ARIA'S POVA collective murmur spread through the crowd, and I saw heads turning, necks stretching, and people leaning forward in their seats as the object was wheeled out onto the stage.The Moonstone itself was breathtaking — a large, translucent stone set in the handle of a beautifully carved cane, with a design so delicate that it seemed almost unreal.There were gasps of admiration as the cane came into full view, its surface shining under the auction hall lights. The Moonstone gave off a pale blue glow that seemed to shift and change as the light hit it, almost as if it were alive.It was mesmerizing, and I could see that I wasn’t the only one who thought so. The room was utterly captivated.“It is absolutely perfect for the distinguished gentleman or lady,” the auctioneer continued, “or perhaps for someone who understands the deeper power it holds.”That last part — those words about power — hung in the air. They all knew the rumours about the Moonstone’s mystical properties. B
LINDA'S POVA necklace, huh?The moment I laid eyes on the necklace being wheeled out on a velvet-covered tray, my mouth fell open in shock.As soon as I saw the necklace being wheeled out on a velvet-covered tray, my jaw dropped.No, no, no. It couldn’t be.But there it was, Aria's necklace.I stood up so fast that my chair made a loud scraping noise against the floor.My mouth was hanging open, my eyes wide with disbelief. “Damn it!! I specifically told Mother not to bring it here because Dante would be coming. So why… why is it here?” I whispered under my breath, my thoughts tangled in shock.When I glanced across the room, I saw Dante glaring at me. His expression was filled with rage, his jaw clenched so tight I thought he might shatter his teeth.I turned and practically bolted from the auction hall, with my mother rushing after me. The moment we were outside, where the cool night air slapped me in the face, I turned around to face her.“Why did you bring it here, Mother?" I sna
LINDA'S POVI felt like the walls were closing in around me with every word from him tightening the noose.My thoughts raced in a thousand different directions, searching for something, anything, to say.Then, suddenly, I saw her.Aria stood up from her seat, her posture calm and confident, as if she had no worries at all. It looked like she was about to step out, maybe to take a phone call.I watched the way she moved with that irritating grace, her head held high. I suddenly felt a flash of anger flare up inside me.How dare she look so calm, so sure of herself when everything around me was falling apart? How could she walk around with that self-assured smile, as if she owned the world?And in that moment, I knew what I had to do.“I know why the necklace is here,” I blurted out, turning back to Dante, who was still glaring at me, waiting for an answer.His eyes narrowed as he spoke in a low and dangerous tone. “Then go on,” he snapped, “explain it to me, Linda.”I hesitated for a m
ARIA'S POV"I will show you why you shouldn't mess with me anymore," I replied, my words steady but I felt uneasy. Linda had always been unpredictable, but today... today she felt dangerous.Linda's smile widened, her eyes flashing with amusement. "Oh, is that so?" she said, tilting her head like she was considering something. "Let's find out who shouldn't mess with who."Before I could even process what she meant, she held the bracelet tighter and, in one quick motion, began dragging it across her own wrist.I watched in horror as the delicate metal cut into her skin and a thin line of red came out almost immediately."Linda!" I gasped, my eyes wide. "What on earth are you doing?"She smiled a wicked, satisfied smile that chilled me to my bones. "What do you think it looks like?" she taunted, her voice calm, almost cheerful.And then, just like that, she started screaming. Loud, piercing screams filled with pain and panic. "Stop it, Aria! Please!" she wailed, holding her wrist dramat
ARIA'S POV"Aria!"Dante's voice cut through my thoughts, snapping me back to reality. I blinked and focused on his face."I asked you what you did to Linda!" he repeated, his voice low and dangerous.I straightened my back and met his glare with a calmness I didn't quite feel. My heart was racing, but I would be damned if I'd let him see that."Nothing," I replied simply, my voice steady.Dante's nostrils flared, his anger visibly rising. "Nothing?" he repeated, his voice rising. "So you're just going to stand there and claim innocence? You're not even going to defend yourself?"I shrugged, pretending not to care. "It's a waste of time defending myself if no one is going to believe a word I say.”"Cut the crap!" he snapped, taking a step closer. "Did you or did you not do something to hurt her?”I could see the doubt in his eyes, the way he wavered between wanting to believe me and already believing the worst. And honestly, it made something in me snap.For crying out loud, I was so
ARIA'S POVMy words seemed to cut through the silence. I saw Dante’s face tighten, his mouth opening as if to say something, but no words came out.He looked… stunned. And it was not just him – everyone around us seemed momentarily speechless.And then, before Dante could move, Arnold pushed his way through the crowd and rushed to my side. I felt his warm hands as he quickly wrapped a handkerchief around my hand, trying to stop the blood.“Aria,” Arnold muttered, his voice urgent, filled with concern, “We need to get you to a hospital.”Dante remained where he was, and I just stared at him, searching his face for any hint of the Dante I knew before all this… before Linda. But all I saw was a stranger.Arnold’s hand was firm around mine. “Come on, Aria,” he insisted, “Let’s get you out of here.”I barely heard him. I was too focused on Dante, on the way he looked torn between doing something and doing nothing at all.The feeling of disappointment settled in my chest like a stone. I tho
