Lucas I search everywhere. Around the bathhouse, the street next to it, and the one after that. Hell, I even ask random people if they’ve seen her. Aria. My Aria. Nothing. No one has seen her. This can’t be happening. She wouldn’t leave me. Not after everything we’ve been through. I try to mind
She’s really gone. I don’t know how long I stay like that…minutes, hours? I don’t even fucking blink. At some point, exhaustion takes over, and everything fades to black. …… I’m lying on my bed, staring at the fucking wall like it holds the meaning of life, when I hear the door unlocking. Proba
Aria Finally, I pull up to the restaurant Aunt Esther works at. It's in some random suburb in New York. I push open the door and the scent of pancakes hits me. I'm starving. I look around and notice a few people scattered, minding their business, thank goddess. Aunt Esther works two part-time jobs
Aunt Esther sighs and pulls me close, hugging me tight. “It’s okay, Aria. You’re going to be fine.” “No… no. I don’t know how much longer I can take this. He’s been trying to mind-link me, and I’ve been blocking it. Even my friends… I don’t know how much my wolf can handle. It’s weakening us,” I wh
**Eight Months Later** Aria "Aria, get your ass downstairs already! You're gonna be late for your first day of college!" Aunt Esther yells from the kitchen. "I'm coming!" I shout back, rolling my eyes as I smooth my hands over my hair. With one last glance in the mirror, I nod in approval. Palaz
And just like that, she pulls me into a hug. I clutch her back, squeezing my eyes shut. "I’m sorry… so, so sorry." After a few minutes, we’re all sitting together in an empty lecture hall, still processing the absolute mindfuck that we’ve somehow ended up in the same university. "I can't believe
Aria All throughout classes today, I couldn't concentrate. My mind keeps replaying what Mia and Lily said. Apparently, they and Damon and Theo—had been just as shocked as I was when they found out Lucas was attending this university. But I know the real reason why. It’s because of me. I told him
Aria The moment the lecture ends, I practically leap out of my seat, ready to escape. But, of course, Lucas doesn’t waste a damn second…he’s already heading for the door, and, surprise surprise, she’s right there beside him. I exhale sharply. Great. Just fucking great. As we step out of the cl
“You might not know it yet, but you are special, my child. When I found out you were alive... I was elated. Full of joy. I thought you died with Martha and Kane.” “But why didn’t you do anything?” I ask, my voice tight. “Take revenge or... I don’t know. Something.” He shakes his head slowly. “I wi
Aria I’m standing there like a damn statue. My brain short-circuits. I can’t fucking move, can’t talk, can’t even blink right. Just staring at this man who apparently is Alpha Marcel... my father. My father, bro. What the actual fuck? He starts walking toward me real slow, mouth opening and closi
Aria So, Lucas slowly starts driving the car into the pack, and the people standing there just part like the damn Red Sea. The second we pass through, the gate shuts behind us with this loud-ass BOOM that nearly makes me jump out of my skin. I glance ahead and realize the only thing lighting up th
“Relax already,” he says with a soft laugh. “You’re turning into a damn yapper.” I smack his arm playfully. “I’m serious, Lucas.” “I know,” he says with a nod. “And I get you. But with Mark and me, just let it be. There’s no fixing shit there.” “He shouldn’t have brought up your mom... that wa
Aria Lucas grips the steering wheel tight, his knuckles damn near white, and lets out a deep breath. “It’s none of your fucking business.” Mark throws his head back and laughs like an idiot. A full-blown, body-shaking laugh. “Calm down, man. I was just curious. I just wanna know what she was li
Mark looks like he’s about to throw out some excuse. “No... I just feel like…” “Listen, Mark,” Before he can finish that sentence, I cut right in, already tired of their dumbass back-and-forth. “If you want, you can ride with us in Lucas' car.” “What?” Lucas snaps his head toward me, eyes wide an
Aria It’s finally morning, and Lucas and I are all set to head out. The air is calm and sharp with cold, the kind that bites through your clothes, so we both throw on our winter jackets for extra warmth. We didn’t pack much, just a school bag stuffed with a few essentials, and Lucas had said if we
“Yeah, but he already told us everything he claims to know.” “Not enough, though,” he mutters, shaking his head. “I wanna know what it looks like, the people, the way they live… all of it. I don’t trust that fucking jerk, Aria.” I glance up at him, raising a brow. “And you guys are supposed to b
Aria Aunt Esther has been staring at Lucas and me from the couch like I’ve completely lost my mind. For the past hour, she hasn’t stopped looking at us that way, ever since I barged into her apartment and told her everything that’s been going on. “I still can’t believe this,” she says for what f