ARIA'S POV:With every sight of the letter I took from the floor, my breathing grew stronger.In the background, I could hear Claire's faded voice calling out to me, but I was just too engrossed in my thoughts. With the little level of consciousness I had, I saw Claire move out of my room with urgency and speed.Coming down from my bed, I moved to the letter as cautiously as I could. What could the letter contain? Was it just a letter, or was it more? Poisonous pen ink fumes? Poisonous paper? Dane was capable of these things even worse.Picking up the letter, I held it at arm's length, opening it. After some screening, I realised that it was just a letter. That was fear number one, down.If it wasn't poisonous ink fumes or poisonous paper, then why was he writing to me? And why now? What was his motive?Bringing the paper close to me, I read with care. "My lovely Aria, it's Dane Seymour. Ring a bell?"How would it not?"I'll have to give good kudos to your knight in shining armor; ho
ARIA'S POVWe took off by five a.m. so as to get to the moon goddess's temple."Do we have all that we need?" Anthony asked Elijah."Water, food—that's pretty much all that's there." Elijah said.The strange mage just sat in the back of the carriage, sitting like she was hearing and seeing things. Claire gave me a flask with chamomile tea for the ride."Thank you." I said to her. She gave me her usual smile. This was a few minutes to five a.m.."We need to head out." The mage said: "The earlier, the better.""We will be leaving now." Anthony said to Elijah, and Elijah nodded."Let me help you." Anthony said as I tried to climb the carriage."I'm fine." I said to him, rejecting his help. "I can get on on my own." I knew what I was doing was hurting him, but this had to be done for the greater good. At least, that was what I thought.We climbed into the carriage, and off we went to the temple of the moon goddess."You didn't tell us your name " Anthony said to the mage."How important i
DARCY'S POV:I squeezed my eyes shut, my body rocking with the force of Malcolm's thrusts. I did my best to dissociate from the situation, reminding myself that this was all for the greater good."You feel so fucking amazing right now," he groaned, grabbing my hips and hitting me hard. "Don't leave a mark," I said, turning my head to look at him. He had his head thrown back, exposing his throat. If I had a dagger, I would have slit his throat right now. But I didn't. So I turned back and buried my face in the pillow, waiting for this to be over. Once he was done, I pushed him off me and pulled my clothes back on."Not so fast," he said, grabbing my arm. "Let go of me!" I yelled, struggling with Malcolm. I had to get back to Nightfang in time before Logan would notice that I was gone. I didn't want to think of what could possibly happen if Logan found out that I was missing. He would search the entire vicinity, looking for me. Then what excuse would I have to justify the fact that
MALCOLM'S POV:"Shit!" I had been lying on the glass shards for over twenty minutes, trying to stand up on my feet. A big shard was stuck in my side, which made it even more painful to rise. Mustering all I had, I gave myself a push, only for my hand to meet another shard of glass piercing through my palm."Shit! That little thing." She had done this to me, and then she fled.I looked at the wound, and with all these I had, I pulled out the large shard of glass from my side. It took courage and composure for me to not scream. The shard was out, so all I had to do was get up.After a few trials and errors, I got up from the midst of the shards and limped towards the bed.Heal! I was looking at the injury I had sustained, expecting it to heal like the others, but it just gaped at me, bleeding.I rose from the bed and walked to the room's drawer. I began searching and looking for anything that I could place on the injury to at least stop the bleeding. Eventually, I could grab a white tow
Pathway to TruthARIA'S POV:All the stress for nothing! As Anthony and I rode back to the packing house, I stared into space. The mage had stayed back at the temple, where she belonged, while the three of us, including the carriage rider, headed back for the pack house.Anthony said nothing on our way to the pack house, which I was grateful for. Because the last thing I wanted to hear right now, was anybody's voice.The moon goddess placed a curse on Nightfang. For what reason? She didn't say. There was a condition to the curse. What condition? She still didn't say. How then would she want me to find out the condition of the curse or why she even placed the curse? I was starting to feel that not only was I cursed to be infertile, but I was also cursed to have a sad and miserable life. If not, I wouldn't have to suffer the way I was.I reached out to take the bottle of water and was offered it by Anthony. "Thank you."He nodded. He was such an amazing person, I was just not worthy of
ARIA'S POV:As Anthony and I left for Zilam to see Malcolm, I didn't know what to feel. Was the person who had written this letter to me really Malcolm Wilson, my grandfather?Anthony had set up guards at specific distances and locations to follow us in case of an ambush or trap. We weren't sure, but safety required it."Was it necessary to wear this?" Anthony asked me, looking at the overall hood disguise I had given him."Of course. I wouldn't want Uncle Jeremiah to know that I am in Zilam." I told him."And why is that?" "Because, we need to find out first, if the letter was truly from Malcolm. We have to be a thousand and one percent sure." I said to Anthony, answering his questions."Didn't you say you had a hunch?" He asked me."Are we going to do this right now?" I asked, redirecting his question."No, we are not." He replied, ending what looked like a brooding argument.I had decided to disguise us as Zilam villagers returning with food from the market. As much as I knew when
ARIA'S POV:Uncle Jeremiah, together with some of his most trustworthy guards, followed Anthony and me to Malcolm's house."He had been in Zilam the entire time, and I, the Alpha, didn't know." Uncle Jeremiah sighed."He was keeping a low profile, Uncle." I said to Uncle Jeremiah as the carriage rode in my direction."I apologize for all that he put your pack through." Uncle Jeremiah spoke to Anthony."We got over it, and still have our reputation thanks to my grandfather." Anthony said."He was a man of valor and power." Uncle Jeremiah said it with a look on his face, like he did whenever he was about to delve down into memory lane."Oh uncle." I said, protesting. "Not down memory lane.""Why not, dear?" He laughed. "That's where...""Life is." I completed the sentence.
ARIA'S POV:"I'm so sorry for all the pain I have caused you, Aria." Malcolm said, coughing up blood. "You can now live in peace.""You made me miserable for my entire life." I said, trying to digest all that I had just heard from my grandfather. "I lost everything because of your evil." "You..." I cried, losing all the strength I had left in me. "How was Darcy able to conceive when I couldn't? And my parents, who killed them? Were you the one?" I asked him, rising to my feet."Aria." Anthony called, rising with me."Tell me!" I said, walking up to the bed where Malcolm lay, turning his pale face to look at me."I hope that you will have it in your heart to forgive your grandfather for all the pain that he has caused you.""My parents... Who killed them?""I don't know of that one, Aria. It wasn't me." He said breathing like