"You both shared a kiss!" Hailey shouted!
After leaving the party, they couldn't return back to their dorm, since the gatekeeper locks the gate by 11 pm. So Hailey suggested they spend the night at a hotel and return back to their dorm tomorrow.
And as soon as they entered the room, Hailey began pestering Aria to tell her everything that went down between her and Tristan.
"Don't shout. Do you want the world to know?"
Hailey ignored Aria and said, "I can't believe you and Alpha Tristan shared a kiss! You have to tell me what it was like."
"What? No!"
"Come on, Aria. I need to know what a kiss with Alpha Tristan was like. Was it a tongue kiss or all just lips?"
"Just lips." Aria replied softly. She could still remember how his lips slowly moved against hers and call her crazy, but she definitely wouldn't mind sharing a kiss with him again.
"Whoa, so my lovely Aria lips are no longer a virgin. I'm so happy for you." Hailey said with a smile and pulled her into a hug.
Aria chuckled at her friend's excitement and said, "You are so weird."
"No, I'm not. But Aria, you still have to be careful. A man who is capable of killing his mate is a dangerous one."
Aria hesitated. "What if it's all rumors? He didn't seem like the type to kill senselessly... Her voice trailed off as Hailey's expression turned serious.
"Don't forget why we're doing this," Hailey said firmly. "He's the one who needs to fall for you, not the other way around. Whatever you did to make him agree to this marriage, keep doing it. You can't afford to be distracted."
Aria nodded; she understood what she needed to do, but one thing was still bothering her: "What about Alpha Milton?"
"You have to lie to him. If my Alpha suspects that you have betrayed him, he might not take it lightly with you, so you must keep pretending that you are on his side until you have gotten Tristan to get you an antidote for your grandmother."
"I still need to find out who poisoned her."
"And you will, but first, finding a cure for your grandmother's poison is our first priority. So can you do it? Can you lie to two Alphas?"
"It is better than taking a life."
Hailey smiled and said, "Well, it's a good thing Alpha Tristan is blind, so he won't be able to see most of the things you do."
Aria wanted to tell Hailey that even though Tristan was blind, he was still capable of seeing with the eyes of his wolf, but for some reason she hesitated to share that piece of information with her friend.
"Let's get some rest; we have to go back to the dorm early in the morning to get our clothes for a certain someone's marriage."
Aria smiled, and they both lay on the bed, getting ready to sleep when she suddenly said, "Hailey, sorry you didn't get to meet your mate; I know how much you were looking forward to it."
Hailey was quiet for a few seconds, and Aria wanted to turn to look at her when she heard her voice.
"It's fine. Since we are destined, we will surely meet. Goodnight."
"Goodnight." Aria whispered, drifting off to sleep.
....
While Aria had no problem drifting off to sleep, Tristan, on the other hand, wasn't able to get even a second of sleep. Even though his eyes were opened, the only thing he could see was darkness, a darkness he had already gotten used to since he was a child.
"Why are you so quiet?" Tristan finally asked his wolf, who hadn't said a word to him even after they met the one they were always hoping to see in every lifetime.
"She doesn't remember us." Zolan murmured, his voice heavy with sorrow.
"Aren't you supposed to be glad about that? Or do you wish for her to remember how brutally she was killed? How we failed her?"
Zolan didn't respond, but Tristan could feel his wolf grief like a second heartbeat.
He closed his eyes with a sigh, and the memory of their kiss brought a slight smile to his face. Her name may have changed, but everything about her was still the same; she was still his Aitana.