Aria's POV:
This situation is very uncomfortable.
"Why did you --"
Anthony made a move. He crossed the space between us and took my right hand. Before I could ask what he was about to do, he brought my wrist up to his face, inhaling deeply.
I turned bright red and pulled my hand back. "What are you doing?!" The words tumbled out of my mouth.
I tried not to think about the fact that his hand was so warm, much larger than mine. He raised his eyes to mine.
"Your scent is strange,"
"S-strange?" I sniffed my wrist, trying to figure out if there was a strange smell. I smelled of the bath oils Claire put in the bath water. Roses and vanilla. "It seems okay to me."
Anthony didn't look convinced. But he didn't press either.
"Alpha Aria, I'll ask you again. What were you doing with Dane?" He inquired, his brows furrowed.
I chuckled bitterly. "I can't understand why you're more upset at this than I am. It's not like I was with him....things just happened."
"Things like what?" He pressed on. His voice was tight and urgent. Like if I didn't answer immediately, something bad will happen. "Being seen with Dane is a huge smear on your reputation, Alpha Aria. Do you know what that means?"
I glared at him. "Reputation? What reputation do I have left?! I'm sure in the whole realm, everyone knows what happened by now. My reputation is gone already."
Anthony's eyes darted to the side, he took a deep breath. Then he turned and faced me. "What happened?"
I have to tread very carefully right now. This was Anthony Bourdain. He holds power and influence—all of it. It was by mere chance that he came to Nightfang, most alphas never had the chance to meet him in person.
As much as I try, I can't come up with a reason as to why he would 'save' me from Dane. When he came to Nightfang, we barely exchanged ten sentences. I was of the belief that by now he would have forgotten about me, about us.
And yet here we are.
I stared at him, trying to read his expression. It was something I would often do with Logan, stare at him long enough to figure out the workings of his mind.
"Damn it. Again." I hissed under my breath.
All I could see on Anthony's face was mild annoyance.
"Why did you even take me?" I asked, redirecting the question. I needed to know his motives before I told him anything.
This man is dangerous. Everyone in the realm knows that.
"That wasn't what I asked you."
"I want to know." I inquired. "Why did you take me? And you paid so much money. We aren't friends, much less close. Why would you do such a thing?"
"You're an alpha from a respected pack. Dane putting you on display in front of those disgusting men, his head deserved to be hanged."
The coldness in his voice made me feel a bit nauseated. No doubt, he meant every word he said.
I hugged myself, rubbing my arms. The air suddenly felt cold and stuffy. Anthony blinked, and the oppressive aura in the air was gone. I felt like I could breath again.
"Dane had his men kidnap me." I started to explain. I looked to Anthony for confirmation. He nodded, indicating I could go ahead.
I told him what had happened back at Nightfang; about Logan and Darcy betraying me and kicking me out. I intended to skip out on the part about the infertility curse. But I hadn't gone through the story before I saw him start to react.
"I knew he was trouble." Anthony said, his voice an angry growl. "That damned bastard."
I paused, confusion on my face. "Who?"
"Logan."
My heart plummeted to the floor. I recalled clearly when Anthony had visited Nightfang. Logan expressed hatred for him. I didn't think much about it back then. Could it be something else that was going on?
And now Anthony is saying the same thing.
"He's not a...." I caught myself defending Logan. I closed my eyes briefly. It still hurt. My heart still hurt. And old habits took time to die.
"How could he do such a thing to you? Exiling you from your own pack?!" Anthony's eyes flashed red, a stark contrast from his normally green eyes. He looked terrifying, like all the stories painted him to be.
I felt a bolt of fear zap through me. I knew in the back of my mind that he won't hurt me, but the doubts were there.
If I told him about the curse, would that justify Logan in his eyes?
"Alpha Anthony, it's late. I shouldn't be taking up your time."
