Aria’s POV
What did Freya mean by mate?
The word echoed in my head like a haunting drumbeat. I sat still, trying to make sense of it. Freya wasn’t one to joke around especially not about something as sacred as the mate bond.
But this mate… this particular mate… was none other than Alpha Lucien’s son.
My breath caught in my throat. A chill crept down my spine, wrapping around my chest like a vice. I instinctively reached for my neck, my fingers brushing across the spot that still burned faintly from last night. The mark was still there, Alpha Lucien’s mark. His bite. His claim.
Fresh. Unyielding.
My heart ached like it had been set on fire.
I stared at the mark in the mirror. It mocked me. I looked like someone’s possession. Like a toy being passed from one monster to the next.
How
