Aria’s POV
The ride back to pack territory had been anything but relaxing. The tension hung thick in the car, even heavier than before. Damon drove in his usual focused silence, his jaw tight and his hands gripping the wheel a little too hard. Drake sat in the back, his eyes occasionally flickering to the dagger at my side, while I stared out the window, trying to make sense of everything.
The dagger still hummed with power, faint but insistent, like a second heartbeat pulsing through me. I told myself it was fine—that I was fine—but the truth was, I wasn’t entirely sure. It was a feeling I couldn’t explain, a connection I didn’t ask for, but now that it was here, I couldn’t imagine letting it go.
We pulled into the pack house driveway, the familiar sight of it doing little to ease the
