Nathan’s POV

As soon as I heard Aria’s door click shut, I opened mine. It was adjacent from hers.

The sharp scent of the man from yesterday, cut through the air. My scent was however masked. I didn’t want Aria sniffing me in the air.

For a split second, I caught the flash of joy in his eyes when thought it was Aria’s door that opened. Then his expression shifted the moment his gaze landed on me. The warmth drained away, replaced by an aloof, untouchable mask.

My claws itched beneath my skin.

"Why are you pestering her?" I demanded, my voice low, edged with a growl I barely managed to suppress. "What exactly are you after?"

I didn’t bother hiding the cold in my eyes. I wanted him to recognize the Alpha’s warning in them.

The man chuckled softly. The sound was like water over stones, deceptively clear nad deceptively calm. His blue eyes shimmered as they met mine.

"Pestering?" he echoed lightly. "You are the one doing that, not me. From my research, you are a piece of secondhand goods she already threw away, don’t you think you are being a little too devoted?"

The words hit harder than a blade.

My wolf roared within me.

Heat exploded behind my eyes, flames licking through my veins. I felt my canines lengthen, my heartbeat thunder in my ears.

"You’re asking for it," I snarled and lunged for him

But before I could reach him, He darted into his room and slammed the door shut. It didn’t close completely, just enough to leave a narrow crack, his blue pupils glinting through it like taunting ice.

"Getting angry won’t help," he said calmly. "The past is the past. And right now, you don’t even have the right to stand beside her openly."

He smiled. It was not a friendly smile, but a poisonous one.

My chest rose and fell violently, my control hanging by a thread. I could feel my wolf clawing at my ribs, begging me to tear the door apart, to assert dominance, to remind him exactly what kind of predator he was provoking.

Then...click.

The lock slid into place.

Rage cracked through me, my teeth ground together, the sound unnaturally loud in the silence. My fist remained frozen in the air, poised to strike, muscles trembling with restrained violence.

But slowly... unbearably slowly... my arm dropped.

It felt like all the strength had drained from my body.

I exhaled a long, heavy breath, my gaze unfocused, my thoughts scattered. Looking back at the fury that had consumed me moments ago, I barely recognized myself.

I had been so impulsive and unhinged.

My wolf’s influence had surged too close to the surface, everything my usually calm, controlled self despised.

I bit down on my lip and planted a hand against the wall, forcing myself upright. My eyes drifted to Aria’s door which was still tightly shut.

Pain clenched around my heart, sharp and merciless, as if an invisible hand was squeezing it tighter and tighter.

The truth was, it wasn’t the man’s insults that hurt the most.

It was what he represented. The distance between Aria and me was vast and entirely of my own making.

With my shoulders heavy and my wolf finally retreating into sullen silence, I turned away and went back to my room, defeated.

Aria’s POV

Maybe it was because we’d finally found Jackson.

Or maybe it was because my wolf, restless for days, had finally curled up and slept instead of pacing the edges of my mind.

Either way, I slept deeper than I had in a long time, so deeply that when I finally woke, the sun was already high.

I blinked at the ceiling, disoriented, my wolf stretching lazily beneath my skin.

When Amelia pushed the door open and walked in carrying toast and scrambled eggs, I was only just dragging myself back to consciousness.

"Wash up and eat," she said, setting the tray down. "If we don’t leave soon, Logan’s going to burst in here and make a scene."

She smiled, the kind that promised she was looking forward to exactly that.

I groaned softly and rolled onto my side. Before I could say anything, raised voices drifted in from the hallway.

Amelia hadn’t shut the door completely.

"Aria, why aren’t you up yet?" Logan’s voice rang out, full of accusation and wounded pride. "Remember where you promised to take me."

I squeezed my eyes shut. My mouth twitched despite myself.

I’d fought rogue wolves, negotiated with pack elders, and tracked kidnappers across state lines, but I had never met anyone who could argue so passionately with thin air.

Amelia glanced at me. Her expression was gentle, but there was unmistakable amusement in her eyes.

I pushed myself up with a sigh and headed to get ready. By the time I came back out, dressed and clear-headed, my earlier grogginess had mostly evaporated. My wolf was alert again, ears pricked, senses sharp.

I wrapped the scrambled eggs inside the toast, took a few bites, and washed it down with milk, keeping the rest in my hand.

"Let’s go," I said flatly. "If he keeps this up, I’m going to get a headache."

Amelia laughed quietly and followed me out.

The moment Logan spotted me, his eyes lit up like someone had flipped a switch.

"Ariaa!"

"Let’s go," I repeated, already moving.

I took small bites of my toast as I turned to Jackson "Stay inside. Lock the door and don’t go anywhere."

He answered quickly, obedient and careful.

I strode down the hallway without looking back.

For a few seconds, Logan was left behind, staring after me. I could feel his gaze even without turning around.

"Wait for me!" he called.

He jogged to catch up, falling into step beside me as if he’d always belonged there.

Downstairs, we got on a taxi which drove into the thinning morning traffic.

Soon, rows of headstones appeared ahead.

The moment the cemetery came into view, something inside me stilled.