23. Enemies put together In the ongoing class, Jake drew random patterns on one of the clean papers of his notebook. Aria's words moved like a whirlwind in his mind. He anticipated anything but that statement coming out of her mouth. "Hey! Where are you lost, bro?" Kai was sitting next to him in the class in the very back. These guys had their permanent places in each of their classes-- that is toward the very end of the room just by the wall. Not that the teachers minded it. As long as the gang of these mischievous guys was quiet, they could sit just about anywhere in the classroom. "Nothing, just thinking about Aria." Jake replied on the mind link. Kai gazed in front of the classroom at Noah, who was in the third seat. He was engrossed in the class. This was the only class that Jake and Noah shared together. But thankfully Kai was here as well, and he was relieved after what transpired on the campus. The guys were minding their own businesses rather than picking up on each oth
24. Chased by the alpha Geography was the only subject that Aria enjoyed even though the teacher was as slow and boring as a snail. Only Ten... At the most, fifteen students out of fifty from her batch attended his lecture. Others abhorred Professor A. Stronghold but Aria loved him. His lecture was the only peaceful lecture that kept her away from awkwardness and fear. In this particular class she felt confident and aware of her potential. The bullies from the school aka Jake's friend did not attend his class for other reasons as well. Because geography here did not mean learning about the world and distribution of boundaries of the countries, various places and their respective environments. The geography in the wolf world was different. Here, the students didn't not learn about the countries. Rather they were made cognizant of packs distributed around the world and their respective culture and traditions. Rather than the climate of the places, the geography in the wolf world taug
25. Your arch enemy is my mate! No one ever talked to him like that. She may have breathed the truth behind his impulsive act from yesterday but she was no one to talk with him like that. "I committed a mistake and I take full responsibility for it. I know I have a history with Noah and I didn't like to see you with him, but don't act as if I am the guilty one here. You are as much at fault as I am. I did like you and I still do which is why I am standing here but your reluctance and sudden closeness with Noah... It was too much to bear." The air around them throbbed in tension. For a fluttering moment, Aria's heart thumped as she reviewed his words. Did he really? A deep look in his eyes and she realized he was not lying. He had stiffness playing along his hard gaze. Aria felt her confidence begin to crumble. She didn't know whether to trust him or shove him away. His gaze suddenly softened and he took her hand, "Look, I know I am wrong here and I will do anything you want me
26. Accident Aria entered the class right in time. The desks were hardly taken over and she could choose her place in the back of the class where no one would notice her. Although she wondered why Jake was not here already given his rushed escape, she pushed him in the distant corner of her mind as she had better things to undertake at the moment. One such thing was a perfect place to sit in this class that was going to turn into an abyss, containing little mischievous devils after a quarter hour. She being the shy type wanted to stay far away from them, hence a far away and comfortable place where she didn't catch anyone's eye was what she wished to find. She was thinking whether to sit in the left corner seat by the wall or in the right, which offered a verdant view of a variety of trees that stood gloriously on the campus ground. Her heart was still at unease and the heavy feeling in her stomach made it difficult to come to a conclusion. Thus, she remained there by the threshold
27. War for the omega "Aria!" Jake stormed inside the medical room upon the doctor tending her head.A cotton ball was being patted on the inflated gash on the left corner of her forehead. Noah was there beside her, holding her by the shoulders as the doctor cleaned the cut. " Aria, are you alright?" Jake had the very intention to haul Noah out of the medical room and break every freaking bone in his body. But his heart rose in his throat as soon as his gaze found Aria's weak body on one of the beds. She was in a dizzy state. Her lashes barely open. They faltered as she tried to figure who was calling her and a shade of white whipped into her cheeks, making her look pallor that set Jake's heart at fast and unsettling motion. "Aria, can you hear me?" Jake stopped on this side of the bed-- standing right across from Noah.He cast him a glare eclipsed with pure indignation and bent down to replace Noah's hands around her shoulders. He knew this was not his right. He knew he didn't ha
28. Cherish her! When Jake regained his senses, he found himself in a room painted white from the floor to ceiling. It was robbed of Windows. Just plain boring walls with no hint of spot on it. He didn't have to know where he was because he had been a guest into this room three times before as well. The Power Detention Room. Mischievous students like him were often brought here into detention to discipline them. This room was made with such technology that no powers worked here. Hence, no matter how much they forced their bodies, they couldn't shift here. Another downside of the Power detention room was that a pupil was locked in the room for hours until they accepted their mistakes and promised to never break the school rules. Anyway, Jake pressed a hand on his neck to control the stinging pain. He recalled the doctor thanking his assistant, Ms. Nixon, for injecting Jake with depression since he refused to come under control. "That cunning woman, I will not lea-- what the hell,"