DANTE'S POVThe little girl looked up at me, her eyes wide, innocent, but sure. “I saw her—” she pointed again at Linda, “she was hurting herself. She used that bracelet on her own hand. And the other lady, the one who left, she told her to stop. But she wouldn’t listen.”I felt the blood drain from my face. Linda… had hurt herself?My eyes shifted to Linda, who now looked pale, her face tight with fear. “What?” she squeaked, trying to sound angry but failing miserably. “Good grief! What is this child talking about?”The little girl continued, her expression serious, “She took the bracelet from the other lady, and then she cut her own hand. I saw it.”I stared at Linda, feeling a cold fury building inside me, my fists clenching unconsciously. “Is this true?” I asked, my voice low, almost a growl. “Did you really do this to yourself, Linda?”She looked like a trapped animal, her eyes darting around. “She’s lying,” Linda said quickly, pointing at the little girl. Her voice was high-pitc
LINDA'S POV“She will be okay,” the doctor said, his voice calm and reassuring as he finished cleaning my cut and checking my vitals. “The cut isn’t that deep, so she’ll be fine. She just got overwhelmed and fainted.”My mother let out a deep sigh, a look of relief washing over her face as she thanked him profusely. “Thank you, Doctor, thank you so much,” she said, squeezing my hand in hers.I gave him a grateful smile and murmured a soft, “Thank you.” But before he left, he looked at me with a stern expression.“Make sure you get plenty of rest,” he said, his voice taking on a more serious tone. “Especially for the sake of your child.” I nodded obediently, and watched as he left the room. The moment the door clicked shut, Luna Agatha moved closer and her hands wrapped warmly around mine. Her eyes were soft, filled with worry as she spoke. “Oh, Linda, I’m so sorry, my dear,” she murmured, her voice thick with sympathy. “You’ve been through so much today, especially in your condition
DANTE'S POV Linda’s bloodied body had been rushed into the emergency operating room, leaving Finn and me standing in the hallway. The doors closed with a loud slam as the stretcher passed through, the sound echoing like the end of a sorrowful melody.I couldn’t move. My legs felt like lead, and my mind was blank.Finn was beside me, his voice low and urgent. “Dante,” he said, gripping my shoulder. “You know that this wasn’t your fault, right? You couldn’t have stopped her.”I didn’t respond. How could I? Linda’s words haunted me, her cries of desperation echoing endlessly in my head. You don’t believe me, do you? I’ll have to prove my innocence by dying. And then the window. The fall. The blood.“It doesn’t feel that way,” I finally whispered, my voice cracking.Finn shook his head, his grip tightening. “Listen to me. You can’t take this on yourself. Linda… Linda made her choices. You tried to help her. That’s all anyone could’ve done.”Before I could answer, a loud, piercing wail
DANTE'S POV Linda’s cries filled the hospital room like the stubborn pounding of a storm. She was sobbing uncontrollably, her hands clawing at her chest, her voice hoarse as she repeated the same words over and over again: “It’s my fault… it’s all on me… I listened to Ralph and I didn’t protect my child…”I just stood there, rooted to the spot, not sure of what to do or say. Finn’s words echoed in my mind, clear and steady: “The child wasn’t Silas’s, it was Ralph’s!” Those words refused to leave me, even as Linda’s cries grew louder, slicing through my thoughts.“Linda,” I finally said, my voice low, though it didn’t feel like my own. “You really need to stop. You’re only going to hurt yourself.”She shook her head violently, her hair whipping around her face as fresh tears streamed down her cheeks. “No, Dante! You don’t get it! I should have done more! I should have protected my baby!” Her voice cracked, and she fell to her knees, clutching at my shirt. “Please… please don’t hate me
ARIA'S POV The call from Finn came late in the evening, just as the world outside my window turned dark. His voice was calm, but there was an edge to it that sent a chill down my spine.“Aria, Linda’s baby didn’t make it,” he said suddenly.For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. “What… what did you just say?” I whispered, gripping the phone so tightly that my knuckles turned white.“Linda lost the baby,” Finn continued. “And she’s making quite a scene. But, Aria, listen to me… you don’t have to feel guilty about this.”My mouth went dry. “I…I wasn’t…”But that was a lie, wasn’t it? Guilt had already taken a hold of me, tightening its grip with every word he spoke.Finn sighed, his voice softening. “I’m telling you this because I know how you think. Don’t let her manipulate you. She’s good at this… making herself the victim, drawing everyone in. You know this wasn’t your fault.”But how could it not feel like my fault? I could still hear Dante’s voice from earlier that day, blaming me for
