Arias povThe little discussion with Xander almost turned into a fight, I tried to make him understand. If where to be pregnant I’ll be the first to know not some Lucas who might’ve mess the result with someone else’s. “I can’t believe you’re making us do this” i say shaking my head with a little smirk. “Making us do what” Xander flashed a smirk of his own. “Making us, go back to the healers, I know I’m not pregnant because I don’t feel pregnant” I laugh. “Well… only time will tell, wait until after the test then we can tell you aren’t pregnant” his eyes were focused on the road this time. “Aren’t. I know I’m not” i cross my arms on my chest staring out the window. Poor Xander is going to be disappointed, I don’t what possessed Lucas to come up with a test result like that. The rest of the drive to the healers was silent. I stared out the window while Xander focused his attention on the road. “Do you have any murder tendencies?” I ask when he opens the car door for me. He arch
**Aria's POV** I opened my eyes to an amused yet smiling Xander. I followed his gaze to the screen and saw something like a tiny bean displayed; it was the baby, very small. "There is the baby," Lucas said, motioning to the screen. My cheeks heated up a little, embarrassed for doubting the test results for the first time. After a few minutes of checking, Lucas wrote down some things in his notepad before turning off the machine and gave me a tissue to wipe off the cold gel from my stomach. "We'll get you a few pictures of the ultrasound to take home," he said before excusing himself from the room. "Hey," Xander started, "are you okay?" Concern covered his face. I didn't know my eyes were tearing up until I felt a stray tear roll down my cheek. "I'm fine," I quickly wiped the tear away from my face. I don't know what to feel; finding out I'm pregnant is still a little shocking to me. How the heck was it possible? I should've been the first person to know I was pregnant, so how
Aria’s POVIt's less than a month to Victor's wedding, and Xander still hasn't said a word about the plan or how everything is going to go off.And I know why he’s doing it; he’s trying to keep me away from everything since I’m pregnant that’s is the only reasonable option I could come up with. But I want to be in on it, want to go to the meetings, and I want to be involved every step of the way. Plus Victor caused more than enough damage to me. He killed my parents and I feel like his blood should be mine to spill. I run my fingers through my hair when I feel a wave of frustration. I take a deep breath to calm my nerves. I’ve been feeling so uneasy for the past few days. I don’t know if it is because of hormones or if something bad might be happening soon. I stare into the mirror at my wannabe bump, patting a hand on it. My T-shirt is doing a good job of showing it. I pull my hair into a messy bun before heading down the stairs for my second or third lunch o don’t even know, it’s
Aria’s POV I wake up with a start, feeling a tight pain shooting through my chest. I try to breathe, but something stands between my airflow."Hey, breathe." I don't know how or when he got there, but his voice was in my head."Breathe, sunshine." He pulls me into his arms, rubbing a hand on my back. While I try to breathe, it doesn't seem to be working; a tear rolls down my cheek.I don't know why it's hard to breathe, but a few distracting words from Xander helped. It felt as if the pearly gates just opened up for me."That's it, baby, breathe slowly." His hand motions up and down, and I follow, taking a breath one after the other.I wrap my arms tighter around him, tears rolling down my face. "I'll go get you some water," he stands to go to the kitchen, but I tighten my hold on his shirt."No, please don't," I hold him tighter. "You can't go, you can't leave me alone," I sob."I won't leave; I'm staying right here with you." He hugs me back. Even with his arms around me, I can't
Aria's POVXander pushed me behind him. “Don’t move,” he ordered. The way his body tensed, I wouldn't move even if he didn't ask.My ears picked up the sound of rumbling again, this time with footsteps drawing closer to us.“I'll be right back, don’t move a step,” he kissed my forehead before lunging at the bushes. My ears picked up the sounds of steps and a loud thud.A few moments passed, and he wasn’t back. The silence felt weird and a bit disturbing, standing here all alone.“Xander,” I whispered, not trying to attract the wrong audience.I called out a few more times, and when I didn’t receive any reply, I decided to follow after him.I trudged through the bushes, making sure to be as quiet as I could be, scanning my surroundings for Xander.The sound of someone wincing grabbed my attention, and I turned in the direction of the sound. With each step, the sound grew louder.I stopped behind a pile of bushes when my nose picked up the scent of fresh blueberries and sandalwood. Not
Xander's POVI smell something fishy lingering around that guy. His face looks so familiar, but I don’t know how or where I know him from.“Can we take him home with us?” Aria asks with a bright smile making my balls twitch.“No,” I state, devoiding my face of any emotion so she understands I'm not joking. This guy could be a spy; we can't trust him at least not this fast, he was or is Aria's friend. but For all we know, he could've changed; people can change in a snap of a finger.“What? Why?” Her eyes widen as if there was an egg garden growing on my head.I feel Jackson asking for my permission to mind-link, which I accepted almost immediately. “Bossman,” Jackson's voice boomed in my head leave it to Jackson to call my random names.“What did you find?” I asked Jackson to look into Aria's so-called friend who showed up out of the blue because I didn't understand how he got past the border without anyone noticing.“What happened to hi, good morning, how was your night Jack?” One of
