into a million piece
Aria Lucas has me slung over his shoulder like I’m some kind of sack of potatoes, and I’m flailing like a lunatic. “Let me go, you overgrown brute! Put me down!” I’m yelling, but he just keeps walking like he doesn’t hear a word I’m saying. We finally reach the game room, which is thankfully empty
I snort. “How, exactly?” “I’ll help you. We’ll train together.” That makes me laugh, my hand flying up to cover my mouth. “Train? Come on, I’m no warrior.” He smirks, leaning back confidently. “Have you forgotten I’m an alpha? I train warriors, Aria. It’s what I do.” I roll my eyes but nod reluc
Aria By the time we pull away from the kiss, my heart’s thumping so hard I swear it’s trying to break out of my chest. My whole body? Yeah, it’s officially on fire. Desire is a bitch like that. “That was… lovely,” Lucas murmurs, brushing a strand of hair out of my face smoothly. “You’re so fuckin
Before I can even process, his hands are on me, cupping my breasts and kneading them like he owns me. A loud moan escapes my lips as my body trembles under his touch. “You like that, don’t you?” His smirk is so damn cocky it should piss me off, but it only makes me want him more. “You like it when
Aria "Aria... if you're not ready—" "I'm ready," I cut him off firmly. "I mean, it's been days since we found out we're mates. Soon it's going to hurt if we don't mark each other." The second I tell Lucas I’m ready, something changes in his eyes. His gray gaze darkens, flickering with something
Aria “Come on,” he says, scooping me up bridal style. “Let’s go shower.” And let’s just say the shower is far from innocent. We end up going another round before finally cleaning up. Back in the room, wrapped in towels, I grab my ruined dress with a sigh. No way I can wear this again. A knock at
Lucas I freeze, my brain short-circuiting like someone yanked the Wi-Fi router mid-d******d. Things were going so well…Aria was smiling, laughing, trusting me. And then Serena. Fucking Serena. She just has to show up and ruin it. “Do you know her, Lucas?” Aria’s voice cuts through my mental meltd
Mia “You’re finally here,” Lily says the second Theo and Damon step into Joy Park. She’s all grins like we didn’t just spend hours waiting. “And are you sure you weren’t followed?” “We were, actually.” Theo wipes his forehead like a dramatic diva. “But we lost ’em. Shit was wild.” “You both look
…. I step out of the shower, a towel snug around my waist, water dripping from my hair. Great. Lucas has already showered, thrown on one of Sarita's mate’s clothes, and is probably waiting for me to figure out my next move. And here I am, with zero clothes of my own. Ugh. I glance at the closet are
Aria Before I know it, Lucas is on top of me, his lips crashing against mine, leaving me breathless. My hands instinctively slide up his back, nails grazing his skin as I pull him closer. His weight presses me into the mattress, and all I can think is how much I fucking missed this. “Lucas…” I ma
Aria The taxi ride is long as hell…like, long enough for me to question my entire life. But exhaustion wins, and we both end up passing out. I wake up drooling on his shoulder just as we pull up to this apartment building that looks like a bougie-ass getaway spot. It’s all glitzy and modern, with
Aria I pull up at Joy Park, practically sprinting out of the car like I’m running for a meet-and-greet with Beyoncé. The place is crawling with people, kids screaming, couples taking selfies, some dude trying to juggle flaming torches. Classic Saturday chaos. I’m on a mission, though. Mia and Lily
She shakes her head. “I can’t. Alpha Marcus will kill me!” “Maria, please,” Theo pleads, turning up the charm to 11. He grabs her hands, and I swear she melts on the spot. “We just wanna see him. Nothing else.” “Fine,” she sighs, her cheeks still red. “But you owe me.” “Anything you want,” Theo w
“Yeah, but—” “No buts. Get in. Wait for his car to go inside, then floor it. Head to Joy’s Park. Mia and Lily are waiting for you.” “What about you?” I ask, my voice shaky as hell. She slams the car door, her eyes fierce. “I’ll distract them. Now go.” I duck my head as her dad’s car pulls up. My
Aria I’m in the room, mentally spiraling, when Vanessa busts in like she’s in an action movie. She slams the door shut and glances around like she’s expecting an ambush. Then she full-on shudders. “Fuck me,” she groans, waving her hand in front of her face like she just walked into a swamp. “This
“Thanks, Dad,” I mutter, already heading for the stairs. I climb up, my stomach knotting tighter with every step. I don’t even know if they’re keeping Aria in the mansion. What if she’s in the dungeon? But no, Ethan’s gross obsession with her makes it more likely she’s stashed away in one of these