Aria’s POV
The bus rattled along empty streets.
I pressed my forehead against the cold window. Watched the city lights blur past. Each mile put more distance between and everything I was running from.
My hand drifted to my stomach. Still flat. Still unchanged. But sothing was growing inside . Sothing that was half him.
I closed my eyes. Forced the thought away.
One step at a ti. That’s how I’d survive this.
The bus stopped at the edge of ridian Territory. The border zone. Where the fancy buildings gave way to older neighborhoods. Where people didn’t ask too many questions.
I stepped off onto the dark sidewalk. My bag hung heavy on my shoulder.
Now what?
I had money. Kael’s money. Enough to disappear. But I had no plan. No destination. No idea what ca next.
The only thing I knew for certain was that I couldn’t do this alone.
I pulled out my phone. Scrolled through my contacts. So few nas. So few people who actually gave a damn about .
Then I found it.
Cassius.
The healer who’d treated after Lilith’s birth. The one who’d been kind when everyone else looked at like trash. The one who always seed to appear when I needed help most.
My finger hovered over his number.
Was it fair to drag him into this ss?
Probably not.
But I was desperate. And desperate people didn’t have the luxury of being fair.
I hit call.
It rang twice.
"Aria?" His voice was warm. Surprised. "Is everything okay? It’s late."
"Cassius." My voice cracked. Damn it. "I need help."
Silence. Then: "Where are you?"
"Bus station. Border zone. I—" I swallowed hard. "I don’t know where else to go."
"Stay there." No hesitation. No questions. "I’m coming to get you."
The line went dead.
I sank onto the bench. Let out a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding.
Fifteen minutes later, headlights cut through the darkness.
A modest car pulled up. Nothing flashy. Nothing expensive. Just reliable and clean.
The door opened. Cassius stepped out.
He was exactly as I rembered. Tall. Lean. Silver-white hair that caught the streetlight. Those calm gray eyes that always made feel like everything might be okay.
"Aria." He crossed the distance between us in three strides. His hands found my shoulders. Steadied . "What happened? You look terrible."
A laugh escaped . Wet. Broken.
"Thanks. That’s exactly what every girl wants to hear."
He didn’t smile. Just studied my face with those healer’s eyes. Seeing too much.
"Co on." He grabbed my bag before I could protest. "Let’s get you sowhere safe."
---
Cassius’s apartnt was small but warm.
Books everywhere. dical journals stacked on the coffee table. Plants on every windowsill. The kind of lived-in ss that felt more like a ho than anywhere I’d been in years.
He set my bag by the couch. Disappeared into the kitchen.
I stood awkwardly in the middle of the room. Not sure what to do with myself.
"Sit." His voice drifted from the other room. "You look like you’re about to fall over."
I sat.
He returned with two mugs. Pressed one into my hands. Hot tea. The warmth seeped into my frozen fingers.
"Thank you." The words ca out small. Pathetic.
Cassius settled into the chair across from . Waited.
The silence stretched.
"Aren’t you going to ask?" I finally said.
"When you’re ready."
God. Why was he so patient? So kind? What had I ever done to deserve soone like this in my corner?
"I left." The words tumbled out before I could stop them. "I packed my things and left. My apartnt. My family. Everything."
He nodded slowly. "Where were you planning to go?"
"I don’t know." My voice cracked. "Sowhere. Anywhere. I just couldn’t stay there anymore."
"What happened, Aria?" His voice was gentle. No judgnt. Just concern.
And suddenly, I couldn’t hold it in anymore.
Everything ca pouring out.
Kael. The dates. The mating ceremony. The way he’d made feel like maybe—just maybe—I could be sothing more than Shadow Moon trash.
Then the truth. The ga. Rebecca’s cruelty. The money he’d shoved at like paynt for services rendered.
The hospital. The diagnosis.
Pregnant.
By the ti I finished, I was crying. Ugly sobs that shook my whole body.
Cassius didn’t say anything. Just moved from his chair to the couch beside . Put his arm around my shoulders. Let fall apart against his chest.
"I’m so stupid," I choked out. "So incredibly stupid. I actually believed—I thought maybe—"
"You’re not stupid." His voice was firm. "You’re normal. You wanted to be loved. There’s nothing stupid about that."
"But I fell for it. Again. Just like with Finn. I keep making the sa mistakes over and over."
"Hey." He pulled back. Cupped my face in his hands. Made look at him. "Listen to . What Kael did—what Finn did—that’s not on you. That’s on them. They’re the ones who chose to hurt you. You didn’t do anything wrong."
Fresh tears spilled down my cheeks.
"I’m pregnant, Cassius." The words ca out broken. "With his baby. And he doesn’t even know. And I can’t tell him. Because if his family finds out—"
"They won’t find out." His voice was steady. Certain. "I won’t let them."
"You don’t understand. Magnus Blood Crown is—"
"I know exactly who he is." Cassius’s gray eyes hardened. Just for a mont. "And I know what his family is capable of. But that doesn’t matter. What matters is keeping you safe."
