Days had passed since Noah and I shared our night of passion and love, but I was plagued with nausea and pain every time I thought positively about it or about him. What could possibly be wrong with me?A sharp pain thundered through my skull and the beginning of a theory was suddenly gone. I found myself losing my train of thought recently. I tried to write things down before I forgot, but barely managed to scribble down one word before it was wiped from my brain.The most painful part, however, was avoiding Noah. It had been such an easy feat when he and I were still at odds with each other, but now it was an impossibility unless I remained in my office.My phone buzzed constantly and was now filled with unread texts from Noah. I was too afraid to read what he sent, too afraid that any good feeling I had about him would be interrupted by bouts of sickness and violent pain.Every so often he would knock on my door, begging me to open and talk to him. But I just remained
I roared in frustration, throwing the computer across the room, where it smashed into tiny pieces. Three days and still there was no sign of Aria, not a hint nor a rumor nor a whisper. I had utilized every contact and intelligence network at my disposal, but to no avail.Even Atlas, with his vast networks in the city underground, had come up with nothing. What made it even harder was that I didn't know if I was looking for Arianna or Aria. The information that I put out was for Aria, but there was a chance that she might still be using her Avaroux illusion."Dammit!" I cursed. I slammed my fist against the table, nearly cracking it in half."Easy there, big guy," Atlas chimed, "that's the third laptop you owe me. I don't want to have to replace my furniture as well.""Sorry," I grumbled. "Just add it to my bill.""At least I know you can afford me," Atlas muttered. "I put out feelers in Lunar Valley. If she left Romulus, then that's the first place she'd go. I think she
"Aria!" I exclaimed, both in rage and relief. While I was glad to see she was alive, I was appalled that she was literally in the grasp of Chris Hansen."That's Henry Bergmann's wife," someone whispered."What is she doing with Hansen?""Could he really have kidnapped her?""She doesn't look kidnapped or held hostage to me."The Council President hit his gavel upon the table, soliciting silence from the crowd. "Alpha Chris Hansen!" his voice boomed in plain irritation. "This meeting started twenty minutes ago! You have the audacity to enter so unceremoniously in the middle of Council proceedings?"Chris smiled slyly and bowed his head to the Council President. "My sincerest apologies, President Tannis," his oily voice chimed. "There were urgent matters that needed to be attended to first, but I am here now and humbly request to defend my name against the claims made by the Bergmanns."Tannis narrowed his eyes at Chris, obviously ill at ease with his whole demeanor. "You h
"Look, Noah," Atlas began, "as much as I love you and Aria, and want to see her out of that slimeball's clutches…there's nothing I can do for either of you in this trial. I'm from the lower city—my opinion won't matter to the High Council.""They'll listen to you if you become a member of my pack," I countered. "Atlas, I need you. Aria needs you."Atlas sighed and rubbed his temples. "What you need, Noah, is a really good lawyer," he said softly, "which you can afford a thousand times over.""Chris is going to play dirty, and you're the only person I know who can play dirtier," I said."Gee, thanks!" Atlas replied, rolling his eyes.I needed Atlas in this fight. I needed his expertise, his knowledge of the underworld, his people skills…but most of all, I needed a friend. And he was the only one I had."Selene's sake! Fine!" he yelled after a moment of silence. "But I'm not doing this for free, and I want to get paid up front!""Deal!" I agreed."You didn't even ask how
"Your Honor, the person they claim to be Chris Hansen in that footage could have been anyone," Chris's lawyer tried to explain. "Yes, my client was almost caught in the explosion, but that thing that appeared afterwards could not possibly be him. It has to be an illusion set up by Bergmann."The judge, however, looked annoyed."Miss Smith, this is a trial for what has already been brought as an accusation," he grumbled. "You cannot lay another accusation on Mr. Bergmann until this matter is concluded."The lawyer sat down, looking livid. Next to her, Chris's eyes looked like he wanted to murder someone, but kept his composure. The High Court demanded the utmost respect and cordial behavior. Failure to comply could result in jail time if the judge desired it so."Atlas Oasis, it is your turn to question," the judge said to Atlas.I got down from the stand and returned to my seat, giving Atlas a quick hug on the way before he took the floor."We would like to call Alpha Chris
I could hardly believe my eyes; my father was awake. He looked tired and his eyes were hollow, but he was awake and right in front of me.Everyone looked on with concern and curiosity at the sight of the great Henry Bergmann in a wheelchair."Dad," I whispered, moving across the room without even thinking about it. I knelt before him and hugged him tightly—the first real hug I had given him in years. All the bitterness and animosity I had felt towards him took a backseat in that moment; I was just glad to have my father with me."You've done marvelously, son," he said with a proud smile. "Let your old man take it from here."My father wheeled his way to the front of the courtroom. "I apologize for interrupting court proceedings, but my son is not guilty of anything," he said firmly. "The charges of illegal medical facilitation and identity fraud are mine to bear, not Noah's.""Alpha Henry Bergmann," the judge said, "out of respect for your station I will allow you to interrup
