[Alphonze's POV]I keep my gaze fixed on the door of my room until Aera appears with a look of relief plastered on his face.Immediately, my heart constricts painfully as I'm reminded of how much of a burden I truly am, not only to him but to everyone around me."How are you feeling?" He asks, making his way toward me. "Does anything hurt? Should I have Hanson come back?"'Calm down,' I sigh through mindlink. 'I'm fine.'"Are you sure?" He counters, not seeming convinced. "You don't have to pretend to try to be strong. If it hurts, say it."'You're one to talk,' I chuckle. 'Maybe you should take your own advice.'"This isn't about me," Aera snaps, going on defense as he always did when anyone broached the topic of feelings. "I'm not the one who almost..."'I didn't,' I argue. 'It was just a bit of fluid on the lungs, nothing major.'At my words, Aera's face falls, and his eyes shoot toward the door. I'm sure he is silently cursing Ayla, even though she wasn't the one responsible for m

[Aera’s POV]I must be imagining things. This had to be an illusion from the alcohol, especially since the last time I approached Ayla, she turned me down immediately. But the body that is beneath me feels so real and warm."Is this an illusion?" I murmur."No, this is real," Ayla responds.Frowning, I lift onto my elbows and stare down into her flushed face, taking in the sparkling forest green eyes that watch me.Positioning my weight on one arm, I lift my other hand and slap myself in the face, causing Ayla’s eyes to grow wide with shock."What are you doing?" she gasps. "Why did…""This isn’t my imagination," I hiss, sobering up instantly and sitting up. "Dammit!"Immediately, guilt begins to slam into me as Alphonze’s face flashes in my mind.What the fuck was I doing? He had said that he was interested in Ayla, but here I was attacking her, and what was worse, she was responding to me."Aera?" she repeats, sitting up and attempting to touch me. "Are you al…""DON’T FUCKING TOUCH

[Ayla's POV]I cut off the connection with Aera while fighting against my chains. Within me, I can feel the darkness begging to be released, but I ignore it while trying to calm myself so I can think rationally. If it were to take control, then my chances of escape would greatly diminish. I couldn't let it win—not now, not ever.Above and around me, the cracks are growing bigger, allowing more water to fill my cell. As it rises inch by inch, my need to survive kicks up, and with it, the thought of maybe allowing the darkness to take over hits. It's becoming near impossible to keep it at bay, and at this point, what did I have to lose? If I was near death, what was to stop it from taking over anyway?Immediately, I feel a jolt within me as it attempts to make my desire a reality, but I quickly squash it down.No, I couldn't give in until it was absolutely necessary. If there was still a will, there was a way.Feeling my need to live kick in, I strengthen my attempts to break the chains

[Ayla's POV]I stare into Aera's dark gaze, trying to make sense of what is happening.I remembered being in that cell and desperately trying to escape, and then the darkness taking over, and then the prison's roof crumbling, then... I was floating in darkness until a tiny light began to form. Something about that light was so damn comforting that I did everything I could to reach it, and then… Aera's face appeared.Frowning, I lift a hand and touch his cheek, trying to determine if he was real."They must be mates."Chandler's exclamation slams into me like a ton of bricks, causing me to jerk my hand back and fix my disbelieving gaze on Aera's.Mates… How the hell could that be possible? Aera and I went together about as well as two negative ions. We didn't work, and anyway, there was no way we could be mates since neither of us felt it that night.Brushing off Chandler's words, I untangle myself from Aera's hold. He was here too? Then did that mean Uncle Silas was also here?Right n

AUTHOR’S NOTE: A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE BEAUTIFUL AUTHOR MOONLIGHT MUSE! If you haven’t already, be sure to stop by her insta and wish her a happy birthday and show her all the love in the world![Ayla's POV]For the next few days, I'm put under house arrest while Uncle Silas deals with the aftermath of Corinna's crazy antics. Despite insisting I was fine to at least go to practice for my examination even with a broken hand, but he wouldn't budge.During my time of being locked away, I didn't hear a word from Aera, which in the end I guessed was fine. Honestly, I needed to accept that we wouldn't cross paths again, and if I wanted to stick to that, I couldn't even continue my revenge, which was a pity because he was definitely one of the best fucks I ever had, and I did find myself almost slipping and creeping into his dreams many times.To keep myself occupied, I caught up on some of my favorite online stories like Her Forbidden Alpha and Her Cold-Hearted Alpha by Moonlight Muse,