Mag-log in🍃 Arria POVI had finished my morning training session an hour ago, and now,freshand physically spent, I was going through the pile of documents I had postponed for the last two days.The housing arrangements were moving swiftly, and all families in the gathering already had their own place. So now I was prioritizing which building should come next—a new school, a packhouse, three more one-family houses, or an actual healing house instead of home visits.A loud knock startled me.
🌘 Fenrir POV Arria was shocked. She needed time to think it through, so I pulled away from her and started moving around the kitchen, preparing the table and reheating the food. It gave my hands something to do. “This can’t be part of the curse,” Arria said eventually. “Alaric had a mate back then, right?” “Yes,” I confirmed. “A chosen mate.” “Chosen or not, it doesn’t matter if he wasn’t forced to take her. And the king’s Beta being forced is out of the question.” “You are right. He wasn’t.” I set a plate on the table. “They had been friends from a young age. Neither he nor she had found their fated mate by twenty-five, so they had decided to try courting for a while. Eight months later, they had been officially mated.”“That doesn’t sound bad,” she said slowly.Uncertain.“No. It had been good. She had always been respectful, understanding, and soft around him, and the Beta had reciprocated her feelings and actions.”I took a moment.“In time, they had grown affectionate wit
🍃 Arria POV I knew my mate pretty well by now. He was a man surrounded by rules, control, and walls. So when I said I loved him, I hadn’t expected “I love you too” in return. I didn’t need the words back. I needed them out of my chest. I needed him to know he had something solid, something permanent with me. I expected a hug, maybe. Or a kiss. I would have been fine with “good” said in his usual level tone, or even just a nod. I wouldn’t have seen a problem in a silent transition into setting the table for an early dinner. What I hadn’t expected was for him to stay so utterly frozen for what felt like two full minutes. And I definitely hadn’t expected the word that eventually left him. “Impossible.” Stated as an undeniable fact. I lowered my gaze, unsure how to deal with an answer like that. What was that even supposed to mean? Did he think I was incapable of love? Or too naive to understand the weight of the words and the extent of the feeling itself? Stone had voi
🍃 Arria POVI opened the office door without hesitation.“I am back,” I announced with a smile and went directly to him to give him a kiss.Fenrir pushed his chair back and pulled me into his lap.The kiss was small and perfect, and then he lifted his hand and started pulling leaves and small sticks out of my hair.My eyes widened.“Oh, Goddess, I must look like a witch,” I said, shifting to slip out of his hold.“You look like a nymph,” he answered, unbothered, tightening his hold on me.I was staying where I was. Obviously.He took a moment to finish, and when he spoke again, his words came tender.“You had fun.”I just nodded.I was still too ashamed of my appearance. And the fact, that he was intentionally showing me how he felt about it by letting his usual even tone soften, did not help at all.“Good.”I was rewarded with another kiss. This time on my forehead.“Are there more tasks on your list for today?”“Yes,” I confirmed softly, glancing at him.“I just came to say hello o
🍃 Arria POV By the time I reached the school, Stone’s words were still walking beside me. I took a breath. Then another. I had something to do, and I intended to do it right. “Arria!” Milena’s voice cut through my thoughts a second before she ran straight into me. I wrapped her in a warm hug. “You have the thinking face,” Milena said the moment she pulled back from my arms. “Did Stone give you bad news?” “No, sweetie. He told me something important, and I was analyzing it on the way here,” I explained. “But time is up, so no more adult problems. We are going to play.” She nodded enthusiastically. I smiled at her, took her hand, and we walked around the school to the nearby playground. It was already full when we arrived—children were running between the wooden houses and the slide, laughing loudly, arguing over turns, falling in the grass, and jumping back up. It was chaos. Bright and absolutely perfect chaos. Milena’s hand tightened around mine as she pulled me toward
🍃 Arria POV After we had both showered, eaten, and pretended the office had not just become something entirely different, Fenrir returned to work while I headed to school to pick up Milena for some quality bonding time at the playground.“Arria.” I was so lost in my thoughts that I almost ran into Stone. “Sorry,” I said, already sidestepping him. But his serious voice came again. “May I have a moment?” I stopped mid-step, not entirely sure if I really wanted to speak with him or Greg at the moment. I hadn't lied when I told Fenrir I was not angry with him. But when it came to them… that was a different story. Stone caught my hesitation but didn't retreat. “I could walk with you wherever you are going.” “School. Twenty minutes,” I stated and resumed walking. “Thank you.” The way he said it stirred something in me. There was nothing different in his tone, and still, I would swear it sounded resigned. And of course, I felt guilty for making him feel bad. He had always fol
🍃Arria POV
Unknown POV The seed I had planted in him when I first felt the call of his blood—my blood, however polluted—had stirred beneath the magic protecting him. After years of waiting, it was no longer small or fragile. It had rooted too deeply to miss the crack when it opened. The vines pushed before
🌘 Fenrir POV She had not screamed or stomped after we left the vampire den. She had not said a word at all. She had not even shifted. Not once during the run back home. When we reached the clearing, she climbed down on her own. Moved ahead. Stopped. She waited. I almost exhaled. Back in
The moment my feet left the edge, the world fell silent. There was only wind. And peace. For one fragile heartbeat, I was free. Like a bird. Then something slammed into me from behind. Arms. Hard. Unforgiving. The impact hurled me sideways instead of down. Wood splintered. Something inside m







