Aria’s POV Ignoring Cathy’s remarks, we returned home, where I read until I fell asleep. The next day, I felt as if I needed to come at the issue of Caleb’s health from a new perspective. Instead of arguing over the life-extending medicine, perhaps I could treat his illness with more conventional
Aria’s POV My feelings for Lucian, as Aria, were a jumbled mess. My outrage with him was bundled up with my confusing, lingering love for him. It made me passionate and emotional, quick to anger. As Dr. A, I had to keep all of these feelings under lock and key. Above all, he couldn’t know that t
I blinked, startled. Of all the things he might have said, I hadn’t expected that. “You have been severely mistreated during this entire controversy, and as pack Alpha, the Alpha King, I wish to formally extend an apology to you on behalf of the entire pack.” “You don’t have to do this…” I said.
Aria’s POV With the money and the identification cards on the desktop, I realized there was one more thing tucked inside the envelope: a letter. Retrieving it, I unfolded the paper to see a note scrawled in Lucian’s handwriting. It read: Whether you choose to stay with Nightfall or travel el
Sheila’s POV Lucian once told Sheila that he only appreciated Dr. A because of her professional merits, but Sheila knew that had been a lie. Men and women could never have a relationship of any kind without desire and love. That Dr. A lusted after Lucian was obvious. He was Alpha King, everyon
“Good. Now make this happen.” Without a goodbye, Sheila smashed the phone down onto the cradle. She hoped that old healer – what was his name again? – heard the smash right in his ear. Satisfied that her threat had been taken seriously, Sheila lifted the phone again and made her second call of the
Aria’s POV I wanted to help Caleb, but I wouldn’t be able to do that if I was dead. Glancing at Montgomery, he seemed torn. Matt, however, was already stepping forward. Grabbing me by the arm, he yanked me toward the doorway. “What are you waiting for?” Matt grumbled. He stayed with me as we p
“This is your fault, you know,” said one of the old healers. I recognized him as one of my most vocal dissenters. His name was Carl. “If you would have just given up your claim to that formula, we’d all be spared this inconvenience.” This inconvenience was a threat against my life. Once more, I
“How’s the baby?” Cathy asked. “Okay,” I assured her. Cathy nodded. “And you?” I could not answer that as promisingly, so I pressed my lips hard together and remained silent. Cathy and Piper looked at each other. “You’ll feel some side effects of the mutual rejection,” Piper said. “Lucian migh
Aria’s POV I kept watching Lucian until he entered his car and drove off. Even with him gone, I stared at the place he had been, wondering how everything went so wrong so quickly. I was in a state of shock, my hands trembling. “Aria,” Jasper said. With his hand on the small of my back, he gentl
Aria’s POV I stood in stunned silence, my mouth falling open, looking at Lucian, trying to understand what he was saying. While not a divorce, a mutual rejection would end our mating bond. Lucian’s mark on my neck would fade and we’d be free to bond with others instead. For him to suggest such a
Lucian’s POV She called me Lucian. That was the first thought to run through my mind as Aria opened the door for me at Cathy’s house. The second? Why did her face fall so much when she saw it was me, and not Jasper? It was as if the bright light inside of her had been snuffed out. Did I truly pro
Lucian’s POV With no way of knowing what this rejection could mean for Aria, I wanted to believe that she had finally come to her senses and would at last be returning home. Perhaps she realized once and for all how silly this desire for a divorce truly was. The thoughts pleased me more than I wou
“I’ve made my decision,” he continued. With bated breath, I waited for him to continue, to share with me what he decided. Instead, he turned more fully toward the door. “If you will excuse me,” he said and stepped out of my office. Lucian’s POV My head was a mess, and no matter what I did, I
Aria’s POV In a panic, I immediately swiveled back around, facing away from Lucian and the door. Grabbing my mask, I re-covered my face with shaking hands. Had Lucian seen me? Did he know I was Aria under this mask? My heart hammered in my chest, and my breathing was short in shallow in my pan
Aria’s POV The phone continued to ring. Being alone in the house meant there was no one else around to answer it. It had to be me. I had to face the consequences of what I’d done. “This is what you want,” I reminded myself, my heart pounding against my ribcage. Standing, I walked into the hallwa
Aria’s POV My words stunned Lucian speechless. He stared at me wordlessly for several long moments, his mouth tightly shut. A muscle at the corner of his jaw ticked. “You…” he began, then stopped himself short. He tried twice more. “Aria… How…” Each time, he abruptly quieted. I had said what I