Aria's POV
I couldn't stop thinking about him.
No matter how hard I tried.
No matter how many times I told myself it was a terrible idea.
A dangerous idea.
An impossible idea.
My thoughts always returned to Damien.
To the lake.
To the way he looked at me.
To the way he held me when the mate bond cracked again.
To the way he whispered:
"I wish I could take your pain away."
No one had ever said something like that to me before.
Not Ethan.
Not my family.
No one.
And somehow that terrified me more than the betrayal itself.
Because feelings for Ethan had been easy.
Natural.
Expected.
Everyone knew we belonged together.
Everyone wanted us together.
But Damien?
Nothing about this was easy.
Nothing about this was safe.
The entire pack would lose its mind if they knew what
