Aria's POV:“You know you don’t have to go if you don’t want to, right?” Xander tells me as I rummage through his closet for my clothes and a few of his hoodies.I only smile at him as I stuff the clothes into a duffle bag I found somewhere in the closet.“I’m serious, Aria. If you don’t want to go, I can tell Meredith you won’t go,” he says.I still haven’t regained my complete strength. Zipping the duffle felt like a very hard task. But the a few extra pull and curses under my breath, I manage to zip it up.I realize I never asked Xander if I could borrow the duffle, so I turn to him. “You don’t mind me borrowing this, right?”“You don’t have to ask; we are mates for heaven’s sake,” he chuckles a bit.“Okay, I’m ready to go,” I tell him as I stand up from the floor.“Are you sure you want to do this?” He sounds concerned.“What choice do I have?” I force a smile.“I can talk to Meredith if you don’t want to,” he offers.“Just so she can rat me out to the healers' council, right?” I

**Aria’s POV**“Fuck, I’m so sorry,” I croaked out, hastily wiping my mess from his chest.Thankfully, it was just his chest. It hadn’t reached the floor.“Aria,” Xander says, holding my wrist to stop my futile attempt to clean my vomit. Looking at his chest, I only managed to make it worse—little rice particles and my saliva adorned his shirt, changing its color from white to brown.“Are you okay?” he implored. Worry etched across his face.“Uhm, yeah, I’m good,” I lied.I was nowhere near good. I felt awful inside. If I didn’t get the remaining rice out of my stomach, I might have to puke again, and this time, it wouldn’t just be on his shirt; I might get it on the floor. So I needed to get to a bathroom as soon as possible.“I just need to get to the bathroom,” I told him and began running in the direction of our room. It was only a few doors away, but it felt like I was ten miles away, so I ran faster.I could feel him running behind me, but I didn’t care. I just needed to puke wh

**Aria’s POV:**The same girls from a few days back waltz in to the room with a food tray, and I swear, the scent of bacon hits my nose, and suddenly, I'm a ravenous wolf with a growling stomach.A blush decides to throw a party on my face.“Good morning, Luna,” she smiles.“Good morning,” I tell her, realizing I'm in a name-forgetting crisis. Did she even tell me her name in the first place?“Something came up, so the alpha sent me to bring breakfast,” she says, placing the tray on the nightstand.“Thank you,” I mutter, my smile mirroring back at her.She scrutinizes my face, and I'm almost sure she's inspecting the aftermath of the mark Xander left on lip. She smiles, and I feel my face heat up like a microwave burrito.I watch her every move, praying she's not Sherlock Holmes and won't notice the shift in my scent, indicating I might smell like a freshly mated wolf. It hasn’t been twenty-four hours, but I’m pretty sure I've gone through scent puberty in the meantime.She flashes me

"Where on earth do you think you're headed?" Xander inquired, disappointment and anger etched on his handsome face.With his hair secured in a low bun, he leaned casually against a tree. Clad in black pants and a white dress shirt neatly tucked into them, his tie hung loosely around his neck. He looked like he had just dashed from a swanky dinner, missing only a suit jacket to complete the ensemble.Memories of the previous night crashed over me, and a strange sensation churned in my stomach as I gazed at him. The urge to rush to his side and taste his lips battled within me.Attempting to push those tempting thoughts aside, I concentrated on plotting my next move. The last thing I wanted was to return to his pack willingly. I had a mission to accomplish, and I had come too far to back down now.Firmly gripping my backpack, I took stock of my surroundings. I found myself less than a mile away from the pack's border. If I sprinted with all my might, I might manage to escape Xander's ter

:Aria’s POVThe pain from the silver chain seems to worsen with each tug.I pull my hand with all my strength, and the bed shakes; one more pull, and I might be able to break the headboard of the bed.One more pull, and I’m certain I’ll break it.With a growl, I pull but stop mid-way when the door creaks open, and Xander walks in.“Easy, tiger,” he speaks with a mocking smirk on his face.Different from last night, he is dressed in a grey t-shirt that hugs his body like a second skin with black cargo pants; his silky curls lay freely on his shoulder. The urge to run my hands through them is strong. But I push the thought to the back of my mind. I should be thinking of how to get out of this burning chains.“Help me out of this chain,” I say, expecting him to rush to my side and take the darn thing off. But he doesn’t; he only leans on the door frame.“Xander?” I try again, raising a brow. Couldn’t he see I’m in pain here? My wrist might detach from my arm any moment from now. The silv