Aria’s POVI forgot the last time I slept peacefully. I slept all through the night without waking up in the middle of the night from a nightmare. I had a dream, but I forgot what happened. I don’t know if it was a nightmare or not and I’m happy I don’t remember. When it comes to my dreams, I’m cool not knowing what happened because I don’t remember the last time I had a dream that wasn’t a nightmare.I stretched my hands, releasing a yawn.“Good morning, sunshine,” a deep, groggy voice spoke. I flinched at the sound.I turned to the sound of the voice. It was freaking Xander. I was back in our room, Julia, that traitor! I mentally screamed. She must’ve opened the door even after what I told her. “Why am I here?” I asked.“Because it’s where you are supposed to be,” he smirked. I fought every single willpower not to slap that smirk off his face.“I thought I told you to leave me alone,” I spat. I really don’t know what is wrong with him at this point. Mate or not, he’s supposed to b
Aria's POV"Why are we here?" I ask, moving my legs that have been dipped in the water. I let the cold temperature of the water settle in.Xander's feet are also in the water; he is sitting next to me."Why do you think we are here, sunshine?" he throws my question back at me."Well… you brought us here. How about you tell me why we are here?""To take our minds off things," his eyes focused on my face. "You've been cranky for the past twenty-four hours. So how about we cleanse those bad energies with a day out in the lake?""No, I haven't," I protest, crossing my arms on my chest."Ever since I came back, have we spoken to each other without you raising your voice or getting mad?""Well… uhm—" I try to come up with an excuse, but I can't. My brain always betrays me when I most need it."See! That's why we need to cleanse those bad energies surrounding you." I didn't know he fetched the water until he splashed me with it."What the heck?" I flinch when the cold water touches me. "You
Aria's POV"Xander," I broke the silence."Yes, sunshine," he cups my face.I open my mouth to say something but couldn't bring myself to start. "Nothing," I say, wanting to talk but keeping it short."You know you can tell me anything, sunshine," his hand wraps tighter around me as my head lays on his chest.It feels so good and so right, with his warm arms around me it feel like home, making me feel like that's where I belong. "Do you want to tell me about that dream?" How does he know that's what I wanted to talk about?My jaw almost drops to the floor, and I shove his chest. "Are you in my head again?" I glared at him suspiciously ."No," he says."You're lying!""No, I'm not," he smiles."Then how do you know what I wanted to talk to you about?""I can assure you I'm not lying, sunshine. I just wanted to know the infamous dream that has my sunshine thinking I'm cheating with another woman." My cheeks feel redder than canned tomatoes. I'm beyond embarrassed. I feel so stupid; I sh
Aria's POV"What? No! I don't think they will ever do that," Xander spoke, and I felt something unclench in my stomach. But who would ever try to drug me? They look like the perfect suspects for that. I don't know how to imagine someone simply drugging me without my parents' knowledge and caused me to make me forget the things that had happened to me? This just doesn't make any sense to me. I rake my fingers into my hair."Who do you think did it?" I raised a brow. "I think it might be them," my voice came out as a whisper.Feeling something moist and a bit itchy around my eyes, I thought, "Shit, am I about to cry again? How many times am I going to cry today? This is like the third time." A voice in my head scolded, "Aria, get a grip on yourself, damn it! Aren't you tired of showing weakness already?"I really need to stop crying; I really need to get a grip. But I can't; I don't seem to know how to control my emotions. The control has been snatched away from me, and my body is curr
Arias pov The alpha wants a word with me? Why does Xander want to talk to me? And why is he sending someone to call me?"Is everything okay?" I ask him."Well… in a way it is," he smiles. "You can finish up here. I'll be on my way," he turns to leave.I give Julia one last look before making my way to the door. "I'll be right back.""But you haven't finished your meal," her voice is behind me."I'll finish it when I come back," I yell back, making my way to Xander's office.I take a deep breath when the door comes into view. Before knocking on it. Before waiting for his response, I open the door to find Xander seated behind his desk with Simon sitting across from him."Hello," I say when I close the door behind me. I sit on the couch at the other end of the room.The room goes silent for a few minutes."So," Xander's voice breaks the silence. "Let's get straight to the point." His expression looks nothing like the Xander I went to the lake with."Okay… what are we talking about today
Aria's POVAfter what felt like an hour of crying, yes, in the shower, I finally got a grip on myself and got out of the shower.I honestly forgot the real reason that made me cry, but I knew I was mad at Xander. I wrapped my hair in a towel and dressed in sweatpants and a long-sleeved shirt. I don’t know why it was so cold today; maybe it was because I sat in the cold shower for a long time.Staring at my puffy eyes in the mirror, I knew I needed to do something. My crying is getting out of hand, and if I don’t do anything about it soon, my eyes might fall out of their sockets.I need to find something to calm my nerves and emotions. I’m a very big mess!Then it hit me, ‘Rose.’ Rose might be able to help out; she tried her best to help me when I was going through my withdrawal. So she must definitely have something to help out.But… for that, I need to get out of this house first. So I made a mental note to go see Rose tomorrow. I’ve missed her a little bit.I dragged the covers over
Aria's POVComing out here was a bad idea; I should have grabbed a coat or jacket to keep me warm. I don’t even have a shoe on, even though my wolf genes are supposed to keep me warm, I guess it’s too cold for it.I took another step closer to the lake. I had nowhere to go, and I have no idea where to go. The pack house wouldn’t be a good idea; people there don’t actually like me, and the healers are a bunch of snitches. I know for a fact they will call Xander the very moment I walk in the entrance.So I settled on the lake; it was the only place I could think of. Unlike the morning, it’s so cold out here; so cold I don’t even dare to put a foot into the water. I can’t risk it.So, I just sit by the water, trying my best not to cry. Sitting out here is triggering memories I don’t want to remember, memories from my past, my first day in the pack house.—It was a very snowy night, and I had to move to the pack-house because I’m not allowed to live alone in my house. I wasn’t old enough
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