Aria’s POV
I woke slowly, sunlight spilling through sheer white curtains, warming the oversized bed beneath me.
For a moment, I was convinced I was still dreaming.
The mattress was too soft. The sheets too clean. The pillow too plush…no lumps, no loose feathers poking through. Just... comfort. Something foreign. Something undeserved.
I blinked at the unfamiliar ceiling, breath held.
Then…a gentle knock.
The door creaked open, and a maid stepped in with the kind of quiet grace that made her presence almost ghostlike. She carried a silver tray, which she placed on the nightstand without a word, save for:
“Alpha Cassian said not to disturb you until you’d rested. Take your time.”
She disappeared before I could respond, leaving behind eggs, toast, fresh fruit... and a folded note.
I o
