Aria
Mason and I jumped apart and I turned to see a livid look on Lyall's face. He snarled, stalking towards Mason and I was genuinely terrified of what Lyall could do to him at that moment. He grabbed the front of Mason’s jacket, almost lifting him off the ground. I let out a gasp as they stood nose to nose.
“Don't you fucking put your filthy hands on her? Do not speak to her. Do not touch her. Don't even look at her. You hear me?!” Lyall seethed and I winced at his icy tone.

“Let him go, Lyall, please.” I pleaded.
“Stay out of this.” He snapped, not sparing me a glance.
“Relax, Lyall, I didn't do anything with her. We were just talking.” Mason said light-heartedly but I could detect a hint of wariness in his voice.
“Get out of here,” Lyall said, releasing Mason from his iron-like grip.
“But—”
“Go!” Lyall barked and I flinched where I stood. Mason glanced at me and reluctantly turned away. My heart pounded heavily in my chest as Lyall slowly turned to me.

Was this how I was going to die? Was I going to get killed by my mate? I knew there was a huge chance of that not happening but the pure rage in his eyes was truly terrifying.
“Really, Aria? You're running around with my brother now?” He took a terrifying step forward and I gulped.
“You know that's not true. Sheila's just being ridiculous as always. You should know that.”
“How would I know when you didn't fucking deny it?!” He roughly ran his fingers through his hair.

“Mason didn't give me the chance. He pulled me out of the hall before I could say anything.”
“And you let him!” He accused and I stared at him, eyes wide, my fear slowly turned into anger. What did he expect me to do? Fight Mason in the dining hall? That would have been an option anyway if I wasn't too shocked to do anything in the first place. Surely Lyall could have understood that.
“At least he defended me,” I retorted bitterly. “All you did was sit there, letting her touch you. You didn't say shit when she degraded but now you act all possessive like I'm a fucking object!”
“She's my wife, Aria. What did you expect me to do?!” He exclaimed, exasperated.
“And I’m your mate!” I whispered aggressively. Despite my ever-increasing rage, I was still cautious of prying eyes and listening ears. “I'm your mate but yet you still sleep with another woman. How do you think I feel?”
“Aria—”
“The fact that I'm not going ballistic over it doesn't mean it does not hurt. It hurts, Lyall! Don't you think I deserve better?!” I yelled, close to tears.
He sighed, downcast. “I know you do, Aria. For fuck's sake I choked her for you! Isn't that enough for you? What else do you want from me?!”
My eyes widened and my lips pressed into a thin line. I was tired and done with his bullshit. “At the moment, nothing,” I replied quietly.
His eyes dimmed and his stare turned cold and I was sure my expression was a mirror of his. “Maybe you should go to Mason then.” He muttered dryly and I scoffed incredulously.
“Fine!”
“Fine!” He said and I stormed away, not to go find Mason but straight to the safety of my room. I flung the red dress off my body with all the aggression I could muster.
How dare he? What the actual fuck? My anger skyrocketed as I reflected on the argument and I was so close to smashing something but I settled for taking deep breaths instead.
I sat in my bed still in my undergarments just staring into space and moments later, I heard a quiet knock on the door. My heart thumped in my chest and a small part of me hoped it was Lyall but I quickly chastised myself for even thinking that.
“Come in,” I said. The door opened and Serene stuck her head in. Despite my bad mood, I found myself smiling at the funny way she looked. Such a dignified woman with her head peeking out through the door. It was kind of funny.
I was a bit disappointed that it was not Lyall but at the same time, I was happy to see Serene.
“Are you sure you want me to come in?” She said with a smile and I rolled my eyes.
“Of course. Don't be ridiculous.”
Serene stepped in, quietly shutting the door behind her. She was still in the dress she wore at breakfast. I patted the space next to me and she sat without wasting any time.
“Are you okay?” She asked with concern on her face.
“Yeah, I am,” I replied, rubbing my hands on my temples.
“Want me to make you some tea?”
“Oh, no!” I exclaimed. “That's okay.”
Serene raised an eyebrow. “You hate my tea that much?”
My eyes widened. “Of course not. I just don't want you going to all that trouble.”
“It's no trouble at all—” She started saying and I placed my hands over hers.
“What you’re doing right now is more than enough. Thank you,” I gasped as she gave me a smile that could melt hearts.
“I never slept with Mason,” I blurted out, feeling the urge to clarify for some strange reason. Her mouth fell open in surprise before she broke into a fit of giggles. “What are you laughing at? It's true!” I turned red with embarrassment.
“I know, silly.” She didn't stop giggling and I felt incredibly silly at that moment. I had no choice but to join her in laughing.
“You do?”
“Of course.”
“How?”
“Because you're head over heels in love with Lyall. You love him too much to even look at someone else.” She chuckled and my blush deepened. I gaped at her. She shouldn't know that. No one should.
I laughed nervously. “Don't be silly, Serene. I'm not in love with him. I'm only here to give him a baby, that's all.”
Her giggles stopped altogether and her face turned serious. “You think I don’t see the way you look at him? And the way he looks at you? You two are in love with each other and personally, I think you're a better fit for him than Sheila.”
I must have turned crimson at this point. It felt great to hear that I was a better fit for Lyall but maybe Serene was a bit biased because we were friends and because she hated Sheila.
“Oh no, is it so obvious?” I asked.
She shrugged. “Maybe not but I’m good at sensing things like this. And Sheila might be suspicious of it too. Probably why she is hellbent on making your life miserable. She feels threatened by you,”
I didn't know what to say to that and I clamped my mouth shut instead.
“But seriously, there's something special between you and Lyall that I can't seem to figure out. It's almost like a bond—”
I paled and my eyes widened anxiously. “There's nothing!” I exclaimed, a little too quickly. Absolutely nothing.”
She raised an amused eyebrow at my weird reaction. “If you say so.”
I opened my mouth to speak but I was cut off by a soft knock on the door.
“Come in.”
Kiana peeked in and my eyes brightened at her presence “Hi, Aria,” She greeted, smiling shyly. “My lady.” She greeted, offering a small bow to Selene. Selene rolled her eyes.
“I told you not to be so formal. Come here.” She pulled Kiana into a hug, ruffling her hair as the latter burst into a fit of laughter.
“I had no idea you two were so close,” I said, genuinely puzzled.
“Are you kidding? She's my favorite person ever!” Serene gushed and Kiana blushed violently. “No offense, Aria.”
“None taken,” I replied swiftly.
“I mean look at that adorable face.” Selene gushed and we laughed as Kiana's face turned even redder.

