With that, Liam hit ‘play’ and the footage began to roll. For the longest time, the lab was empty. Everything was as it should be. But then… One night, two figures walked into the lab—a man and a woman in ski masks and dark clothing. They weren’t alone. A scraggly stray dog followed them, led
Aria With two steaming cups of chamomile tea balanced in my arms, I reached out and knocked on the door to Darren’s office. There was a bit of a pause before he called out. “Come in.” His voice sounded gruff and tired, like he hadn’t slept all night. I nudged the door open with my shoulder and
“They trust me not to act rashly. If I made a decision like this, then they’ll know that it wasn’t for nothing.” He turned slightly, casting me a brief glance over his shoulder. “My son could have gotten hurt if it weren’t for you. Thank you.” “It was nothing,” I replied quickly, rising. I winced
Aria The office felt different the next morning. It felt lighter, thanks to Sarah and Arthur’s absence. For the first time in what felt like ages, I made my way into work feeling ready to take on the day, rather than fearful of what sort of shit those two might stir up. As I made my way to my de
“I should, uh... I should get back to work,” I said, forcing a tiny smile before quickly turning away and wishing I could just shrink into oblivion. What had gotten into me? “Aria...” The way he said my name made my heart stutter, but I couldn’t bring myself to turn around. I hurried past him, fee
Aria Sarah’s accusation hit me like a knife to the gut. “She’s the one who attacked me!” “Attacked you?” I sputtered. “What the hell are you talking about, Sarah?” She pointed at the angry bruise on her face. “Don’t play stupid, Aria. You followed me home last night, and for what? You alread
With that, I let my skirt fall back into place. “Or how about the time you cornered me in the barn?” My voice wavered, the memory of that day clawing its way to the surface yet again. “You attacked me, and if it weren’t for that stray dog I’d been feeding, you would’ve really hurt me that day.” Fo
Darren I felt like a fool. More than that, really. A moron, a pawn—an outright idiot. And what burned worse than the shame itself was the realization that I had let it go on for so long. For years, I had been in the palm of Sarah’s hand, letting her spin her little web of manipulations, every
The police arrived a moment later and took the man into custody. After that, we were questioned about the incident.Then, we were told to go home for now.As if we could possibly sleep after what had happened.Later that night, as Darren and I lay in the warm comfort of his bed together, it was just
AriaDarren collided with me, knocking me to the floor before I could even comprehend the sound of the gunshot or the screams.The impact knocked the breath from my lungs, but I barely registered it. All I could focus on now was the sting on my cheek, the warmth of the fresh blood that was now trick
“No one,” he hissed through clenched teeth, and spat on the floor. “I organized this on my own. All you monsters deserve to die.”“He’s lying,” Liam growled, his eyes glowing fiercely as he glanced at me. “There’s no way this fucker organized this by himself.”I was inclined to believe my Beta, and
DarrenMy world shattered when Aria’s hand was ripped from mine.“Aria!” I shouted, my voice cutting through the din. But there was no response, no sign of her in the sea of panicked faces.I cursed under my breath, shouting her name through the mate bond as I whirled to catch a glimpse of her. Peop
I felt tears prick at the corners of my eyes, but I blinked them away, leaning into his touch. “Thank you,” I whispered.The rest of the evening passed without a hitch. Darren and I moved through the crowd together, his hand never leaving mine as we mingled with guests and answered questions about t
Aria“Aria, would you do me the honor of a dance?”Darren stiffened beside me when William said those words. It wasn’t just his body that stiffened, though—our mate bond suddenly flared to life for the second or perhaps third time that night, a surge of heat and protectiveness that I could feel bene
“I’d rather take a thousand tomato stains to my shirt than see a single speck on that beautiful gown of yours,” I said, my lips curving.She blinked. “You’re ridiculous,” she whispered, although I could see the faint smile tugging at her mouth.“Maybe,” I said as I dipped my head to press a kiss to
DarrenThe moment we stepped out of the car, the world erupted into chaos.Cameras flashed like lightning, their blinding bursts of light lighting up the dark sky. Reporters were already shouting questions before our feet even hit the pavement.I was no stranger to this kind of attention. As a CEO,
Then Melissa, ever the perfectionist, fussed over the dress, making sure every detail was just right.By the time they were done, I barely recognized the woman staring back at me in the mirror. The dress fit like a dream. My hair and makeup were flawless, and there was a glow in my eyes that hadn’t