29. You're worthless, Aria. The sun was exhausted to the shade of deep orange in the sky when Aria woke up. She was informed by the nurse in the medical room what had transpired with her and how she slept about the whole afternoon tucked in one position on the bed. She was suggested to stay half an hour more since her steps faltered as she placed them on the cold hard floor. But she needed to go home. The twilight sun was casting long shadows on the ground and there was stillness in the air. Her father may not be attentive toward her, but he never liked it when she came home late. That showed that he cared at least about her safety if not as his beloved daughter. 'I won't even get a bus now. The last left twenty minutes earlier and the next one will come after another twenty minutes.' Aria thought to herself as she stared at the empty street across from her. There was no one and the school smelled empty. As much as she liked this stillness, she gripped the straps of her light b
30. Unwanted Visitor Her heart bled. At this point, Aria wanted him to gather her in a hug and shush soothing words in her ear. She wanted one of those fathers we see in the novels, who would not hesitate to split the earth into hundred thousand sections if it brought their bullied daughter her justice. She wanted a father whose one glare would make all the bad guys hold their wet pants and scram away. Too bad that she got a father like him. He was as cold as the glaciers. Sometimes she wondered if she was really his daughter or one he stole from an enemy to get the scores settled with him. "I can't believe you are mine, Aria!" She could not believe it either. She looked down. "I would have done without a child you know. But your mother intended on keeping you. She killed herself for a weak thing like you." His words staggered Aria, still she stood there paralyzed. "The expression that I'm ashamed of you does not sum up my disappointment entirely. And I am kind of glad your
123Jake's POV The last time I felt humiliated in my life was when— I clearly remember that day like it happened yesterday— I was an eight year old child and in a summer camp. My father had accompanied me as it was a condition of the camp to have at least one parent coming with their child.Mom was usually committed to pre-scheduled parties with other Lunas and was too stubborn to cancel them for a camp which she stated would be too boring for her. But I wanted to go as all my friends were going. That's when dad canceled some of his meetings, which as an alpha he shouldn't have, and came with me.The part where I felt utterly humiliated was when I was reciting the poem I've written for my father. It was a task given to all the children. We were asked to write either an essay or a poem for our parents. I wanted to outshine other kids and show that I was a future alpha, and hence, I chose to write a rhyming poem while everyone else stuck with writing an essay.And as I was extremely eag
122. "My father only loves his reputation and power. Don't worry about him. He would hardly feel bad if I left." I remarked with no expression. "But he's your father. How could you—" "You can't convince me to stay, Harry. I've made up my mind. I'm going to take them down, no matter what it costs." "Uncle Zavier will not appreciate this. I don't think he would like it if he knows you're joining the war he himself is staying away from." Harry shook his head clearly indicating that he wasn't going to take me along. It made my anger worse. I seethed and grabbed the front of his shirt. "I'm not a child anymore. I'm a warrior and this is my fight. Don't try to take that away from me, Harry. If dad wants to stay away then it is his choice. I can't leave my family to thrive alone when I know I have the ability to and I can help them win."Harry remained firm on his words but the need to get away from this pack and its people made me try harder to convince him. "You don't know what it's
121The addition she made regarding Jake made my eyes burn. I felt my limbs quivering. That all-encompassing feeling of pain washed over me again and I found myself staring at Harry, who was watching me have a battle with my wolf. "It's okay if you don't believe me, Aria. But maybe this will help you know I am not making up stories." He said as he passed his phone to me. I took it with shaking hands and played the video that was on pause. A corrosive pain shot up my spine and burst forth in my entire body. My knees gave way, and I fell on the floor. My agonized sobs bounced off the walls as I cried my heart out. I desperately wished it wasn’t true, but like every other cruel reality I’ve faced, the video was undeniably real.Jake was talking about me in the video with Kai and Neil. They were teasing him by taking my name and he rolled his eyes. They asked if it was genuine this time but Jake laughed out loud and said he wouldn't be tolerating me if I wasn't my father's daughter.I
