Aria's POV"I wouldn't say awful," Simon's voice was a little low when he said that."They weren't good people, but they changed when you came along they did their best to become better. They saw their death as a way to make up for all they had done in the past.""So… who was tracking them, and what did they do to that person or people?" The least he could do after shattering the good image of my parents that I had: is to tell me who killed them and why they did it."The alpha of Blood Moon pack was looking for your father because he felt your father betrayed him by abandoning his duties as the beta and going rogue with a woman when he could have rejected. Your father knew a lot of things that could end Alpha Lysander if they were leaked. To protect those dark secrets, he decided to hunt down your parents and end them. But then, your parents made a lot of enemies when they started working for Alpha Julius of Moon Waters pack. Like I said, I didn't know how they met him or what they di
Aria's POV"So?" I arch a brow at Simon.Does he think I'm afraid of biting the dust on the path of revenge? Death and I made peace ages ago, though now with Xander in the picture, I have a weakness—whether I like it or not.In the good old days, I'd charge into the fray solo, no hostages for my enemies. But with Xander in the mix, I can't shake the feeling that abandoning my revenge for a rendezvous with my mate would be the epitome of hypocrisy."What do you mean 'so'?" Worry took over the surprise on Simon's face."I always knew my parents' death wasn't a run-of-the-mill hit and run or a failed robbery. That's was why I delved into it, taking as much time as I could for the right moment. So, I knew exactly how dangerous it's going to be," I explain, my tone a mix of exasperation."It's worse than whatever you're thinking. These people are monsters," his voice came out a bit higher than normal."I'll make a mental note to enroll in 'Monster Takedown 101,'" I quip, aiming for a touch
Aria’s POVI stiffen when the door creaks open. I didn’t need to open my eyes to know who it was. From the cedar scent, I knew it was Xander. After days of staying in the pack house or wherever the heck he had been staying, he finally decided to crawl his way back into the room."Maybe he’s here to pick something up and leave," I thought to myself.With my eyes still tightly shut, I could feel his movement in the room. When the movements stopped, I felt the bed dip as he lied next to me, and I instinctively shifted. His hands curved around my hips and pulled me until there was no space between us.“I know you aren’t sleeping,” he whispers, his voice gravelly, deeper than it normally was.I keep quiet, still putting up the sleeping facade.I feel his nose in my neck, breathing in and out, causing jolts of electricity to shoot up to every part of my body that his skin touched.I don’t know what he’s trying to achieve with his sudden appearance and out-of-pocket intimacy. Every part of m
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