ELARA
I slowly pulled away from Aaron, but for some strange reason, he pulled me back in, his lips searching every corner of my mouth like a man who'd been deprived for years.
Aarom was never this wild. Never this desperate. Even the night we mated, he was so gentle and even afraid of touching me because he thought it might hurt me. But now? He was sucking my lips like crazy.
And God… it was so hard to push him away. My mind screamed at me to stop, but my body… my body froze, caught somewhere between shock and helplessness. His taste, his warmth, it all came rushing back too fast, and too strong.
Before I could even catch my breath, a rough hand gripped Aaron's shoulder and tore us apart.
Yeah, Hardin.
He didn't even look angry at first, just that cold Stare. Too calm for the kind of storm that was obviously brewing inside him. He leaned close behind Aaron's ear, his voice low but sharp enough to slice through the tension.
"Compose yourself," he whispered, his tone barely human.
Aaron stiffened. For a second, I thought he was going to swing. Instead, he inhaled, jaw tightening, and gave a stiff nod like he was fighting something inside himself too.
Hardin stepped back, his chest rising and falling slowly as if he was restraining every instinct to tear Aaron apart.
"What the hell was that for?" I hissed, my voice breaking through the silence.
His head went down instantly, like a man who didn't just stir a storm.
"Please, answer me, Aaron, before I lose my temper and…"
He finally looked up, his expression tight with something between hurt and anger.
"You left, Elara. You didn't say anything to anyone. I couldn't sleep all night knowing it was dangerous to travel back that late, if that's even what you did. You have no idea how scared I was. I've never been that terrified before." His voice cracked slightly before hardening again. "And the worst part? Jeremy lied about not seeing you. And someone here—" his eyes cut briefly toward Hardin "—pretended he didn't care, only to be glued beside you the whole damn time."
"I'm right here, Aaron," Hardin snapped, his tone calm but heavy with challenge. "You can direct those words to me. No need to play polite."
Aaron's eyes met his for a tense heartbeat, then flicked back to mine, softer now but still blazing.
"Jeremy almost got into trouble because of you, Elara," he said quietly. "You put everyone in a messed up situation."
The moment he mentioned Jeremy, my heart leaped, my brain tumbling inside my skull like a storm cloud ready to burst.
"Wait, what?" I breathed. "Punished for what exactly?"
Aaron sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Your father thought he was hiding you. You know what that means, one wrong word and he could've been locked up for it."
My stomach twisted painfully.
Jeremy. I caused all of it. He wasn't supposed to get hurt for my own mistake.
Hardin folded his arms, watching me closely but saying nothing. I could feel his energy beside me, calm on the outside, but fierce underneath, like fire under glass.
Aaron took a small step forward, lowering his voice. "If anything had happened to you, Elara… I don't even know what I'd have done."
For a second, I couldn't speak. Everything: Jeremy, my father, Aaron's eyes, Hardin's stare, was just too much for me.
I finally whispered, "I didn't mean to put him in any kind of trouble." My voice came out softer and calmer than how I intended. It was like the weight of hearing something bad could have happened to Jeremy twisted something deep inside me.
"I know," Aaron said softly, "but meaning doesn't change what you did."
Hardin's jaw ticked, and I knew the next few seconds could turn explosive if I didn't step in.
"Nothing happened to him, right? My father didn't hurt him?" I persisted.
Aaron's jaw tensed, his eyes shifting away for a moment before he answered. "No… just that…" He stopped mid-sentence.
That hesitation made my stomach twist. "Just that what?" I pressed, stepping closer.
He didn't respond right away, and that silence was worse than any truth he could've given me.
"They didn't lock Jeremy up, did they? Cause I know my father can do as much as that," I asked again, my voice barely steady. My heart was already racing faster than my thoughts could catch up.
He exhaled slowly, his shoulders dropping. "Something else happened," he said finally, his voice quiet but heavy enough to make my skin prickle.
"What do you mean something else?" I demanded. "Aaron, tell me."
He hesitated again, glancing briefly at Hardin before meeting my eyes. "It's about us," he said carefully. "But I think you should sit down first."
My pulse spiked. "Just say it, Aaron."
"Promise you won't be mad, alright?" Aaron started, his voice cautious.
I was losing my patience already, ma'am.
"Nothing gets me madder than this stalling thing you're doing," I shot back, folding my arms.
He took a deep breath. "Okay. We're… getting married, Elara. My father already agreed, but he'd like to see you first before he makes it official."
For a second, I just stared at him. Then it hit me harder than it should. I laughed. Like a real laugh, the kind that bubbled up from disbelief rather than humor. "Married?" I repeated between breaths. "You've got to be joking. I've barely been gone for an hour and suddenly there's a wedding? What is this, a joke show?"
My laughter died slowly, replaced by the thudding of my heart. He wasn't laughing back.
"You're serious?" I whispered, my smile fading as reality sank in.
"There's no way I'm joking with something like that. It's the truth…"
No. No, there had to be some kind of mistake. My laugh came out sharp, almost trembling again.
"Don't say that, Aaron. There's a hundred percent reason why this has to be a joke. Because I really don't understand why someone thought it was okay to discuss my marriage without me even being there."
"That 'someone' was your father," Aaron said quietly. His voice carried guilt, but not enough to soften the blow. "Look, you'll understand everything if you just come back with me to Vale. He'll explain it himself. And… your sister's going to get married to Hardin."
The air froze. Wait. Enor?
Hardin's head snapped toward Aaron so fast I thought he'd rip something. His voice came out low, dangerous, like a growl fighting its way through clenched teeth.
"What are you talking about? Who's getting married to who?"
Aaron met his stare, completely serious. "That shouldn't surprise you, Hardin. It was actually your idea in the first place. And thanks to your future father-in-law, he made it happen for you. I tried to reach you to explain when it all happened, but you blocked me."
Hardin stepped closer, his whole presence darkening. I could feel it from where I stood, that quiet, lethal energy rolling off him.
"Did Enor agree to that herself?" he asked, his tone almost trembling from restraint.
Aaron's shoulders dropped slightly. "I wish you'd seen her yourself. She didn't say a word. And the strangest part…" he paused, his eyes flickering between us, "...is how happy she looked after her father broke the news."
That last line hit me like a blade twisting in silence. Hardin didn't move, he didn't even blink, but the air around him did, thickening, humming with something dark and barely contained.
Something was definitely up. The Enor I knew could never agree to marry anyone else apart from Aaron and the fact that she was so happy and okay with it made it more visible she was definitely up to something.
Whatever that was, I needed to deal with it before another crazy thing happened.