~ NYSSA

Aria walked into what used to be my old bedroom, her hands folded over her chest as she watched me carefully, her lips turned down into a frown.

She eyed Eric who stood next to me carefully. "Is he staying?"

I nodded. "I trust him."

She hummed before lowering herself onto the dresser. "Rowan isn’t going to think about the pack, not as long as you’re unsafe. He is under the impression that his duty is to you first. He seems to forget that he was a king before he met you and he will remain one long after you’re dead."

Her words were like a physical blow to my cheek. It stung like hell, but I knew it was the truth. There was more to be concerned about than just me, and she was right to think about it.

"You still haven’t told me what I can do about it," I said softly. "How do I make him see reason?"

She snorted. "You don’t. Rowan is a stubborn fucking bastard. You have to protect the pack."

"How do I do that?"

"You’re their Luna. You make the right choice for them, even if it’s the hard one."

"Wait a minute," Eric cut in, voice hard. "You’re not asking her to meet with the vampire king, are you? Because that would be fucking insane if you ask me."

Aria shot him a glare. "Of course not. I’m crazy but not that crazy. I was there when Allister said just how crazy he was, and I would never send her there because Rowan would only follow. All I’m saying is she has to look out for the pack."

"How?"

"By leaving!" she snapped. "If she isn’t here, then maybe the pack will be safe again. If she isn’t here, then we won’t have a crazed king trying to get her from us. All she needs to do is go to a human or neutral town."

Eric frowned. "He will have her within days. You’d be handing her off to him on a silver platter. That’s the most fucked up shit I have ever heard in my life and I cannot believe that it is coming from you of all people. Are you insane?"

Aria’s lips pressed into a firm line. "You asked what I thought and I told you. Rowan will move on eventually if she rejects the bond—"

A bark of laughter burst from Eric’s lips. "Reject the bond? After they’re mated? It would kill them both!"

"It would hurt," she corrected. "But they won’t die."

Eric scoffed, running his hands through his hair. "You’re fucking insane and we aren’t having this conversation anymore. You can see yourself the fuck out."

She growled. "You may have forgotten, but I’m the princess."

"Not anymore. Right now, you’re just the king’s sister. There is no princess because Nyssa doesn’t have any children."

Aria’s cheeks turned a bright shade of red. "You fucking—"

She stood to her feet, eyes flashing with anger and disdain, her hands folded into fists by her side. Eric just stood next to me, his stance protective and his lips curled into a cruel smirk. The tension in the air was so thick it could be cut with a knife, and static crackled between them.

"Stop it!" I snapped, causing them both to turn to me. "What the hell is this? You’re bickering like children!"

Their expressions did not change, but they did not advance on each other and I considered that a win.

I stood slowly, smoothing down my dress as I angled myself to stand between them. There was no guarantee that they would not attack still, but for now, they seemed content to stare at me.

I turned to Eric first. "You don’t speak to her that way... ever. Do you understand?"

His lips pursed tightly but he nodded. "I hear you."

I turned to Aria next. "Thank you for your suggestion. I understand the worry and the fear, and I will think about it, but you do not get to disrespect Eric like that. He is my guard and my friend, and he is deserving of the same respect that you would give to me. His job is to keep me safe, and you can’t be pissed that he’s doing it."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I don’t give a shit anymore. I’m done with all of this, the vampire stuff, the pack. If you want to burn the whole place down, then go right ahead. After all, I’m not the princess anymore."

With one last lethal glare aimed at Eric, she stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her.

Neither Eric nor I moved. We just stood there, staring at the spot she disappeared through, unable to speak.

"Well damn," Eric mumbled after a beat of silence. "That was intense."

I sighed, flopping onto the bed. "Tell me about it."

"You’re not really thinking about doing what she said, are you? The mating bond thing... running away?"

I shot him an incredulous look. "Of course not. I’m not rejecting Rowan, but she is right... we need to find a solution or too many innocents will die. Marlene is already gone."

"We don’t know if that has anything to do with..." he trailed off when I stared at him blankly. "You’re right."

I let my hands run down my face with an exasperated sigh as I leaned back, eyes staring blankly at the ceiling above me. "Have you heard anything from Rowan or Jeremiah?"

Rowan didn’t explicitly state that he was going with Jeremiah, but knowing him, they were probably together.

He shook his head. "Mybe you should mind link him. He is your mate after all. He’s less likely to scream at you for bothering him."

I thought about it for a moment before shaking my head. "Knowing him, he probably has his hands full. If he didn’t, he would have called." I sat up straight, trying to ignore the wave of exhaustion that crashed into me. "Where’s Evelyn?"

He shrugged. "Probably at the hospital with her... with Marlene."

"I want to go to her."