Aria's POV:“I can’t believe you’re here,” I squeal, crushing Marcus in another hug. After Xander’s meeting, I asked him to drop me off to see Marcus. He’s probably going to get discharged today with the way he looks. Lucas better let us go today because I have a lot to catch up with.“Easy there,” he winces. “Your friend over there messed my ribs up real good. Where did you get those skills from?” He motioned to Xander, who was towering over me like a shield. I've told him Marcus isn't a threat, but he doesn't seem to get it.“Oh, I’m sorry about that,” I give him an apologetic smile. “He must’ve thought you were a rogue.”“You’re not going to introduce us?” Marcus motions at Xander.“Oh, yeah, it totally slipped my mind. Xander, this is my friend Marcus. Like I said before, we’ve been friends since childhood. And Marcus, this is Xander, my mate.” Calling Xander my mate still feels a little tangy on my tongue. I wrap an arm around his waist, pulling him closer.“It’s nice to finally
Aria’s POVI don't plan on going to the bonfire. I don't do well in events; the last time I went to a gathering like that, it didn’t end well for me.I took a deep sigh, tossing from one side of the bed to the other. I'm not hungry yet; my body feels weird, and I keep feeling as if the next time I close my eyes or dare to sleep, the next nightmare is going to be worse than the last.I rolled on the bed a few more times before I finally decided it was time for me to get up. Maybe get a snack or maybe watch a movie to pass the time.I roamed through the fridge, but everything in there isn't exactly what I was hoping for. There's a bunch of veggies and healthy snacks.I gave up and moved to the living room. I remembered I was watching some movie I didn’t finish last time. I turned the TV on, keeping the volume as low as I could.I paused the movie when I heard rumbles coming from the kitchen. I stayed silent, hoping it would stop, but it didn’t. Then I felt the back door creak.I grabbed
XANDER'S POV“I’m fine,” Aria groans in my arms as I carry her.Aria was discharged two days after being admitted to the healer’s. She recovered faster than expected, but I still insisted on carrying her. I wanted to hold her close. As we walked to the lake, I thought she would want to go straight home, but instead, she asked to stop here.“Xander?”“Yes, Sunshine?”“You can put me down here,” she says with a small smile. “We’re at the lake.”“Are you sure?” I tease.“Yes,” she laughs, playfully slapping my chest.“Let’s sit over there,” she points to some large rocks near the water. I carry her all the way and sit on one of the rocks, her arms still around my shoulders.“Okay, mister clingy,” she chuckles, leaning into me.“Xander,” she says softly after a few moments of silence.“You’ve been avoiding this,” she begins. “Every time I try to apologize, you brush it off. Xander, it’s my fault what happened. You shouldn’t blame yourself. I made a mistake, and I—”I cut her off with a kis
XANDER'S POV It’s been a week without my mate. A week without her barging into my office, a week without her leaving snack wrappers all over the place.If I could go back to that day, I would’ve taken her to the car first and made sure someone took her with the others. But I didn’t. I thought I wouldn’t be able to catch Victor if I did, that he’d escape before I reached the car.If I had, she wouldn’t have risked her life to save mine. She wouldn’t have put herself and our baby in danger.Now, seeing her lying on this bed, with the relentless beeping of the monitor beside her, is the last thing I wanted. Even though she’s passed out before, this time is different. This time, I don’t know if she’ll make it.Lucas said her chances of waking up soon are slim.But just like she didn’t give up on me, even when my heart stopped, I won’t give up on her. She’s a fighter, and I know she’ll wake up.“You’ve got it in you, sunshine,” I whisper, gently squeezing her hand.Lucas said she used e
ARIA'S POV “Alexander, please, you have to wake up,” I said between sobs.My mind was completely blank. I didn’t know what to do or how to help him. All I could do was cry, holding his head on my lap.“You need to wake up,” I whispered, trying to connect with my wolf inside me.“We need to focus. We can save him,” I told her as I finally felt her presence.“No, we can’t,” she replied sadly. “He was stabbed with a silver knife, and it’s poisoned. Not just any poison, Aria it’s strong, and the blade went into his heart. We don’t even have anything to work with. You’ve already used up all the antidotes, and nothing is working. He’s not breathing, and his heartbeat is fading.”“Remember that time we healed a butterfly with just my hands?” I reminded her desperately.“That was ages ago, and it only worked once,” she countered. “Besides, Xander is not a butterfly.”“We have to try. I can’t forgive myself if anything happens to him. I don’t think I’d even be able to keep breathing without h