120"Let me start from the start, Aria. That way you'll get a better idea of what I'm trying to tell you... Actually, our grandfather used to be one of the greatest and strongest Alphas of his time. He had a huge flourishing pack named Berrywood Pack. All of us were happy in our lives, and then, one day your father came to visit our pack to help us.""Rogues have always been a problem, Aria. They were a little more daring in the past than they are now. In the past, they would just pick up any she-wolf or girl child they liked and had their way with them. Or worse, pick an entire pack and threaten them to send a woman on a daily basis to them. And if their conditions weren't agreed with, they would declare war. That's why your father was invited by our grandfather to kill these rampant rogues and finish their terror forever."Harry's eyes gleamed as he went on, "None of us knew that your father would find his mate in our pack, and that it would be none other than the Alpha's Daughter,
119Aria's POVMy fingers twitched and my forearms numbed from the onset of overwhelming emotions that surged through my body. My face was tingling and my jaw had become stiff. I couldn't move my jaw, much less part it and breathe.I was desperately struggling to regain control but I felt as though I was pushed, head deep, in freezing water. And no matter how much I struggled to come back on the surface, it was futile.A point came when I fell on my side and ended up curling myself into a ball. I covered my head with my hands, my entire body buzzing with a tingling sensation.Was this death? Is this how it felt when your soul left your body?I won't know whether or not it was death because the moment I willingly closed my eyes to accept the end of my life— which I thought it was— I sensed warm arms lifting me up.My body teetered as someone held me close to a warm chest and began to walk. The foul smell of garbage began to drift away, indicating that I was being carried away to a bette
118Aria's POVAfter leaving my house and Kai and Daisy in it, I rushed into a dark alley to cry my heart out. I was in pain I couldn't narrate. My heart was hurting from Jake's ignorance while my body vibrated from the after-effects of my mate's force used on me. My life went from bright to dark overnight. I was made to pay for a mistake I didn't even commit. My wolf was howling for respite. We both needed some rest. All these hours we tolerated since the morning has taken a toll on her. However, we refused to relax. Not now. Not when our eyes were blazing with the fire of revenge. Melody and I have vowed to not sit quiet until we settled scores with Noah Rhodes. That bastard caught us off guard. He attacked me when I was not prepared. But now my veins were fueled with aggression, my limbs aching to fight back. My mind was compelling me to use all the tricks I have learned from my father through intense training. I moved in the darkness as I made my way to Noah's house in search o
117"How dare you play such a trick on me?" Noah's voice bounced off the walls. He picked up Aria from over the broken bed and clutched her hair tightly, making her wail. He pulled them in a merciless joke as his canines surfaced. His muscles convulsed in fury as he brought his face closer to Aria, "It was Jake's idea, wasn't it? He asked you to do this to trouble me.""Aah!" Aria's body was a huge ball of pain. She tapped on his wrist so he would let go. Alas, enraged like an uncontrollable bull, Noah tossed her across the room again. Aria fell on her weak study table, crushing it under her. She hissed with thick tears streaming out of her eyes as a pointed piece of wood pierce her inner thigh. Noah didn't show any pity as he raised her by her hair again. Her scalp ached as a thousands brightly blinking stars burst across her vision. "I detest Moon goddess for mating me with a gold digging whóre like you. You are despicable and..." His words faded out as Aria's senses spun into
116Aria walked on the quiet road on light feet. She was feeling cold and had to wrap her arms around herself. The winds were piercing into her skin and the dust it carried swirled around her. She shuffled her feet ahead with teary eyes as she wondered where to go.She just returned from the club she heard the girls mention in the library. It turned out that Jake left an hour before she reached there. Then she went to his home, the alpha mansion. Unfortunately, there were a dozen expensive cars lining outside the mansion. The alpha probably had visitors, and thus she couldn't gather up the courage to walk into that house while powerful people occupied it.There could be one, if not all, disliking her father. She was too frightened to appear in front of any such person who could take a dig at her to humiliate the most feared hunter in the pack. That being said, she left without meeting Jake.Now as she started her walk to nowhere, she reminiscenced the times she spent with Jake. He had
115. Truth out in front of Daisy "I hate her for hurting Lana, Kai. I will never forgive her."She banded her hands around his waist stiffly and wailed. "She not only cheated on Jake and my sister but on me too. I trusted and loved her just like Lana. Why did she have to do that? She was very well versed with the fact that Noah was dating my sister. But she still kissed him." Kai chewed the inside of his cheek agitatedly. He wished to tell her about Noah and Aria being each other's mate but he bit it down. It wasn't his place to tell her. But he definitely needed to make her see some sense and not entirely blame Aria for the kiss. "Do you realize this wouldn't have happened if Aria didn't go to the old age home with you?" "What are you insinuating, Kai Sinclair? Do you want to say that I influenced Aria to do that." Daisy's voice hardened ruthlessly. "All I'm saying is that Aria isn't the only one who you should condemn. Noah is equally—" "What's wrong with you, Kai?" Daisy pus