Aria's POV
I woke up screaming again.
My throat felt raw and my sheets were wet with sweat. The fear had been so real this time - Maya's little hand slipping from mine as the dark water pulled her under.
"No, no, no," I mumbled, grabbing my pillow and holding it tight. "She's living. She's here. She's safe."
But my heart wouldn't stop beating. In my dreams, Maya still drowned every single night.
I sat up in bed, listening to the sounds around me. The pack house was meant to be quiet at three in the morning, but I could hear everything through these thin walls. Footsteps in the hallway. Someone getting water from the kitchen. And from the room next to mine - Damon's room - I heard him moving around.
Was he awake because of my yelling again?
I pressed my ear to the wall, feeling terrible but unable to stop myself. I could hear Damon talking to someone on the phone. His voice was low, but the walls were so thin I caught some words.
"She's getting worse," he was saying. "The nightmares happen every night now."
My stomach dropped. He was talking about me.
"I know she's been through trauma," Damon added, "but this is affecting the whole pack. People are saying they can't sleep."
I pulled away from the wall like it had burned me. The pack was grumbling about me. Again.
This had been happening for two weeks now, ever since Maya arrived. Every night I had the same terrible dream - watching my sister drown while I stood useless on the shore. Every night I woke up yelling her name. And every morning I had to face the pack members who looked tired and angry because of me.
I got out of bed and walked to my small window. Outside, the moon was full and bright, making everything look silver and cold. Sometimes I wondered if I should just leave. Find another pack, or go back to life as a rogue. At least then I wouldn't be annoying anyone.
But I couldn't leave Maya. Not when she was here, living, even if she didn't remember me.
A soft knock on my door made me jump.
"Come in," I whispered.
Beta Marcus stepped inside, looking worried. "Aria? Are you okay? I heard you crying out."
"I'm sorry," I said quickly. "I didn't mean to wake anyone again."
Marcus shook his head. "Don't apologize. Bad thoughts aren't your fault."
He was the only person in this pack who was still kind to me. Everyone else had gotten tired of my worries.
"Was it the same dream?" he asked softly.
I nodded, not trusting my voice. How could I explain that every night I watched my sister die, even though she was sleeping safely down the hall?
"Maybe you should talk to Elder Sage about it," Marcus offered. "She knows about healing trauma."
"Damon doesn't want me bothering the pack elders with my problems," I said sadly. "He told me I need to handle this myself."
Marcus's face got angry. "That's not right, Aria. You're his mate. He should be helping you, not making you feel worse."
"He has bigger things to worry about," I said, trying not to cry. "Like taking care of Maya."
It was true. Ever since Maya arrived, Damon spent all his time with her. He brought her meals, showed her around the area, introduced her to important pack members. He smiled when he talked to her - really smiled, not the fake kindness he used with me.
"That doesn't mean he should ignore you," Marcus said strongly.
But I knew the truth. Damon would rather spend time with the perfect girl who made him happy than deal with the broken girl who screamed in her sleep.
After Marcus left, I tried to go back to bed. But every time I closed my eyes, I saw water. Dark, rushing water that pulled small hands under while I stood frozen, too scared to jump in.
By morning, I felt like I hadn't slept at all. I dragged myself to the kitchen to help make breakfast, thinking work would distract me from the exhaustion.
Jessica was already there, making pancakes. When she saw me, her face twisted with anger.
"You kept the entire second floor awake last night," she snapped. "Some of us have important jobs that require actual sleep."
"I'm sorry," I said quietly. "I'll try to be quieter."
"Try harder," Jessica said coldly. "Or maybe find somewhere else to have your breakdowns."
I spent the rest of the morning dodging people's stares and whispered complaints. By lunch time, I felt like I was drowning in guilt and shame.
That's when Damon found me.
I was washing dishes in the kitchen, trying to make myself helpful, when he walked in. Maya was with him, laughing at something he'd said. They looked so happy together it made my chest hurt.
"Aria," Damon said, his voice sharp. "I need to talk to you."
Maya's smile faded when she saw me. "Oh. Hi, Aria."
She still looked at me like I was a stranger. Like we hadn't grown up together, shared a room, told each other secrets in the dark.
"Hi, Maya," I said softly. "Did you sleep well?"
"Actually, no," Damon replied for her. "Your yelling woke her up. She was scared and confused."
My face burned with shame. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"
"This has to stop," Damon interrupted. "The pack is getting tired of your nightly episodes. Maya shouldn't have to deal with this kind of stress."
"I'll try harder to control it," I promised desperately.
"Trying isn't enough," Damon said coldly. "You need to get over it. Maya is here now, living and safe. There's no reason for you to keep having these dreams."
His words hit me like a slap. Get over it? Like trauma was something I could just decide to stop having? "I know she's safe," I whispered. "But in my dreams-"
"Dreams aren't real," Damon cut me off. "What's real is that you're disturbing the peace of this pack with your guilt and self-pity."
Maya looked uncomfortable. "Maybe we should-"
"No," Damon said strongly. "Aria needs to hear this. The past is over. Maya is fine. You need to move on and stop making everyone else suffer for your problems."
I stared at him, feeling more alone than I ever had in my life. Even when I was a rogue slave, at least the people who hurt me were honest about hating me. Here, I had to pretend everything was fine while slowly sinking in pain.
"You're right," I said quietly. "I'll do better."
I turned to leave, but Maya's voice stopped me.
"Aria, wait."
I looked back hopefully. Maybe she remembered something. Maybe she wanted to talk to me, sister to sister.
But Maya's eyes were cold when she spoke. "I think you should know - I had a dream last night too."
My heart started beating faster. "What kind of dream?"
Maya smiled, but it wasn't a nice smile. "I dreamed about sinking. About falling into dark water while someone watched from the shore, too scared to save me."
The blood drained from my face. "Maya-"
"But here's the strange part," she continued, her voice getting softer and more dangerous. "In my dream, the person watching wasn't sad about letting me die. They were relieved."
I couldn't breathe. "That's not true. I tried to save you-"
"Did you?" Maya asked, tilting her head. "Or did you want me gone so you could be Daddy's only little girl?"
The kitchen spun around me. Maya honored. She remembered, and she thought I let her drown on purpose.
Before I could reply, Maya grabbed Damon's arm. "I'm feeling dizzy. Can you help me to my room?"
"Of course," Damon said, instantly concerned. As they walked past me, he whispered, "See what your drama does to her? Stay away from Maya until you figure out how to control yourself."
They left me standing alone in the kitchen, my whole world falling apart.
Maya remembered me. But she thought I was a killer who wanted her dead.
And now she was living in my pack, with my mate, turning everyone against me.
I sank into a chair, my hands shaking. What if Maya was right? What if, deep down, eight-year-old me had wanted to be the only daughter?
What if I really was the monster everyone thought I was?
That night, I lay in bed listening to Maya's laughter coming from Damon's room. They were talking, having fun, building the connection I'd dreamed of having with him.
I was about to try sleeping again when I heard footsteps in the hallway. Multiple footsteps, trying to be quiet.
I crept to my door and opened it just a crack. In the dim hallway light, I saw three pack members walking toward my room. They were carrying something that made my blood freeze.
Rope.
They were coming for me, and I had nowhere to run.