It was strange to be back at the Bergmann estate. It felt as though I hadn't left at all, but also like I had been gone for an eternity. My last clear memory was running into Noah in the pantry. After that, it was all a blur, and that in and of itself was terrifying.I tried my best to recall what had happened, but all I got were images of half-forgotten dreams and the monstrous face of a charred Chris, his burned face contorting into a menacing grin.Chris… Anger and rage burned inside me at the thought of what he did to me. He messed with my mind, kidnapped me, and turned me against Noah. And yet he had still managed to escape without punishment.All because he invoked Damnatio Memoriae. I had not heard of it until yesterday, but according to Henry it was the oldest law ever written by our kind and could not be ignored."Formal challenges cannot be issued to resolve a conflict during a trial," Henry explained, "but Damnatio Memoriae is no ordinary challenge, and trumps all le
**Aria POVI woke up in my room with Noah's body pressed up close against mine. I snuggled in closer to him, grateful that for the first time since meeting Chris, there was absolutely no feeling of nausea or pain when I was around Noah.Whatever serum Henry had given me really had freed my mind from its strange turmoil. I was finally myself again, and could actually enjoy being with the man I loved. I had no idea how much longer this clarity would last, but I was sure going to relish every moment of it.Noah's eyes flickered open and he smiled when he saw me. "Good morning, beautiful," he whispered, and kissed me sweetly. "I've been dreaming about waking up next to you for so long.""Glad I'm here to fulfill your wishes, good sir," I teased, kissing him back and climbing on top of him.Things began to get steamy as we both shed our clothes and explored each other's bodies with our hands and mouths.Unfortunately Noah's phone buzzed loudly before too long, signaling the end
"What happened to that thing?" Noah asked in panic when he regained consciousness, grabbing his gun and pointing it at where Silas had been standing."It's alright," I said gently, placing a calming hand on his arm and allowing healing energy to flow through him. "He and Selene came to...an agreement. He's gone for the time being."I thought about what Selene had said—that my life would ensure everyone's safety. Maybe this had been my calling all along.Shaking my head to clear it, I helped Noah up and hugged him tightly. "Come on, love, let's get out of here.""Wait," he said before we started to exit the damaged chamber. "Chris's body. We need to bring it with us to prove to his pack that he is dead. They might attack us if it looks like we just left."I had hoped to just leave Chris and the entire memory of the situation down here in this cavern, but Noah was right. I sighed and nodded.The two of us heaved Chris's body over our shoulders and carried him back to the surf
Chris lay before us, virtually turned to stone.Was that it? Had we finally won? It seemed so surreal that it was actually over. I helped Noah to his feet, giving him support while his wound healed. It did not seem to be that serious, so there was no reason for me to intervene."I should make sure that he's dead," Noah said. "We don't want any more surprises."I nodded in agreement. We stumbled slowly towards Chris's body. Noah tried to kneel down, but was unable to in his current state."I'll do it," I said gently, leaning him against one of the pillars before making my way to Chris.I knelt next to him and placed my fingers on his neck. His body was warm, but there was no pulse. I touched his back and felt no intake of breath. All evidence pointed to him being dead as a doorknob."He's really dead," I sighed, my eyes lingering on Chris, refusing to relax or look away.Noah seemed to still be on edge as well. "Does something not feel quite right to you?" he asked caut
The two packs met on the fields of the conservation land. Weapons were raised and wolves transformed, gnashing their fangs and growling at one another.The Hansen pack's front lines blocked the entrance to the ritual site; it looked like we were going to have to fight our way through to get to Chris, who seemed to not be present amongst his wolves."Chris is probably down in the tunnels already," I said. "We need to get past his vanguard somehow.""Well, we can't exactly open fire," Noah replied. He stepped forward and addressed the Hansen wolves in a clear and commanding voice. "I have no intention to harm any of you!" he said loudly. "I am only here for your Alpha. Let us pass."A young, ashen-haired Hansen pack member stepped forward. "Our Alpha has given us instructions to only let the woman named Aria through," he hollered.I was about to tell Noah that it was fine, that he should just stay here to make sure the Hansen pack didn't cause any problems. But he guessed my in
