Aria’s POV
Darkness wrapped around me, as thick and suffocating as a weighted blanket. It felt like I was sinking into a bottomless pit. I tried to move, to claw my way back to the surface, but it felt like I was trapped in quicksand.
Flashes of my life began to swirl around me, as if my entire existence was playing out in slow motion. I saw Edward, my precious baby boy, his tiny hands reaching for me. I saw Denderick, his eyes filled with love as he reached out to me. I saw the pack, the chaos, the death.
Mia.
“Aria…” The voice was faint, distant, like it was coming from the other side of a thick brick wall.
“Aria, come back to us…” It was the same voice, but closer and more urgent. My mind struggled to focus, to latch onto the sound.
“Please… we need you…”
“Edward needs you…”
The voice grew louder, insistent, pulling me back from the brink. My heart ran miles in my chest, and with a sudden gasp, I snapped back to consciousness.
My eyes flew open, and I squinted as sunlight spilled into them, blinding me for a moment. My head throbbed with a dull, relentless ache. I groaned and raised my hand to my forehead, where I could feel a swollen lump where the man had struck me. My entire body felt heavy, bruised, like I had been dragged through the mud and left to bake in the sun.
I blinked, trying to make sense of my surroundings. I was still on Mia’s porch. The air was thick with the scent of blood, the memory of Mia’s death flashing before my eyes. I struggled to sit up, but I realized that a pair of strong arms were holding me, keeping me steady.
I turned my head slightly and saw Denderick, his face filled with worry.
“Aria,” he called softly, then completely buried me in a tight hug. “Oh, thank the Goddess! I thought for a second that… Are you okay?”
I tried to speak, but the words came out as a mumble. “No, I’m not fine… Mia… Mia’s dead…”
Denderick’s hands wound around my arms, as he helped me sit up fully on the porch. But then it all came rushing back in waves upon waves.
The man, the scar on his face, the knife, the blood….
Mia.
I bolted upright, my heart hammering against my ribs as I frantically looked around. “Denderick! Did you see him? The man with the scar on his face? He was here, he…. he killed Mia!”
Denderick shook his head, his eyes scanning the area with a frown. “No, Aria. When I got here, there was no one but you. I didn’t see anyone else.”
My chest tightened with panic. “Where’s Edward? Where’s my son?”
“Hey, calm down. Our son is safe,” Denderick assured me quickly. “I ordered the maids at your house to take him to the pack house. He’s under guard. No one’s getting near him, I promise you.”
Relief washed over me, but it was quickly overshadowed by the crushing weight of the loss I’d just suffered. “Mia…” I whispered, my voice breaking. I scrambled around the porch, desperate to find her, but she was gone.
Her body was gone.
“Where did they take my friend?” I whispered.
Denderick took a huge breath, his hand coming to rest against my shoulder. “She… her body has been taken to the pack house, where it will be taken care of before being sent to her father, Alpha Marcus.”
“No… no, no, no!” I cried, falling to my knees where she had bled out. The bloodstains were still fresh on the wooden planks. My fingers dug into the rough wood as sobs wracked my body. Mia was gone, and I hadn’t been able to save her.
Denderick knelt beside me, his hand resting on my shoulder again, trying to offer comfort. “I’m so sorry, Aria,” he murmured softly. “I’m so, so sorry.”
“Why?” I sobbed, burying my face in my hands. “Why would something like this happen to someone so good? She didn’t deserve this, Denderick. She was just… she was just trying to live.”
“I don’t know, Aria,” he murmured, his voice tight with emotion. “But I promise you, I’ll do everything in my power to make this right.”
As he spoke, I noticed something strange. My hands… they were smoking. A faint wisp of smoke curled from my fingers, and I stared at them in shock, remembering the strange blue light that had erupted from them when I had tried to save Mia.
“Aria…” Denderick’s voice was wary now, his eyes fixed on my hands. “What’s that? What is happening to you?”
“I… I don’t know,” I stammered, panic rising in my chest. I shook my fingers in an attempt to dispel the smoke, but it didn’t work. “I don’t know what’s happening to me, Denderick.”
“Tell me everything,” he urged gently. “What happened here? What did you see?”
I took a shaky breath, trying to steady myself. “Mia and I were talking… about everything that’s been happening, about Liam… and then this man appeared out of nowhere. He said he was a friend of Mia’s mate, but Mia didn’t know him. He asked to talk to her alone, so I left. But as I got to my house, I knew something was wrong. When I came back, he was… he was stabbing her. And then my hands… they started glowing with this blue light. I pushed him away with it, but… but I couldn’t save her.”
Denderick’s eyes darkened as I spoke, and he appeared in deep thought. “And you didn’t recognize him? Did he say anything else?”
I shook my head. “No, I didn’t know him. But he wasn’t here for Mia, Denderick. He was here for me. I’m sure of it. He… he probably mistook us for the other.”
“That son of a…” Denderick’s eyes narrowed. “It must be Logan. This has his name written all over it.”
“Logan?” I whispered, fear twisting in my gut. “But why? Why would he…?”
“Because he’s a relentless monster,” Denderick growled. “And because he’s obsessed with you. I swear, Aria, I’ll find him. I’ll tear him apart for this.”
His words made me feel more scared than at ease. “Denderick, what are we going to do? If he’s after me…”
“Then this place isn’t safe for you anymore,” Denderick said finally. “I’m taking you back to my pack house. You’ll be safe there.”
I couldn’t argue with him. Silently, I let Denderick help me to my feet, and we walked towards the carriage waiting in front of the house.
But a chill ran down my spine. I still felt it, Waiting. Watching.