ARIA POV
For once in my life I was having a good day.
The picnic felt… perfect. Axel had surprised me with his thoughtfulness, made me laugh, and made me forget the weight of everything hanging over me for just a moment.
Sitting by the waterfall, eating fruit and trading questions, I had almost believed that maybe things could be different between us.
Maybe I could just be a girl sharing an afternoon with the man who was supposed to be my mate.
I should have known it wouldn’t last. The moment I heard a woman’s voice behind us, my stomach dropped.
“Axel,” the voice called lightly, almost too casually.
My head snapped toward the sound and there she was. The same woman I had seen once before, pale-haired and fragile-looking, the one who had collapsed in the training grounds days ago.