DANTE'S POV Finn's words seemed to echo endlessly in my head. There was no humour in his tone, no trace of malice or lies. He wasn’t the kind of man to twist stories for the sake of drama, especially not about Linda. But this? This was too much to wrap my head around.“Are you really sure this is true?” I asked, my voice quieter than I intended.Finn nodded, his expression serious. “I wouldn’t say it if I wasn’t.” He leaned against the wall, his shoulders slumping. “Right after Ralph died, her baby didn’t make it either. That’s not a coincidence, Dante. It’s hard not to suspect that this was all part of her plan.”The burden of his words hung between us, heavier than anything I had ever carried before. Linda? Linda, the woman who I thought I knew better than anyone? Could she really be capable of this? Could she…Goddess help me…be ruthless enough to kill her own child?I shook my head, trying to push the thought away, but it clung to me like smoke. “No. No, I can’t believe that.”F
ARIA'S POV The loud sound of the ambulance siren broke through the chaos, silencing the frantic murmurs of the crowd for a moment. Dante didn’t wait for the paramedics to take charge. With a sense of urgency I hadn’t seen in him before, he picked up Linda in his arms. Her pale, lifeless body looked even more fragile in the bright light of the ambulance as Dante climbed in, shouting for them to hurry. I watched him go, his desperation etched into every line of his face. His eyes never left Linda’s bloodied form as the ambulance doors slammed shut behind them. For a brief, fleeting second, I felt a pang of something close to pity. But it was quickly swallowed by a flood of bitterness as the whispers began. “This is all Aria’s fault,” someone muttered from the crowd, loud enough for me to hear. “Yes,” another voice chimed in, filled with hate. “If Linda’s baby dies, the pack won’t spare Aria. That child is the pack’s future heir.” The words hurt more than I cared to admit. My che
ARIA'S POV Linda’s sudden breakdown into tears left me frozen, the weight of her confession crashing over the room like a wave. Her emotional words rang in my ears, each one crafted perfectly to squeeze sympathy from Dante and the crowd. “I swear on the goddess, I did it to protect you, Dante!” she cried, holding onto his arm like a lifeline. “Ralph had threatened to kill you if I didn’t do what he wanted. Everything I said to him, everything I did… it was all to keep him calm, to deceive him. You have to believe me!” The room was filled with hushed whispers, and the crowd’s uneasiness grew with every word. I could see the doubt flickering in their eyes as they turned to one another, whispering under their breaths. “She looks scared… she must be telling the truth.” “Could Ralph really have been manipulating her?” My hands balled into fists as I stepped forward, my voice cutting through the noise. “I have heard enough!” I shouted, pointing at Linda. “Can’t you all see what she
DANTE'S POV I couldn't wrap my head around what Aria was doing. From the moment she asked to speak with Linda, she had been relentless, accusing Linda of things that seemed so absurd.Claiming that Linda's child was fathered by a rogue wolf? The words were so ridiculous I almost laughed when I first heard them. Almost.Instead, I felt my patience wearing thin with every accusation, every raised voice. Aria wasn't like this. She was calm, collected, and never reckless. Tonight, though, she seemed agitated, lashing out like she was desperate for everyone to believe her. And yet, Finn...Finn wasn't the type to back wild accusations, and yet he had claimed to have proof. He said he had seen Linda go into the silver cell and kill Ralph. Murder. That word hung heavy in the air, causing my chest to tighten as I looked around the room. The air was thick with tension, whispers circulating through the crowd, spreading speculation and doubt. My eyes landed on Linda, standing not far from m
ARIA'S POVLinda’s expression changed the moment she realized that I wasn’t going to back down. That mask of fragile innocence she wore cracked for just a second, but then, to my surprise, she started crying.“I’m sorry,” Linda suddenly said, her voice trembling as her eyes welled with tears. She looked around the crowd, her lower lip quivering in just the right way. “I’m so sorry, everyone. I don’t know what I’ve done to make Aria hate me so much. I…I’ve tried to be kind, but she just won’t stop harassing me!”The crowd murmured in confusion, their eyes darting between the two of us. My mouth fell open in shock, but Linda pressed on, her voice trembling with perfect fragility.“I really don’t know why she’s doing this,” she continued, wringing her hands. “I’ve tried so hard to stay out of her way, but she keeps accusing me of… awful things. And now she’s saying horrible things about my child… my unborn child. I just… I don’t know how much more I can take.” Her voice broke, and she bu
ARIA'S POVLinda stood beside him, her hand resting on his arm, a smug look of confidence flickering across her face.That look—so composed, so sure of herself—ignited something hot and uncontainable inside me.After everything she had done, she could still stand there so calm, so unbothered, wearing that look of triumph? I felt the anger pulse through my veins, louder than the quiet hum of murmurs around us.Before I could stop myself, I took a step forward and grabbed her hand firmly, my words spilling out in a fierce, steady tone. “Didn’t you just kill someone? You killed Ralph, the father of the child in your womb!”The room went deathly silent. It was as if the entire crowd was holding its breath, their shocked expressions frozen in place, eyes wide and darting between Linda and me.I could actually hear my own heartbeat, the loud, insistent thud filling the quiet. The weight of my accusation seemed to hang heavy in the air, pressing down on everyone around us.Linda’s smug expre