72.

Aria's POV

Yesterday's encounter with Mysha was not pleasant, but thankfully Luke is still sane enough not to cause trouble. He calmed Mysha, and the latter relaxed, enough for us to depart. If not, chaos will reign supreme because of her rage.

"Aria..."

I stared lazily at the bedroom door that had just opened, through which Nicholas had entered. We're not completely fine. But I have no choice but to swallow my pride. So we made some concessions. I returned to the pack, but not on his life—hence the separate bedroom.

"Yes?"

He coughed up. "Lunch is ready downstairs; let's eat."

I nodded.

There was no place for me to be stubborn about these little details. Nicholas is trying to reach out to me in many ways, but something inside of me isn't ready to risk another possible heartbreak. He's made it apparent that he wants me back, it's just that I'm scared.

That horrific recollection is what is holding me back. It reduced my ability to weigh things. It makes me question everything that ha