“With the family gathering coming soon, you must bring Aria,” Mom continued, either not noticing or not caring about my clear discomfort. “It’s the perfect opportunity for the two of you to make up!” “I’ve had a lot on my plate lately,” I said. “But I’ll consider it.” Huffing a harsh breath, Mom
Aria’s POV The news took me a long moment to process. Long enough, it seemed, for Cathy to grow worried. “You okay, sweetheart?” Cathy asked, stepping closer to me. These past two days, I’d started having pregnancy reactions to things. As a Healer, I knew this was an inevitability, but knowing
Lucian’s POV The family gathering was taking place at my parents’ villa. I paced in their living room, back and forth across the carpet. The party was about to start, but Aria hadn’t arrived yet. Ben walked in from outside, shaking his head. Under his breath, he muttered, “Could it really be. Is
Aria’s POV I looked down at my dress, unsure what was wrong with it. Yes, it was more revealing than the conservative dresses I’d usually worn since our marriage, but I wasn’t sure that warranted a look as fierce as the one Lucian was giving me now. Did he think I was embarrassing him? Was I emb
Tonight, however, he seemed to be my shadow. When I went to the drink table to pick up some sparkling water, he came with me. When I stood near the wall on the pool deck people watching, he stayed right by my side, like a statue – or a bodyguard. “Lucian…” I started to say, though I wasn’t sure
Aria’s POV “Lucian,” Julia scolded. “You should be more considerate to Aria.” “Sheila’s presence in my home has nothing to do with Aria,” Lucian replied. My home, he’d said. Not, our home. That hurt more than it should have, especially now, after I’d left. He really mustn’t miss me at all. A
Lucian’s POV I went into the house with the full intention of getting a piece of cake for Aria. I could tell from her tone that she was annoyed with me and that I’d done little to rectify the situation. I’d thought the topic of her having a child might help resolve things, but it’d only seemed to
“Yes, Alpha,” Ben said. Sighing, I walked out of the living room and into the hallway. At the end of the hallway, near the back of the house, I entered my father’s study. A wide desk was near a set of windows. Bookcases lined the far wall. I moved to the desk and lifted the phone that was on top o
Lucian’s POVI checked my watch. It was almost 1:15 pm, so I waited for the seconds to tick by. When the time arrived, I stood from my chair and stepped out of my office and into the hallway. Per my routine, at 1:15, I stretched my legs by walking one round around the main walkway of the Alpha headq
Aria’s POVAs we sat on the airplane, the kids were both looking out the window. I thought they’d be afraid, as this was their first time up in the sky, but instead they were both ecstatic and excited, seeing this more as a fun adventure than something to fear.I was glad for it, truly. So much that
Aria’s POVWorking with Piper was like a dream. She was so incredibly talented, sure to surpass me someday, and we were very much in sync.Already this morning, we’d helped a patient deliver a healthy baby through a difficult child-birth, both mother and child were doing well. Then, we’d helped rest
Lucian’s POVFor the rest of the day, I allowed the routine to take over my actions, while I kept my thoughts very quiet. Even my wolf was silent, as if mourning in his own way.The numbness stayed wrapped around me like a cold, damp blanket. I moved through a fog, completing my work. On the outside
Aria’s POV“I can’t believe how quickly everything is moving,” Piper said. “They just signed the peace treaty yesterday, and now they are repairing the railways. I saw on the news the flight paths have shifted too. Now that they are able to fly over DuskHowl territory again, we could be home in less
To know how deeply she admired and loved me. To know how much I shattered her illusions of me, and then slowly broke her heart over the years of our marriage.It was almost too much to bear, but I bore it.I didn’t approach the desk now, though. My readings had started to become rarer. Loneliness wa
Lucian’s POVAfter the meeting, as I reached the car, Ben, my Beta, held open the backseat car door for me.“Should I take you back to your office, Alpha?” he asked.“No,” I said. “I’d like to go home, please.”This surprised Ben, who looked at me strangely. I could understand this reaction. For yea
He’d be a good husband, a good match.I was lucky to have caught his eye, and would be even luckier to claim him.Yet, even knowing that, I couldn’t tie him down to me. He deserved someone who loved him as passionately as he loved.That, unfortunately, was not me, and I didn’t know if it ever could
Aria’s POVOpening the letter, I recognized the familiar scrawl at once. This letter was from Jasper.Over the past five years, Jasper and I had become something of avid pen-pals. We wrote each other frequently, and even talked on the phone now and then, though those long distance calls were too exp