“Kiana, to what do I owe this pleasure?” I asked playfully and her smile widened.
“Well, I - I brought some snacks and I thought maybe you'd like some?” She stuttered, unsure of herself.
“Of course. That'd be great.” I replied and Serene took a seat next to me.
Kiana beamed and pushed a trolley filled with snacks from the hallway into the room. My eyes widened at the sight of the trolley which was filled from the top to the bottom.
“Look at that! Are you trying to get me fat, Kiana?” I exclaimed as Kiana and Serene burst into fits of laughter. Kiana began to serve the snacks on plates but Serene stopped her with a shake of her head.
“We'll serve ourselves and eat together like friends do. Please, take a seat.”
“But— I—” Kiana started to protest and I raised an eyebrow.
“Kiana,” I said sternly and she sighed.
“Okay. I'll sit and eat.” She said quietly and my smile widened.
“That's the spirit,” I said as we dug into our meals, making up conversation and hot gossip which drifted from one topic to another. Chatting with Kiana and Serene was so fun that I almost forgot about my fight with Lyall.
Almost. It still lingered at the back of my mind but hanging out with the girls made me feel so much better. I just wished Daneesha was here too. My face fell and Serene must have noticed because she placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.
“Are you okay?” She asked and the look of concern on her face matched that of Kiana's.
“I'm fine. Just got a lot on my mind, that's all.”
“Uhm— Aria?” Kiana said.
“Yes?”
“I heard about what— uhm— happened earlier and I hope you feel better.” She said in a rush and I almost didn't understand her words but when it registered my face softened and I felt a tug at my heart. She brought the snacks to cheer me up because I was sad. My eyes stung with tears and I didn't even understand why I suddenly felt so emotional.
“Thank you.” I rasped and she let out a squeak as I suddenly pulled her into a hug. After a few moments, she hugged me back and I pulled away.
“I— I’ll get going now. I still have some errands to run.” She said without meeting my eyes and scampered out of the room, trolley in hand.
“Aw, that was so cute. How nice is she?”
“Very nice. Do you think I could make her my personal maidservant?” I thought of the possibility that she could go through a hard time because of how close she was with me and I wanted to protect her as much as I could.
“I thought that girl— Daneesha— was your maidservant?”
I let out a sigh as my mood dampened once again. “I really don't know what's going on with her. She has been avoiding me all this time and she wants nothing to do with me.”
“Why?”
“She’s annoyed with me for coming between Sheila and Lyall.”
“Well, did you make her understand that it wasn't your fault?”
“Of course I did. I only agreed to be Lyall's mistress because of her in the first place. Lyall threatened to kill her if I didn't agree.”
Selene let out a gasp as her eyes widened. “I can't believe he would do that! But she has no right to hate you for it then. You protected her.”
I let out a sad sigh. “I really don't know what to do, Serene. She was the first friend I ever made here. She has been there for me more times than I can even count.”
“You should talk to her again. Let her understand that it wasn't your fault and you had no intention to come between them in the first place.”
I nodded. That sounded like good advice. I had to talk to Daneesha, but I needed to find her first.