I didn't want to talk about Logan anymore. Each time I did so much as remember his face, my heart would burn in pain. Right now, what is he doing? Was he with Darcy in our bed? Telling her how the stars took root in her eyes, how she was the best thing that happened to him? Were they talking about me? Did they even talk about me?
"Alpha Aria!"
I snapped out of my daze. "Yes?"
Anthony's gaze softened. The red in his eyes was gone, replaced by calming green. "What are you going to do now?"
What will I do now? It's late. Even though I had spent all day asleep, I felt tired.
"I need to rest.""
"I know that. What are you going to do about your pack that was taken from you?"
"It wasn't taken from me. I gave it to Logan." I netted Anthony's eyes. "And I'm going to take it back. "
A strange light came into his eyes. It was like his aura changed. I felt a shiver run down my spine. Was that....malice?
"Good answer." He said, a smirk on his face. "Very good, alpha Aria."
My heart stopped for a second, started back up, and began to race. Suddenly, my skin felt too hot. What's going on?!
Chapter seven:Aria's POV:The next day came too fast. I hadn't gotten much sleep after my conversation with Anthony. My mind wouldn't let me sleep at all. After getting ready, Claire informed me that I was to have breakfast with Anthony.The dining hall was in another wing—I guess Anthony's private wing. It was a very impressive hall, with high ceilings and golden chandeliers. Everything screamed pure wealth. I mean, what else did I expect from the Lycan King himself?The dining table would comfortably fit a hundred people. At the far end of it, I spotted Anthony. The nervousness settled in my belly again; all I could hear were the sounds of my heels clicking on the marble floors. The closer I got, the more nervous I became. Anthony rose his head from his breakfast, his eyes meeting mine."Good morning, Alpha Aria." He said, tipping his head in acknowledgement."Alpha Anthony, good morning too." I replied, my voice sounding breathless."Join me," he said, pointing to the seat closest
Aria's POV:The pack healer was not at all like I expected them to be. Back at Nightfang, the pack healer was an ancient woman. I wasn't sure of her age, but she seemed generations old.The pack healer in front of me was a man, and a young one at that. He looked no older than me."Yes, you are poisoned." He announced, after a few minutes of checking my body."You seem really young," I stated."I recently took over." He said it with a soft smile. "But I can assure you, that doesn't make me any less qualified." He finished off, turning to Anthony."What can be done about it?" Anthony asked.The healer shook his head. "I'm not entirely sure. This poison is very ancient. I haven't seen anything like it before."An ancient poison? Wow. My life just got even better. This was the first time I'd heard of ancient poisons."What does that mean?" I asked."It's a hundred, maybe even more, years old. "And I'm afraid I have no cure for this poison.""You mean you can't help her?" Anthony questioned
Aria's POV:The rest of the day went by without much hitch. According to Anthony, the healers should start arriving tomorrow or so. As Anthony had instructed, I spent the day resting with Claire by my side, answering the questions I had about this place.She didn't have many answers.And now we were in the throne room, as healer after healer came in and examined me."I'm afraid, Alpha Anthony. But this is beyond me." Yet another healer said with a disappointed sigh. The tenth so far.I had come in here with high hopes. That maybe someone has something that could help out. My hopes were starting to dissolve. One after the other, they all said the same thing. The poison was too ancient. They hadn't heard of it. They didn't know how to remove it. If it came to the worst, I would have to kiss my wolf goodbye, or worse, my life.I can't die like this. I refuse to die like this, succumbing to a poison that has no name. If I die, whoever poisoned me will win. And I'm sure that person would al
