Aria's POV
I went alone to my mother's family. That was the only condition I had given them. No Noah, no Ryder, no Damon, and no pack soldiers surrounding me.
If the head of my mother's house was willing to speak, I needed him to believe I had come without an army.
Of course, I wasn't actually alone. Damon, Noah, and Ryder were somewhere beyond the estate's perimeter, hidden beneath the cover of the forest. They had argued against the plan for nearly an hour. Damon had been the worst.
"You expect me to stand outside while you walk into a house filled with people who may want you dead?"
I had looked him straight in the eye. "Yes."
His jaw had tightened. "Aria."
"You're not my shadow, Damon."
His eyes had flashed at my words.
Rhein had stirred through the bond, and I had felt his an
