Arya“You?” I stammer.Arthur shrugs. “Yes, me. Do we have any problem with that?”I do. That’s the truth. I have all sorts of issues with this arrangement, but what can I do? Complain to the King and Queen who are in a meeting right now? Would they even listen to me? Because it really seems that they like Arthur and they think he’s all that.I don’t answer. I just fold my arms over my chest as we stand face to face. For some reason, he doesn’t look teasing right now. There’s a certain tension in the air and I can see it in the way the muscles in his shoulders shift under his shirt.“Are you alright?” I ask.He brushes me off. “Let’s just go.”With that, some of the servants open the door for us and he leads me away, but then he stops when he sees a man standing beside a car in front of the palace.“Your Grace.” Arthur bows. “What are you doing here?”“Just making sure that you are doing what the King and Queen wants you to do.” The man looks at me and suddenly I’m struck with how muc
AryaI look into Arthur’s eyes and I’m struck by one thing. Genuine care.He looks like he means what he said, like he really will be there if something bad happens to me. That makes my throat loosen up, my heart returning to its normal rate slowly.“You mean that?” I ask in a vulnerable voice. “But I. . . .”“I mean it.” He lets me go and steps away from me to give me space. “Are you feeling better? Can you breathe?”“Yes,” I say, but my voice still sounds low. I look around me and realize that we are in some sort of a garden. There’s a group of tall white buildings looming beyond us. “Is that the academy?”“Yeah, but we don’t have to go there now,” he offers. “You still have so much time to discover all of that and you don’t need to do it now. We can just stay here and look around until you’re all good.”“Are you sure?”“Of course.” He smiles at me, and I feel something flutter in my chest. “I know this area too, though. And I can show you my favorite spot. Come with me.”I look at
AryaThe ride back home is quiet. At some point, I fall asleep as Arthur continues to drive. I woke up just in time to see that we were back in the palace and that the sky was starting to darken.“I’ll drop you off here,” he says. “Have a great evening, Miss Arya.”“Drop the Miss,” I tell him, flashing him a smile. “Have a great night, Arthur.”The sound of his name feels nice to say, and that makes him smile too. With a final little wave, he drives away and I watch him disappear before I run back to our quarters.The maidens tell me that the King and Queen are still occupied with the meeting, so I eat dinner alone and spend the rest of my night in my room, watching the stars from the window and eventually falling asleep.When I wake up, it’s already morning.And I surprise myself by feeling so ready and so energized to have another lesson with Arthur.I take a shower and get dressed in my usual workout clothes. I run down the stairs and head to the kitchens, where I see Queen Helena
Arya“What?” I splutter. I almost drop the schedule because of shock. “Why would you leave me? Where are you going?”“I have my own classes to attend to,” Arthur says with a small laugh. “I’ll come pick you up after school, okay?”“But. . . .”I trail off as he pats my head and leaves. I no longer have anything to say. I stare at my schedule and find that I have six classes containing the basics. I’m actually excited to learn and to participate, but this whole thing is making me nervous.I turn around and almost leave the office when a girl’s voice suddenly speaks behind me.“Hey! You’re the new girl, right? Arya Stafford?”The sound of a different last name makes me frown, but I turn around anyway. I look at my schedule again and see that my last name is indeed Stafford. I don’t know why I’m expecting it to be different. Maybe it’s because I had a different last name in my old life? But actually, I’m quite glad to see and hear the change.“Yeah, that’s me.” I smile at the blonde gir
LeviDays pass. Then weeks.Being declared the Alpha has always been my dream since I was young, but now it's turning into some kind of a nightmare that I can't seem to escape.I've been trained all my life for this. I know how the pack works. I know the financial side of things. I know how to protect our borders and to schedule things that the pack needs in order to survive as a group. I know our people's history and I know how to pass on traditions when I finally have to, but everything just seems colorless right now.My days are now the same. Paperwork, patrolling, more training, and then even more paperwork and inspections at night.I can't deal with this anymore. I need a break.I know that the possibility of me getting burnt out by the time the year ends is high, but I know I can't stop. I know I should prove to my dad that he made the right decision to pass the title over to me with everything going on.And by everything, I mean Arya's disappearance.No one found her yet. No on
Levi“It’s finally happening!” Theo cheers. He looks back at the girl and beckons her to come to him. She smiles and obeys. “I’m so lucky. . . .”I know that he’s just happy and everything he is saying right now is far from personal, but what I really don’t like is the fact that it has to happen right in front of me.I wave off Daniel as he starts to say something. “I’ll be waiting in the car.”I leave without waiting for anyone’s reply, entering the car and closing the door behind me. I want to rest my head and just close my eyes to forget everything, but of course, it doesn’t take long for Daniel and Theo to come running right back.And they brought the girl with them.She’s in the backseat with Theo, and they look so happy absorbed in their own little world. Something about it makes me feel very strange, but then again, everything makes me feel so strange these days.“Her name is Abby,” Daniel tells me with a little smile.I can tell that he’s genuinely happy for Theo, and so am I.
