[Ayla's POV]I stare down at the hand that is held out to me and find myself wondering if it would truly be okay to take it. If I said that I didn't feel a pull toward Aera, I'd be lying, but the fear of him turning on me remains.Would it be alright for me to trust this man in front of me, or would I come to regret it?Immediately, images of his reaction toward learning what my blood could do appear, and my wall begins to go back up, but I stop it before it can slam completely into place.Sure, he may have reacted like he did, but he was making an effort to make up for it, and I needed to keep that in mind."Well?" Aera pushes. "Are you going to make me beg?""Begging doesn't sound half bad," I admit with a giggle. "I wouldn't mind seeing that.""Then, mon avenir, will you please give me a chance to make up for all my crimes against you by worshipping you like the goddess you are?"A blush begins to creep up my cheeks, and I feel my heart do a somersault. Shit, this man was smooth. H

[Aera’s POV]Ayla doesn’t speak as she examines me, trying to figure out exactly what it was that I was getting at, but before she can question me, Hanson returns.His face is flushed, and sweat beads his skin, making it look like he had just run a marathon. "Was it that difficult going from here to the hospital?" I ask, eyeing him. "I didn’t think you were in bad shape.""Watch it," he warns, shooting a glare. "I couldn’t just stroll out of this damn temple and then waltz back in with this." As he speaks, he holds up a box that looks like an old FM radio with a small microphone attached to it. "The elders would certainly ask questions.""What is that?" Ayla asks, fixing her gaze on the machine."It’s a doppler," Hanson explains. "If you would, please lay down and lift your shirt."At his words, a growl of warning escapes me."Is that necessary?" I ask, not wanting another man to lay eyes on even an inch of my woman."If you want me to check the baby's heartbeat to make sure it’s sti

[Ayla’s POV]I don’t speak as Aera’s words settle around us, causing the atmosphere to grow heavier and heavier. If we were talking about anyone else, this discussion wouldn’t be so uncomfortable, but since we were speaking about Celia, it was entirely different."You said," Uncle Silas begins, his voice cold. "Celia attempted to kill Ayla."I wasn’t sure if he was angry that he didn’t know about this or if he didn’t believe what was being said, but I knew that he was trying his hardest to not lose his temper."That’s right," Aera confirms, not backing down. "With her freakish fire.""Careful," Isabella warns, fixing a glare on Aera. "Even if what you’re saying is true, Celia is still my sister and my parents daughter. You will not badmouth her in front of us.""And what about Ayla?" Aera demands. "She was almost killed by your sister and their daughter. Does that mean nothing?""Aera," I murmur, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "Celia wasn’t herself at that time.""And what of the o

[Aera's POV]Later, I lay in bed staring down at Ayla's sleeping face while fighting the urge to wake her up for another round of fun. Even though we had gone multiple times already, I still just couldn't get enough. Was it because she was my mate that I couldn't stop myself from wanting to feel her against me? To hear her voice screaming my name? And to be by her side at all times?Deciding that had to be it, I let my eyes travel down to her exposed breasts and felt my dick throb with anticipation.'Don't,' Rayze warns as I prepare to grab Ayla's breast. 'She's carrying our pups and needs all the sleep she can get.''One more won't…''Think with your head, not your dick,' Rayze warns, fighting to take control to stop me from doing what I wanted to do.'Fine," I growl, giving Ayla's naked body a look of longing.For now, I would let her sleep since there was something I needed to do anyway. I knew that Silas and Lennox intended to send someone to keep track of Celia, but what if she m

[Ayla’s POV]"I know."Barren didn’t need to point out to me how serious of a situation we were in. However, I knew that convincing those around me that this needed to be done was going to be difficult given my… circumstances."Is it him?" He suddenly asks."Who?" "Aera Lebeau."As he says Aera’s name, Barren doesn’t bother hiding his dislike of him."You do know he is playing with you, right?" He continues when I don’t respond. "He’ll end up doing you the same way he did my sister once he is done playing with you."I remain silent as Barren’s words hit me. Maybe he was right, maybe he wasn’t. That would be for me to see in the future, but I had decided I would give him a chance, and I didn’t intend to go back on that."If we’re done here, I need to...""Ayla!" Barren snaps, reaching out and grabbing me again. "Are you really going to reject me for him?""I am," I confirm.When the words leave my lips, it feels like a thousand tiny little knives stab into my heart, and breathing beco