DARCY'S POVAhh, the life. I'm waking up snuggled in Logan's strong arms, the sun filtering in through the windows. So this is what Aria has been enjoying? What bliss. Waking up in the arms of the one you love the most. "Are you awake already?" Logan whispered, his voice deep and husky. He wrapped his hands around my waist, pulling me closer to him. "Isn't it too early to be up? Just wait a little more."I tried to control my giggle. "Don't be silly, baby, you are an alpha; you have work to do, and so do I." I said, trying to pull away from him."But it's too damn early," he protested, dragging me closer. I removed his arm from my waist and sat up in bed. With a smile on my face, I turned to him. He laid on the pillows, a lazy smile on his lips. "Come back to bed now."I shook my head. "Hush now sweetheart, let's get ready for our bath, shall we?" I said, dragging him out of bed. He groaned, but got out of bed. His arm snaked around my waist possessively, his lips peppering small k
Darcy's POV:We discussed our future and the pack duties over breakfast, and when we were finished, he had things to take care of, so he left for his duties while I... went to take care of my own things.I headed back to my room. To my surprise, Selena had left and was already waiting for me. I got changed into a more casual gown and sat down at my desk.Selena rose to leave. I called her back. "Where are you going?"She turned, an impassive look in her eyes. "To let you rest up, my l....I mean my mistress.""Did I excuse you?" "No, my mistress. I didn't think you could... I'm sorry," she rambled pitifully. "You didn't think I could..." I mimicked her. "You don't think! You do as you're ordered! "Is that clear?!""Yes, my mistress." She replied. I rolled my eyes in annoyance. "Anyway, I need the most expensive gown out there to be bought, letters to be sent out to the most esteemed Alphas and guests, the most skilled event planners, the best chefs, and the best wine makers. I need
ARIA'S POVFor the first time in two months, I was happy to open my eyes to the sun coming in through the window. I opened my eyes to a brand new day of hope and joy. And for the first time in a while, I could really say, "Hello world!" And mean it.This excitement is killing me. Finally, I will be healed. I will avenge myself and take revenge on Logan and Darcy.Just imagine how they would look when they see me wolf out. Imagine their faces. Imagine...imagine. I screamed screams of excitement into my pillow and kicked my legs while rolling on the bed. I bet their jaws will drop to the earth's core. I bet they will regret the day they both betrayed me. "You seem to be very happy." I heard a voice say,"Of course, I am." Do you even know what this means to me? I feel like exploding with joy. I feel so..." Wait, who am I talking to. I raised my head from the pillow and turned around. Bright green eyes staring right at me."Alpha Anthony!" I yelled. Shocked, I tried to move away. Inste
Aria's POV:The annex building was behind the main Pack house. A small, quaint-looking cottage. It lacked the expensive vibe of the main pack house, but instead made up for that with its homely vibes.We reached the door, and Anthony held it open for me. Inside was a normal-looking room. There, was Lady Ina, preparing some herbs. Steam wafted in the air; the smell of it, earthy but choky. There was a chair in the center of it all. All the furniture had been pushed to the side, the tables and smaller chairs forming a semi circle round the herb centre Lady Ina was at. And was that a large Pot of boiling water on a fireplace in the middle of the room?!Lady Ina looked up at us, her wrinkled face wrinkling even more as she smiled. "Welcome, young ones! Good thing you are on time. The earlier we begin, the earlier we end.""How long is this supposed to take?" Alpha Anthony asked as we walked closer to her. "About two hours, I think," Lady Ina replied. "Two hours?!?" The words were out of
ARIA'S POVI still felt sore and discomfort, both from the purging and the tea Cordelia intentionally spilled on my laps. What exactly did I do to her?A knock on my door rang through the air. "Come in!" I called out. The door opened, and Alpha Anthony walked in. He walked over to me, standing by my bedside. His eyes were kind as he looked at me."How do you feel?" He asked softly. I shrugged my shoulders. "No pain, just a little discomfort.""Okay. Cordelia said you had woken up and taken the tea."You mean the tea I had to remake by myself after she had poured it on my laps? Yeah. I did. "Yeah, I have." Another knock on the door. "Come in." Claire came in with a tray of food. She really knew what I needed at the moment."You need to eat. After that, we move on to the second thing on our list," Anthony said.This is the second item on our list. "What's that?""You'll know when you see it. See you at the field by four p.m. Claire would escort you there."Escort me? What exactly is h