Aria's POV"You’re not wrong, Aria; we are mates; you are my mate," I hear Xander’s voice.I turn abruptly to the sound of his voice. He was standing a few feet away, and I fight the urge to ask him why he's here. I bring my knees closer to my chest, wrapping my arms tighter around them to ease the chill engulfing me.I turn my attention back to the lake. I really need to know how he’s doing this, how he’s listening to my thoughts without my knowledge. Letting himself into my head without my permission. His heavy footsteps draw closer, but I don’t even acknowledge them. I feel a jacket being wrapped around me, and the cold immediately subsides a little. The smell of Xander’s cedarwood scent makes me feel a little better.“It’s cold out here; let’s go home,” he gives me his hand, which I don’t accept. My attention is still focused on the lake.“Sunshine,” he whispers, “it’s cold out here. You’re even shaking” I look down to my hands and legs, I didn’t know I was shaking until he said
Aria's POV“I don’t like avocados,” I grimaced after taking a bite of the sandwich Julia had made.“Then don’t eat it,” Julia snapped as she washed dishes. We were in the kitchen; she cleaned while I tried to eat my breakfast.“Then make me another sandwich.”She paused before responding. “No! Make it yourself.”“Well, I would’ve made it myself, but,” I paused, “I’m a bit lazy today. Don’t worry; I’ll get Xander to make another sandwich without avocados for me.” I jumped down from the counter to the door.“Wait,” she grumbled. “I will make you a new one.”“I’m sorry; I didn’t quite catch that.” I placed my hand behind my ear.“I said I will make you a new one.” I bit my lip, holding back a laugh, and made my way to my chair, watching as she prepared a new sandwich.“Here,” she shoved the plate my way and took the other one away. I couldn't help but let out a laugh.“I love spending time with you, Julie,” I said between laughs.“I don’t, leave when you’re done.” Her famous scowl shone
Aria’s pov Today is one of the best days of my life . Whoever said ‘spending money you didn’t work for is bad’ need a reality check. At first, I did feel guilty, but Xander deserves it. He didn’t think twice when he was doing things I didn’t like, so he’s paying with his money.I love the way the shopping bags look, and the sound of the machine when the card gets approved, and the fake smiles from the workers when they hand me the card back.I walked out of the fourth store today. At this point, I don’t know what I want. I’m just buying things out of spite for Xander.I can’t imagine what his face looks like when he sees all those debits.I flinch as some of my bags fall to the ground when I feel a hand snake around my waist. But the smell of cedar wood calms me. I turn to see Xander.But not the way I expected him. I thought he would be fuming with smoke coming out of his ears, but no, something that resembles worry spreads across his face. “What the heck, you scared me.” I place
Aria’s POV Xander lets out a little laugh, and that makes butterflies in my stomach churn."Do you have it with you?" He inquire."No, but I have the formula," I say with a smile."I'll talk to Lucas; he can help with anything you might need," Xander suggests."I don't think I'll need any help from Lucas," I express. I'm unsure if Xander wants Lucas to assist me with pure intentions, but I don't think I'll need it.I’m okay with sharing cures I’ve formulated, but I’m a gatekeeper when it comes to herbs I’ve formulated myself—unless it’s a cure."You will, sunshine," he smiles."When’s the wedding?"I try to change the topic. I need to know the date to make the poison in time for the wedding. The poison will take a few weeks but will be perfect."In two months," he replies. Great! I smile to myself; that's enough time to perfect it without any hassle."Perfect, I’ll make a list of things I need.""Okay, sunshine. There’s enough space in the healers for you to make whatever without anyo
Aria's POV"Pass me the watering can, please," I say to Xander, my gaze focused on the hole I’m digging.We were currently planting a small garden in the backyard. The place looked dull, and I was tired of looking at it from my window.So, I told Xander I wanted to plant some herbs I might need in the near future. He was against it at first, but with a little persuasion, he finally gave in and even offered to help me plant.I was using some of the seeds I had with me when I left Moon Waters pack and some other seeds Xander had. He wanted me to plant them at the healers, but I preferred here, so I could take better care of them with an assurance that no one will tamper with them or mistake them for another herb or flower."Here you go," he hands me the watering can."Thank you," I muttered before I began pouring the water into the hole. When the soil was damp enough, I planted each seed carefully, marking them with a nametag.Xander took the opportunity to make small talk, which was su
Aria's POV"Can you please stop?" I groan.Xander kept trying to kiss me at every chance he got the whole day."Why?" he wraps an arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him."I'm trying to get some sleep, Xander. Please stop this madness already," I groan. Xander is going to drop me off at the healer’s before he leaves for a meeting in a neighboring pack tomorrow.I need to get as much rest as I can because tomorrow is going to be a very busy day for me. I don’t know if they have some of the plants I need for the poison or if I have to look for a new one to substitute it."Dealing with herbs is very tiring, Xander, and I'd appreciate it if you let me sleep tonight. You can start thinking of making those babies later, not now," I whisper, smacking his arm that was slowly making its way under the huge T-shirt I was wearing.Dealing with Xander wasn't easy. I have to muster every ounce of willpower in me to stop myself from giving in. Not just giving in, I might as well get into makin
Aria’s POV "How do you know Fara?" he raised a brow."Well... she is a friend, one of the only people who've been genuinely nice to me when I stayed at the pack house. you're the infamous daddy she's been telling me about," I chuckle."I guess so," he smiles. Now that I'm looking at it, Fara has the same face as her father; the only difference is her eyes and hair—probably her mother's."Fara is a good kid. She'd always have stories to tell me whenever she came back from school. I miss her cute voice and her stories.""As nice as she is, she can be a pain in the neck sometimes," he laughs."Oh really?" I raise a brow."Knock, knock," Rose says when she walks in.Lucas frowns, "How many times do I have to tell you to knock before coming?""I did; I said knock, knock" she smile innocently. "Well, I don't remember telling you, you couldn't come in." His frown deepen."Oh come on, Lucas, take a break," she rolls her eyes."Are you done getting the lab ready?" Lucas turns to his papers."
Aria's POVRose's high-pitched voice filled my ears, and a frown took over my face. I don't know how, but her voice somehow sounded high-pitched—maybe it's because I'm annoyed, or perhaps the pain in my wrist is getting worse."Rose," I force a smile.She rushed to my side, linking arms with my injured arm. It took everything in me to stop myself from wincing. I made a mental note to check my arm when I get to the lab, it’s supposed to heal almost instantly but it’s feels as if i got injured few seconds ago. Maybe it might have something to do with withdrawal or something was stopping me from healing faster. "Where have you been? The alpha has been looking for you." Xander is here? I turn my gaze to the window, but it's already very dark outside. I didn't expect Xander to be back this early; he had to go to two different meetings in two different packs, and maybe he has rounds."Where is he?" I ask as I scan the room for him, but I couldn't find him."He thought you might be in the