celestial blue eyes still held the faintest glow, as if the moon's power had lingered in her. The i

g to her? For years, she had searched for a sign that the power within her existe

ine, her mother's voice, came through, steady and familiar. "Come down

rying it beneath a mask of composure. Whatever was happening, she couldn't let it distr

I'm good honey, how are you doing? I heard about

Moonstone, Aria replied as she piped down the sandwich for breakfast with a hot cu

hues of pink and gold across the horizon, yet a cold knot lingered in her chest. She had never felt more out

he one thing that could secure their future. The rogue vampires had been growing bolder, and the Moonstone Pack couldn't

ng herself. The idea seemed so far-fetched, so mystical-especially in the light of her growing resentment toward the bond

ut now, it seemed as if the very thing she had tried to deny her whole

lled her from her thoughts. She looked up to see Elias wa

d, though it was clear h

t in her stomach tightened.

is about our survival. Don't let your emotions get in the way of wha

s pressed into a thin line

ight of their shared responsibility hanging in the air. Together, they made their wa

ntatives from both packs standing around it. Aria's gaze immediately sought out Asher, who stood at the far end of the table, his posture rigid, his stormy gray eyes scan

nease through Aria, and she quickly lo

is expression serious. "Ah, Aria," he greeted, his voice

he weight of the momen

r gazes locked. The intensity in his stare made Aria's breath

tegy. Aria barely listened, her mind still spinning from the tension between her and Asher. Her emotions, despite her best efforts to control

always a formidable force, but Aria couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

ke hands, solidifying the alliance. Aria watched, her heart pounding i

e one person he had rejected in front of everyone-his expressi

refused to show it. She straightened her back,

toward her-it was toward everyone. His entire demeanor spoke of someone who had been hardened by pain, someone who had buried

her chest. The rejection she had felt was just about the mate bond.

a made her way to the edge of the clearing, feeling a pang of relief

as said, walking up beside h

mile. "It wasn't. But w

that something's still bothering you. Yo

lias. I can't seem to shake the feeling that there's somethin

You can't let yourself be distracted by

ection she felt to Asher. Even through his rejection, even through hi

as only the beginning. Her powers were still untapped, her emotions still in turm

ies, Aria couldn't help but wonder if this alliance with the Silverfang Pack was