“Aria… calm down,” he says, but his voice is soft, like he doesn’t even believe his own words. “No. I’m sorry,” I mumble against his shoulder, still crying. “I shouldn’t have…” He wraps his arms around my waist and gently pulls me down to sit on the couch with him. The second I sit, he starts rubb
Aria I can’t stop pacing like a damn lunatic down this hallway. Maria's in there right now, doing her best to bring Lucas back to consciousness, and I’m out here losing my damn mind. Like, legit on the verge of biting my nails down to the bone, and I don’t even bite my nails. After he collapsed,
Sarita’s voice pulls me out of the spiral. “The only reason he didn’t relapse after you left is because he couldn’t afford to. Taking wolfsbane meant he’d lose his sense of smell. And that would’ve made it impossible for him to find you. He didn’t want to risk that.” And just like that, my heart sh
Damon This is not happening. Nope. My ears must be broken or something. Because there's no fucking way Mia just said what I think she said. And those eyes…goddess, the way she looked at me, like I stabbed her in the damn heart. Pain, anger, betrayal…basically the whole package, all wrapped up in o
She storms off, hair whipping behind her. Lily gives me a long, pitying glance before trailing after her. I’m just standing there like I’ve been hit by a damn freight train. I’ve seen Aria mad before, back on the cruise ship when Lucas pulled his usual bullshit, but this? This was next level. “Yo
“Someone’s losing it.” a smartass voice from behind says. I spin around quickly. And there he is. Fucking Mark. Sitting on the ground with his back against the wall, looking smug as shit. “You…how long have you been here?” I ask, blinking at him. “I didn’t hide. You were just too busy talking to
Aria “Aria, take it easy, please. You're losing your damn mind,” Lily says, sitting right beside me, trying to play therapist. But nope. It’s not helping. Not even a little. My brain’s on overdrive, spiraling like a damn hurricane, and I just can’t stop blaming myself for everything that went dow
“Aria, it’s okay… I’m okay,” Lucas whispers, rubbing my back so gently like he’s afraid I’ll break. “Please… it’s not your fault.” But I can't stop crying. “It is my fault. I’m so sorry, Lucas,” I sob, barely able to get the words out. Before he can say anything else, I hear someone behind us. “L
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
He pauses for a second, like he’s trying to find the right thing to say, but then he just nods. "I get it... I understand." I watch his face closely, trying to read him. "I’m thinking tomorrow," I add, my voice soft but sure. I wait for his reaction, but he’s holding it together better than I expec
Aria "So you're telling me the man just disappeared? Like, poof, gone?" Mia’s eyes are still wide as hell, looking all sorts of shocked, even though this is like the tenth time she’s asked. "For the last damn time, Mia, that’s what they said," Lily mutters, rolling her eyes, but Mia still looks