Aria’s POV.
When I came to, the first thing I noticed was the coolness of the air brushing against my skin, a gentle contrast to the heat still lingering in my cheeks. My body felt heavy, weighed down by an invisible force, and my head throbbed painfully, each pulse like a hammer striking my skull.
The distant murmur of voices reached my ears, a low hum that grated against the raw edges of my senses, like nails dragging slowly across a chalkboard. Everything felt wrong-too bright, too loud, too sharp. My entire body ached, and the pounding in my head only made it worse.
“Is she okay?” a voice asked, deep and familiar, the concern in it cutting through the haze clouding my mind. The sound was steady, grounding, like a lifeline pulling me back to reality. I knew that voice, though I couldn’t quite place it yet. The tone was filled with something soft, something I wasn’t used to hearing.
“Asher?” I mumbled, my voice hoarse and scratchy, barely louder than a whisper. My throat felt dry, as though I had swallowed sand, and speaking sent a sharp ache through it.
With great effort, I forced my eyes open, squinting against the harsh light that flooded my vision. It took a moment for my surroundings to come into focus, and when they did, the first thing I saw was Asher leaning over me. His dark eyes were fixed on mine, his expression tight with emotion I couldn’t quite name. Was it relief? Worry? Something deeper that he wasn’t saying? His presence felt steady, calming even, though the turmoil in his gaze hinted at everything he wasn’t saying.
“You fainted,” he said simply, his voice softer now, less sharp than before. There was no judgment in his tone, just a calm explanation, though his words carried an undercurrent of worry that was impossible to miss.
I tried to sit up, but the effort sent the world spinning wildly around me. My stomach churned uncomfortably, and I groaned, pressing a trembling hand to my forehead in an attempt to steady myself. “What happened?” I asked, though I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear the answer. My voice broke slightly, the vulnerability in it making me cringe.
“You drank too much,” Asher replied. His tone was disapproving, but it was also gentle, like he was trying to scold me without hurting me further. He hesitated for a moment, his jaw tightening as his eyes flickered with something darker. “And then you saw…” His voice trailed off, the unfinished sentence hanging heavy in the air between us.
I didn’t need him to finish. I didn’t need the rest of the words to know exactly what he meant.
Lyra.
Her name echoed in my mind like a taunt, sharp and relentless. I closed my eyes tightly, trying to block out the memory, but it came rushing back anyway. The vivid image of her hand on Zander’s chest, her lips curved into that smug, triumphant smile, and the way he had stood there, doing nothing to stop her. My chest tightened painfully, the humiliation and jealousy still raw, clawing at me like an open wound.
“You shouldn’t push yourself like this,” Asher said, his voice softer now, almost a whisper. “He’s not worth it.” There was something in the way he said it, something heavy with meaning, as though he wasn’t just talking about tonight but about everything.
I opened my eyes again, meeting his gaze. For a moment, the intensity in his expression caught me off guard. There was something there-something unspoken but painfully clear. It made my heart ache even more, though I wasn’t sure if it was from guilt or from the weight of his concern.
“He’s my husband,” I said bitterly, the words leaving a sour taste in my mouth. They sounded hollow, empty, like a truth I no longer fully believed.
Asher’s jaw tightened, the muscles in his face tensing as his hands clenched into fists at his sides. His voice was low, steady, but filled with barely restrained anger when he finally spoke. “That doesn’t mean he deserves you.” Each word was like a blow, sharp and cutting, but there was no malice behind them-only an unshakable conviction.
The weight of his words hung heavy in the air, settling between us like a barrier neither of us wanted to cross. For a moment, neither of us spoke. The silence was thick, oppressive, filled with everything we weren’t saying. I didn’t know how to respond, didn’t know if I even had the strength to argue.
Then, from across the room, I heard a voice-cold, sharp, and dripping with barely restrained fury.
“What the hell is going on here?”
Zander.
My heart sank as I turned my head slowly, the movement making me feel dizzy again. He was standing in the doorway, his broad shoulders tense, his dark eyes flicking between me and Asher with a look that could only be described as murderous. His jaw was clenched tightly, and I could see the barely controlled rage simmering beneath the surface.
Asher straightened immediately, his posture relaxed, almost casual, but his eyes burned with defiance as he locked gazes with Zander. “She fainted,” he said simply, his tone calm but firm. “I was helping her.” There was no apology in his voice, no hesitation, just a quiet confidence that only seemed to enrage Zander further.
Zander’s lips curled into a snarl, his wolf clearly at the surface. His voice was low, guttural, when he spoke. “Get your hands off my wife.” The words were a command, a warning, but Asher didn’t move.
Instead, Asher stood his ground, his dark eyes never leaving Zander’s. The tension between them crackled like electricity, and I could feel the storm brewing, threatening to explode at any moment.
I wanted to speak, to say something-anything-that might defuse the tension, but I was too tired, too broken to find the words. My body felt heavy, my chest tight, and I couldn’t summon the strength to intervene. Instead, I let my head fall back against the couch, closing my eyes as the storm raged around me.
The voices grew louder, the air thick with anger and unspoken challenges, but I tuned it all out. I couldn’t face it anymore. Not now. The weight of everything-Lyra, Zander, Asher, my own emotions-was too much to bear. I let the darkness consume me again, sinking into the silence as the world around me continued to unravel.