“She won’t,” I insist, already moving. “This is our chance to figure out who she is.” Mia stands, clearly on board. Lily groans but follows anyway, muttering something about how this is how people die in horror movies. I take a deep breath and step out of the cafeteria, my heart pounding in my che
Aria “So, what are we gonna do about this?” Mia glares at the box sitting like some cursed artifact in the trash can. I cross my arms, scowling at the damn thing. “I don’t know, but whoever’s doing this is seriously grinding my nerves.” I glance at the boutique behind us. “We were outside, then we
She’s right…Vanessa’s got her own mess to deal with. No way she’s behind the box. But still… “Are you still here?”Vanessa groans, snapping me out of it. “Just fucking—” She pauses, sniffing the air dramatically like a fucking dog. Her eyes narrow. “You’ve been marked, haven’t you? Alpha Lucas?” Th
Aria I’m standing there, staring at Lucas like an absolute idiot. My brain? Completely fried. I swear, I couldn’t string together a coherent thought even if my life depended on it. And trust me, it kinda did. Mia swoops in, bless her meddling little heart, all smiles as she plucks the box from my
“Eat.” He points at my plate like he’s scolding a toddler. “You’re not leaving until that salad is gone.” “Yes, sir,” I mutter, stabbing at the salad with my fork. His smirk tells me he caught the sarcasm, but he doesn’t call me out on it. I pick up my fork, feeling his eyes on me. No pressure or
Aria I'm staring at Lucas like he’s just asked me to calculate Pi to the thousandth decimal. Lost for words doesn’t even cover it. What the actual fuck is Serena’s deal? Seriously, who wakes up and decides to ruin someone else’s life for fun? I’m still processing when Lucas gives me that look…the
Aria “Now squat.” I glare at him over my shoulder. “You just want a fucking view of my ass.” He grins, completely unapologetic. “And? Get to it.” Laughing despite myself, I do as he says. “Happy now?” “Very. The view’s incredible.” My legs are shaking like fucking jelly. Is this training or s
Aria “Why the fuck did you keep this away from me?” Lucas asks, his voice sharp and cutting. His glare is practically stabbing holes in me. “Aria, that person literally threatened your fucking life. How could you not tell me?” I sigh, dragging a hand through my hair like it might somehow calm the
Twigs snap under our boots as we push forward, shoving past overgrown bushes and whatever the hell else is in our way. The deeper we go, the heavier the air feels, thick with damp earth. Why the hell would Lucas come here? The more I think about it, the more uneasy I get. What if this is a fucking t
Mark and I finally find the so-called sea, and surprisingly, it doesn’t even take that long. We just use G****e Maps in the car, and boom…Carlson River. Guess the witch wasn’t totally full of shit. But now, as we sit in the car, I can feel my heart pounding so hard it might just crack a rib. My han
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