I stared at him. This man who barely knew . Who had no obligation to help. Who was offering to protect from one of the most powerful families in ridian Territory.
"Why?" The question slipped out. "Why are you doing this? I’m nobody. I’m just—"
"Don’t." He cut off. Gentle but firm. "Don’t say that. You’re not nobody, Aria. You never were."
His thumb brushed a tear from my cheek.
"I’ve watched you for years," he said quietly. "Watched you suffer under Finn’s cruelty. Watched you give everything to a daughter who doesn’t appreciate you. Watched you get knocked down again and again and still get back up."
My breath caught.
"You deserve so much better than what life has given you. And if I can help—even a little—then that’s what I’m going to do."
"Cassius..."
"I’ve already looked at so places." He released my face. Pulled out his phone. "There’s a small house near the eastern border. Quiet neighborhood. The landlord is a friend of mine. He won’t ask questions."
I blinked. "You’ve already looked?"
"The mont you called." He shrugged like it was nothing. "I figured you’d need sowhere to stay. The rent is reasonable. It’s not fancy, but it’s clean. Safe. Far enough from Blood Crown territory that you won’t have to worry about running into anyone."
I stared at the photos on his screen. A small house. Modest. But it had a little garden. Windows that let in sunlight. A door with a working lock.
It was perfect.
"I can’t let you do this." My voice wavered. "You barely know . You shouldn’t have to—"
"Aria." He put down the phone. Took my hands in his. "I want to do this. Let help you. Please."
The sincerity in his eyes was almost painful.
"Why?" I asked again. Desperate to understand. "What do you get out of this?"
A small smile curved his lips.
"Protecting you like this." He squeezed my hands gently. "It makes happy too."
Sothing warm blood in my chest. Not romantic. Not complicated. Just... gratitude. Pure and overwhelming.
"Okay." The word ca out as barely a whisper. "Okay. Thank you."
His smile widened. "Good. Now drink your tea before it gets cold. You need rest."
I obeyed. The warm liquid soothed my raw throat.
Cassius stood. "You can sleep in my room tonight. I’ll take the couch."
"I can’t kick you out of your own bed—"
"You’re not kicking out. I’m offering." He was already pulling blankets from a closet. "Tomorrow, we’ll go see the house. Get you settled. Figure out the next steps."
"The next steps." I laughed weakly. "I don’t even know what those are."
"You don’t have to know yet." He tossed a pillow onto the couch. "One day at a ti. That’s how we get through this."
One day at a ti.
I could do that. Maybe.
---
Three days later, I had a ho.
The little house near the border was everything Cassius had promised. Small but clean. Quiet neighborhood. Neighbors who nodded politely but didn’t pry.
For the first ti in months, I felt like I could breathe.
But money was running low.
Kael’s cash wouldn’t last forever. I needed a job. Needed inco. Needed to start building sothing sustainable before the baby ca.
The baby.
I still couldn’t quite believe it was real. Every morning, I woke up thinking it had been a dream. Every morning, the truth ca crashing back.
I was going to be a mother again.
This ti, maybe, I could do it right.
The evening air was cool as I stepped outside. The sun had set an hour ago. Shadows stretched across the quiet streets.
I needed groceries. Basic supplies. The kind of things that added up quickly when you were counting every dollar.
The nearest store was a twenty-minute walk. I didn’t mind. Walking helped clear my head.
The aisles were nearly empty this late. Just a few other shoppers grabbing last-minute items.
I pushed my cart slowly. Checked prices on everything. The cheapest bread. The generic brand pasta. Whatever was on sale.
Every penny mattered now.
At the checkout, the total made wince. Still too much. But I paid anyway. Couldn’t survive on nothing.
The walk ho felt longer in the dark.
The streetlights flickered. So were burned out completely. The neighborhood wasn’t dangerous, exactly. But it wasn’t exactly safe either.
I walked faster.
My bags rustled with each step. My footsteps echoed off the pavent.
And then I heard it.
Another set of footsteps.
Behind .
I glanced over my shoulder. Couldn’t see anything. The shadows were too thick.
Probably nothing. Probably just another person walking ho.
But my heart was racing anyway.
I picked up my pace. My bags bumped against my legs.
The footsteps behind matched my speed.
Faster now.
No. This wasn’t my imagination.
Soone was following .
Artemis stirred in my mind. Alert. Warning.
*Run,* she urged. *Sothing’s wrong.*
I didn’t need to be told twice.
I started walking faster. Almost jogging. My house was just around the corner. If I could just get there—
The footsteps quickened too.
Closer.
Closer.
My lungs burned. My heart hamred against my ribs.
I could see my door. Thirty feet. Twenty. Ten.
I was almost there.
My hand reached for my keys.
The footsteps stopped.
I let out a breath. Relief flooded through . Just paranoia. Just nerves. Just—
A rough hand clamped over my mouth.
I tried to scream. Tried to fight.
But before I could do anything—
A bag was yanked over my head.
Reviews
All reviews (0)