AryaA whole month passes.I find myself in whirlwind of emotions and events, all centered in the premises of the Red Star Academy.It’s a dream come true. All of it. Not just school, but my friends and my parents, everyone around me. For the first time in my life, I feel like I’m getting treated as an equal and not just some sort of weak link or a casualty, the way I’ve been treated all my life in the Shadow Moon Pack.Here, I’m respected. Loved.I have many friends at school now. Mostly everyone, actually. But of course, the main people I still go out with are Daphne, Kate, and Marie, who are the best girls I have ever met.They’re nice to me and they’re not afraid to have fun with me. They’ve been friends since they were kids but they integrated me into their group with no problem.Now I spend every moment at school with them, laughing and learning and having fun.And the only time those moments end is when Arthur has to pick me up and drive me home.I never thought I would say thi
AryaDid Arthur write this?I take a deep breath and try to relax, but so many bad things are running through my mind. Is he mad at me for some reason? Did I do something to him?I’m looking at him now and I see that he’s already seated, talking and smiling at the ones who are registering their names for his lessons.Meanwhile I have a paper here from Nancy that is saying some really ominous things.But then again, Nancy doesn’t really have the best reputation. People here think her brains have been addled. I don’t mind her because she doesn’t harm me in any way and why would I be one of the people who are making fun of her?Maybe she was just playing with me. Maybe this is her way of asking to be friends. I mean, I would never say anything bad about her, but she is pretty strange at times.I crumple the paper and slide it in my pocket, giving Arthur one last look before finally leaving the place.I head to the parking lot. I don’t know how to drive and I don’t want to mess with Arthu
LeviI tighten my hands around Lauren’s throat, feeling it pulse under my touch. There’s the level of satisfaction to that that I can’t explain.It's dark and it's something that I don't even want to acknowledge, but I would be lying if I say that it doesn't feel good.As I watch her eyes grow bigger with alarm, I feel more and more determined to end it this way. With her right under my hands, trying to fight off the force of my strength around her neck.I hate her, I realize as I try my best to finish her off and get this over with forever. She might just be an accomplice to her shitty brother, but she knows what she's doing.And if tonight is proof, I would say that she's not as innocent as she pretends to be. She's perfectly capable of making choices that would fuck other people up even more. She knows what she's doing.I still want to know so many things, like how she got to copy the scent of Arya and why she needed it anyway, when I can just tell completely that she's not my mate
LeviMy heart nearly gets stuck inside my throat. I want to scream, but I find that I can’t. The pain in my chest is still much too great for that, and I hate that I’m not even sure I’m seeing the right thing.Is Lauren really here, or am I just manifesting the stupid dreams and thinking that I am seeing her?I blink rapidly to see if she is indeed there, and to my horror, the image of her smiling in the corner doesn’t vanish. She’s walking close to the bed I’m lying on, but Gammie doesn’t even move. She doesn’t even flinch. I know for a fact that she’s a very sensible old woman who can practically feel everything, so this worries me.I look at Lauren again and see that she's getting closer and closer, and as though to confuse me further, she touches the side of Gammie's shoulder.And the woman doesn't flinch.Is Lauren real right now? Because I can hear her footsteps. I can smell her scent. I can tell that she's getting closer to me and she feels very much solid right now.Could this
LeviI was locked in a constant state of dreams and uncomfortable thoughts when they were operating on me.Part of me was conscious, but a bigger part of me just wasn’t. It was constantly floating in a state of blankness and anxiety, just a mish mash of things that shouldn’t go together. Sometimes I find myself dreaming of my parents and my childhood. Sometimes I find myself dreaming of my teenage years and my short days as an Alpha.But most of the time, I was dreaming of Arya.However, when I was about to wake up, I was dreaming of something else entirely. Something that resonated with my fear, the reason why I thought about bringing down the whole arena instead of participating in the fight that Connor and Lauren wanted to see.* * *In my dream, it was nighttime, and the lights in the arena are almost blinding me. My heart is pounding so fast that I feel like it's going to give out any moment. There are so many people around us. Too many, in my opinion. And they're all looking at
Arya“Arthur,” I mutter, his name leaving my lips like a plea as I shift around in his bed. I know perfectly well that I’m sleeping, but I also know that even in this state, Arthur is still the one in my mind. My Lycan, my mate, my love. Even though I know consciously that our relationship is in jeopardy because of his choices, I still want him, and he’s still the face I long to see in my dreams.And in my dream, I see him getting dragged away by the Rogues.“No!” I yell, but in this dream world, I’m voiceless. I’m powerless. All I can do is stand there while my mate gets clawed at by the dirty outcasts. All I can do is watch while he screams for me.“Help me, Arya!” His voice rings out in the darkness of our background. “Don’t let them take me!”He holds out his hand to reach for me. I extend my arm to get him. However, he’s already too far. He’s already too close to the mouth of the dark tunnel they’re taking him to. One of the Rogues, seeing that he has his hand outstretched, kick
