As if we were still close. As if no time had passed at all.
"I'm glad I chose the way I did," he said. "If I'd taken over my father's work, I might never have run into you."
I studied him, trying to reconcile the thin, timid boy from my memory with the tall, handsome, quick-witted Beta standing in front of me. His shoulders were broad now, soft black curls falling clean across his forehead, his eyes a deep sea blue. It was no surprise he drew so many stares.
A genuine smile tugged at my lips at the sight of an old friend. But the moment it did, a sharp pain seized my lower abdomen—so sudden, so fierce that I sucked in a breath.
I felt Noah's gaze sharpen. He looked me over carefully. "Aria, stop pushing through it," he said, the humor gone from his voice now. "It's just me here. Are yo
