Kieran pov

    “When are we going back to the pack? It’s been two months since we got here, and I can’t stand this ce anymore! No, I want to go back. I need to go back!”

    Aria snapped for the sixth time, pping the hot bowl of porridge from the nurse’s hands onto the floor. Her voice was sharp, high–pitched, and filled with rage as she screamed.

    I watched her, expression cold and unflinching, taking in every pathetic move, the tears streaming down her face as she thrashed on the bed, crying.

    “I don’t want to stay here anymore, Kieran! I said I don’t want to! This ce is a dump! Why should I continue staying here?”

    Her roar made the nurse gasp in surprise. She rushed forward, trying to hold Aria still to prevent her from moving too much.

    “Please, calm down, miss. Stop moving around. You haven’t recovered enough!” the nurse pleaded helplessly.

    But Aria didn’t spare her a nce, continuing her outburst.

    “I want to go back to the Emberfang pack! My family must be worried sick about me! And I want to see that bitch, Nyssa! I want to see her and make her pay for what she did to me. How dare she poison me, and you are telling me that I can’t even go back and tell anyone what she did? Are you kidding me, Kieran? Don’t tell me you’re doing this just because you still like that bitch!”

    She spat the words out, one after another, curse after curse, her voice dripping with venom. I stared at her nkly, as if I were present, as if I were listening but in truth, I really wasn’t.

    Mentally drained and physically exhausted, I could barely register anything beyond the slow, relentless ticking of the clock, counting down to something I couldn’t name. I had even managed to drown out Aria’s persistent yelling, as I often did.

    This wasn’t the first time she’d reacted like this, screaming, demanding to go back to the Emberfang pack. Ever since she’d woken up, she had changed. More irritable, more unhinged, her anger simmering just beneath the surface, boiling over at times. Most of all, that rage was aimed at Nyssa, for what she had done.

    At first, it seemed like the usual Aria, the one who acted out whenever she was upset. But it wasn’t. It felt as if she were someone entirely different. And it wasn’t just her behavior that had changed, her body had, too, ever since she’d woken from thea.

    She was growing leaner by the day, but not in the way she had ever wanted. Her frame had be fragile, almost skeletal, and with every movement, it seemed as though she might break, shatter right before me. It

    was that severe.

    But the worst part, the reason I could barely bring myself to look at her was her skin.

    Dark green.

    1435 bTue/bb, /bbSep /bb16 /b

    Like that of a decaying corpse. She gave off the scent of rot, not the familiar scent that had once driven me wild. It was as if she were a living, breathing corpse.

    I had asked that bastard why her condition was like that, but he had simply shruggedzily, a smirk of amusement on his face. Apparently, it was some new project of his–to see if he could bring the dead back to life. He had killed so many people and tried it on them, but it never worked. Aria was the first to actuallye back, and he seemed just as surprised as I was at how she was reacting. Judging by her appearance, he doubted she would live long, but he said he would see what he could do when he had the time.

    My hands clenched into fists at the memory of his words. That idiot. He had turned my mate into this and didn’t even care.

    “Can you not hear me? Why are you ignoring me, Kieran? Why aren’t you answering? I see… it’s because you’re still in love with that bitch, isn’t it? Is that why? Because I look like this?”

    “Miss, please, stop moving so much. Your condition will get worse-

    “Shut up!”

    Smack!

    I snapped out of my daze as the nurse hit the ground hard.

    b29 /b

    My cold gaze flickered to her trembling form, eyes wide with terror as she stared at Aria, like she was seeing ia /imonster. And truthfully, with the way she looked, she wasn’t far from it.

    “I said shut up, you fucking bitch! Can’t you hear that I’m talking to my mate? How fucking dare you interrupt me while I speak? You’re just a mere rogue nurse, and you think you can tell me what to do?”

    Aria roared, teeth bared, a bony finger jabbing at the nurse. Her body trembled with every word she just the sight of her made my frown deepen.

    spat,

    and

    This wasn’t the Aria I knew.

    That bastard had ruined her. Twisted her.

    The girl I once loved was gone.

    “I–I-” the nurse stammered, at a loss for words.

    I sighed heavilyi, /irunning a hand through my hair before pushing myself to my feet. Without sparing her a nce, I spoke coldly.

    “Get out.”

    The nurse swallowed hard, lowered her head, then scrambled up and bolted from the room, leaving only Aria and me behind.

    As soon as we were alone, I narrowed my gaze on her and stepped closer. She turned her re on me, face twisted with anger but the closer I got, the stronger the stench of decay hit me, sharp and nauseating, making me almost gag. Still, I forced myself to ignore it and stopped right in front of her.

    12:35 Tue, bSep /b16

    “Aria,” I said, my voice low, void of emotion. “Are you happy with your current state? Do you realize how you look? How you smell? Is this what you want?”

    Her expression darkened at my words, and the next second, she exploded.

    “You bastard! What do you mean by that? How do I look? How do I smell? I’m perfectly fine! I’m just sick, and I’ll get better soon, so stop talking nonsense!”

    My gaze narrowed, fists curling tight as all the frustration of the past weeks finally burst out.

    “Are you blind, Aria? You’re not sick! You’re dead! Can’t you see it? You’re decaying. Even though you’re breathing–you’re dead!” I hissed.

    She gasped at my words, then immediately broke down, tears streaming as she shoved at me with her frail hands.

    “Dead?! How could you say that to me? I’m not dead, you bastard! This is your fault–all your fault! You were the one who told me to pretend we weren’t mates, even when I didn’t want to. You didn’t save me. You didn’t drink the poison when that bitch asked me to. You were selfish, Kieran! You chose yourself. That’s why I’m in this situation!”

    Her words sliced into me, rage surging through my veins. And even though I knew she was right, the anger consumed me at her, at my cursed situation, at the whole damn world… especially at that bitch, Nyssa.

    Before I realized it, my hand shot up, ready to strike. Aria’s eyes widened in shock, but before I could bring it down, a low, amused voice drifted through the air.

    “Haha… this is rich. A while ago you were thrilled your mate was alive, and now you want her gone. Don’t you?”

    I froze. Slowly, I turned, and there he was, leaningzily against the wall, a smile ying on his lips, eyes gleaming like he was watching a show.

    The leader of the rogues.

    The cause of everything.

    Zayn.

    田

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