AryaMy mouth goes dry at the sight of Arthur.He closes the distance between us, getting on top of me and taking both of my hands before putting them over my head.His lips are urgent on mine, intent on devouring. I can feel his hardness against my thighs. His hungry mouth travels down to my neck and on my collar bones, lower down to my breasts. When his warm mouth closes over my nipple, I almost explode. He sucks it, his tongue sweeping over it until I feel feverish. I close my eyes, not even aware that he let go of my hands until he starts to squeeze my other breast.He pulls his head away from my nipple and begins to suck the other. My hips are moving on their own. I'm so wet I can feel myself dripping on the sheets.I bury my hand in his hair, moaning loudly. But he's not done with me, cause before I knew it, his lips are traveling lower again. Until his face is between my legs. Lucien grabs my thighs and pries them apart. Then he leans forward, sweeping his tongue on my wet core
AryaLike an idiot, I turn to Arthur and ask, “About what?”He laughs softly, but the humor doesn’t reach his eyes. There’s a certain hint of sadness there, combined with another emotion that I can’t really place. Either way, seeing it in his eyes is throwing me a little off balance. I want to come with him and get to the bottom of it, but at the same time, I feel like he’s so serious that I don’t want to find out what he wants to say.“Just come with me,” he says gently. “Please?”“Well, of course,” I say, glancing back at Levi who is now sleeping soundly. “Who will be watching him? He can’t stay here alone, can he?”"I'm right here," Nancy says all of a sudden, appearing seemingly out of thin air. She wedges herself into the room and immediately comes to look at Levi, adjusting something on the IV that he's connected to. "I will be watching over him for the night. You two go talk, okay?""Thank you, Nancy," Arthur says, then he turns to me with that very same smile that doesn't reac
AryaMy heart leaps with joy. It’s something that I haven’t felt in what seems like forever, and I can feel it spreading all over me like a warm ray of sunshine. A smile appears on my face, and I look at Arthur.“He’s awake,” I whisper, and even I have to notice the sheer relief in my voice. “He’s alright. He made it. . . .”Arthur smiles at me and leans over to kiss my forehead. “I know, and I’m happy. Now go talk to him okay?”I nod, and with that I go with Nancy, who suits me up with a protective layer of clothing before we go inside.They have converted the infirmary room into a real hospital room. There are machines beeping everywhere, and there are also potions emitting sweet smelling steam somewhere in the room. There are some tools laying around, but the only thing that catches my attention is Levi lying down on the bed, his pillows fluffed up to prop him up into a sitting position.His face is pale, and his hair is slicked back over his handsome face with sweat. I can tell th
Arya“What is it?” I ask Nancy with my voice shaking immensely. I get up from my seat but I feel like the ground is lurching under my feet and I feel like I’m going to fall over if I don’t have something to cling onto. Thankfully, Arthur gets up and offers his arm to me. “What’s the problem?”Nancy hesitates, and I honestly hate how angry I became just in that moment. I want to scream at her and tell her that I am not playing games around here, that if something is up, then I must know immediately because I’ve been waiting for a long time to hear about him. Besides, the only person he has right now is me. His parents are not here and the others are back at the pack. I am the only one he has. . . .“Please,” I just say in a strained voice, looking at her and wanting to get on my knees and beg and corner her at the same time. Emotions are just running high inside my chest and I want nothing more but to know. “Please, what is happening? Is Levi okay? Will he make it?”“The truth is, I do
Arthur My blood goes cold. I swallow hard, thinking of what to say, but my mouth is completely dry and my throat is closing up. I want to assure Levi that I won’t leave him here, but he’s looking at me like he’s daring me to say those words just so he could reject them completely. So instead of talking it through with him and risking any rejection, I lift him up to his knees and very carefully start to chip away at the piece of rock lodged inside his body. Thankfully, the rock is easy to chip off, as it seems to be made of hardened mud instead of actual stone. I manage to clip it down close to his body so it won’t move or damage anything inside him. He kept groaning and screaming the entire time, and I just had to close my hearing so that I wouldn’t hear it and experience the pain of seeing him go through it. When I’m done, I take him into my arms, not caring about how weird it could look or what he has to say, and it seems that he still has a lot to say. As though to prove my poi