ARIA'S POVXander stood firm, his icy gaze locked on Victor. The tension in the air was thick, and I stayed rooted to the rock he had placed me on, my thoughts swirling as Victor’s taunts rang in my ears."I have no idea what file you’re after, Xander, but you’re not getting it," Victor said with a smug grin, his stance oozing confidence.Xander’s fists clenched. "Hand over the files, Victor. Or else."Victor chuckled darkly, his laughter echoing through the clearing. "Or else what? You think I’m scared of you? You’ll never get the files, and you’ll never know what’s in them. I’d rather burn them than hand them over."Xander took a menacing step closer. "Then apologize. Apologize to Aria for killing her parents to satisfy your greed."The mention of my parents made my chest tighten. I felt like the ground beneath me was about to give way.victor raises a brow."apologize for killing the holloways" Xander growled, even though Victor had a hand in the fire Xander's family were in why is
ARIA'S POV When I was sure Albert was dead, I dragged what was left of his body to the mud pit at the far end of the clearing. My hands were trembling, and my breathing was uneven, but I had no time to dwell on it.The chaos from the ceremony was still ringing in my ears, and I needed to get back. After wiping my hands on the damp earth, I made my way back to the gathering. But when I arrived, what greeted me was utter destruction.People were running in all directions, panic clear on their faces. Shattered decorations and overturned chairs littered the ground. Fires burned in scattered patches, and the air smelled of blood and smoke.I searched the area for Marcus, but he was nowhere to be seen. Neither was Xander. My heart pounded in my chest as I scanned the chaos. The only person I could make out was Russel, who was helping people escape from the premises.Where’s Victor? I thought to myself, my anxiety growing.Pushing through the chaos, I kept searching until I finally caught s
ARIA’S POV““Hello, Berta. I knew we’d meet again, but I didn’t expect it to be this soon,” I said with a smirk, watching the fear flicker in her eyes. It was clear she hadn’t anticipated this confrontation, and the sight of her trembling filled me with satisfaction.“A-Aria... What are you doing here? And you...” She paused, sniffing the air cautiously. “You smell different.”“We’re not friends or long lost allies, Berta, so what I smell like should be none of your business,” I replied coldly, taking a deliberate step toward her.She stepped back instinctively, and for every step I took, she retreated further, her back finally pressing against the rough bark of a tree.In a sudden, desperate move, she pulled out a knife and plunged it into her stomach. Warm blood splattered onto my hand, and for a moment, I froze in shock.“Berta!” I shouted, my voice rising with disbelief. “What the heck did you just do?”She slumped to the ground, clutching her self inflicted wound, her breaths com
ARIA'S POV From the corner of my eye, I spotted a familiar figure a woman with grey hair tied in her usual thin plaits, wearing the same plain dress I'd seen her in countless times before.Her scent hit me before her identity fully registered, and with it came a rush of emotions I couldn’t suppress. Anger, grief, and hatred all mixed into a bitter concoction I’d been forced to swallow over the years.How could I ever forget that scent?For a moment, I hesitated. I wanted to stay and savour the view before me Victor, the man who orchestrated so much of my suffering, unknowingly sipping from his poisoned glass of wine. But this wasn’t just about revenge. It was about justice, and justice demanded answers.I turned on my heel and followed her, keeping my distance. She walked briskly, her movements deliberate, as though she were on a mission. My instincts screamed that this could be a trap, but curiosity won. Whatever this was, I needed to know.My hand brushed the weapon strapped to my
XANDER'S POV"i'm in" Marcus says the desperation in his tone clear as day.“This isn’t the place to talk about these things,” I say, my voice steady but firm. I glance at him, trying to figure out what Aria must have said to him. Something has clearly changed because, out of nowhere, he’s full of determination to join the plan.I still can’t wrap my head around it. The last time we spoke, he made it very clear he had no interest in this event, let alone helping with anything related to it.In fact, he outright told me he wasn’t coming.“That’s exactly why we need to do this now,” he says. His tone is calm but urgent as he pulls a small pocket knife out of his jacket. Before I can even react, he slices his palm without hesitation. Blood seeps from the cut, and he holds out his hand toward me, silently urging me to shake it.For a moment, I’m stunned. I blink, trying to process what just happened. Amusement and shock mix inside me.“Do you even know what you’re doing right now?” I ask,
ARIA’S POV“Oh, hey Marc,” I say, smiling as Marcus steps up beside me from behind.“Hey, Marc,” Kristie echoes, wiping her mouth with a napkin.“Hi,” Marcus responds with a polite nod.“I’m Kristie,” she introduces herself, offering him a hand to shake before I even get the chance to introduce them.“Nice to meet you, Kristie. I’m Marcus,” he says, shaking her hand firmly.We both chuckle at their exchange, though my mind is elsewhere.We need to get out of Xander’s reach, I tell Marcus through the mind link.I haven’t looked back since Kristie and I walked away, but I can feel Xander’s eyes boring into my back, hot and heavy like a burning flame.“He’s just being a good mate, as he should be, Aria,” Marcus replies.“You call making me uncomfortable being a good mate?” I retort.“Well, if it were me…” He pauses for a moment, scratching the back of his neck. “If my mate were still here, I’d probably be staring at her like a lovesick stalker twenty-four hours a day if she wasn’t next t