**Chris POVI groaned, gritting my teeth as my bones reformed for the thousandth time. My inner beast roared in anguish as it bore the weight of the most dangerous of all knowledge. I felt it pull on my soul, already trying to drag me down to the depths of hell for daring to peer into where mortals are forbidden.I got to my feet unsteadily, holding onto the ancient stone walls for balance. I could do with a rest…but I had no time to waste. The ritual needed to be completed now.I stumbled out of the chamber and called for a pack member who had stood guard outside."You there!" I called. "Ready everyone who is able to fight. We storm the Bergmann territory again; this time, our goal is the Nexus point."The wolf nodded and hurried off to spread the news to the others. I was done being careful, done playing the subtle games of espionage and stealing information. I could not afford to waste any more time trying to win over the territory for myself. That would have to come af
**Noah POV"You awake?" Aria asked softly.It was past midnight, and Aria had her head nestled on my chest. I was exhausted and my mind was numb…but I could not sleep. I guess she too was wracked with concern about the events to come."Yeah," I whispered, trailing my fingers through her dark hair. "It seems almost silly to sleep like there's nothing happening.""I know what you mean," she said thoughtfully. "Also, if I close my eyes I'm afraid my dreams will be hijacked by Selene again.""What's it like, to speak to a celestial being?" I asked, still barely able to believe such a thing was even possible."It's…unnerving and exhilarating at the same, like...like being chained to a shooting star," she whispered. "I thought it would be comforting, to have someone powerful watch over you, but it feels more like a target on my back than anything else."I kissed her forehead and rubbed her arm gently. So many times, I had vowed to her that I would protect her, stand by her—and
**Noah POV"Why did you keep all of this a secret from me?" I asked Atlas and my dad angrily.I was in bed, my body aching. Even though Aria had miraculously healed me, coming back from the dead still hurt like a b*tch. My father and Atlas had come to see me after Aria had filled them in on what had happened. She passed out in a deep sleep soon after.At first I was relieved. Then I became angry when I remembered what Aria had told me before Chris had used her to try to kill me."I am the Alpha," I fumed. "You can't just make decisions and then keep them from me!""No offense Noah, but you would have made Chris suspicious had you known what was going on," Atlas said calmly. "You're a pretty pathetic actor.""All of you shouldn't have even done anything! Chris was my battle to fight," I said."Yes, and it would have been a battle you would have lost before it even began," my father grunted. "Chris never had any intention of facing you in Damnatio Memoriae. Surely Aria expl
"Aria!" Noah yelled, rushing to my side."Don't" I screamed, pushing him away from me. "He's awake! He's going to make me kill you! You should go!""I'm not going anywhere!" Noah said firmly, coming to my aid once more.I screamed in pain as my fingers began to transform into claws against my will. I lunged forward to strike Noah across the face, but he caught my arm just in time."Noah, please," I cried, "either you run away or you have to kill me, because Chris is not going to stop and there's nothing that can break this spell."But Noah stayed, holding my claws at bay. His arms began to quiver and I felt his grip loosen. My arm broke free and was raised to attack again. I grabbed it with my own left hand, pulling it back with all my strength.Noah stumbled backward, looking slightly dazed, like he had been drugged. "What is happening?" he mumbled, swaying dangerously.My left hand began to transform as well. I felt Chris's spell strengthen, taking back control of my bo
**Aria POVI hurried away, fearing that I might attack Judy and tear her away from Noah without any mercy or regret. How dare she act so casually around him, knowing what she condemned me to, and having taken pleasure in my suffering?It was getting dark outside and the building had begun to empty. The corridors seemed almost deserted.This really was sick of Chris, to place me in such close proximity to Noah. He probably knew how Judith was cozying up to Noah, too, and that I'd have to watch."You there! Intern!" someone called dramatically. I wiped a single tear from my eye and turned around in surprise, only to see Atlas beckoning me. I approached, and he pulled me into an empty cleaning closet."Okay, so I was right!" he exclaimed excitedly. "The ritual site on Bergmann territory is a Nexus point for dark communion. I remember I sold an old map of Romulus to a collector a few years ago which marked all the ancient ritual sites in the area. That collector was Edmund Han
"Atlas, did you file the report on—" Noah paused when he saw me and Atlas. "I did not know you had company."Atlas and I were standing very close to each other as we whispered, so I did not look like just another colleague."Oh, this is not that sort of company," Atlas fumbled. "This is…""…Tessa from IT," I added quickly. Yet another name to add to my growing list. "Mr. Oasis was having some issues with his computer."Noah furrowed his brow. "Huh…I thought you were an expert with tech, Atlas," he said."I said I'm tech savvy," Atlas said. "That does not mean I'm an expert who's not in need of a real expert."As Noah took a casual step forward, his scent suddenly accosted me, wafting into the air, and I was once again ravaged by feelings of intense nausea. Chris's spell still seemed to affect my physical response to Noah's presence."You seem all set, Mr. Oasis," I said, trying not to double over with pain. "Send me those images of the issue just so I can log it in in cas