Chapter 75
Aria’s POV
1 frowned.
I didn’t like Delilah’s proposal.
Because back in Red Stone Pack territory, Grayson was never seen without a small army of bodyguards following behind him.
Not that he needed their protection–he was the most powerful Alpha after all–but still, having people around gave a sense of security.
So the fact that Delilah insisted on going alone to this remote, mysterious cabin in the mountains… yeah, it made me uneasy.
Grayson turned to me. “What do you think, Ařia? You want to go skiing?”
“I was hoping we could go just the two of us,” Delilah said quickly. “No one else, just me and-”
“Aria isn’t ‘someone else,“” Grayson cut in flatly.
Delilah hesitated for a moment, then forced a smile in my direction. “Of course. If Aria wants to come, she’s more than welcome.”
I didn’t know whether to go or not.
Maybe I was just overthinking everything.
After a moment of hesitation, I said, “I’m fine with it. But shouldn’t you check your schedule first? See if you’re even free?”
“You’re right. I’ll talk to Nora and let you know, Delilah.”
With that, Grayson stood up and headed upstairs to his study. I was about to follow him when Delilah called after me.
“Can you… talk to him? Please?”
Her face was pale, and she looked nothing like the smug, arrogant princess from the birthday party yesterday.
I crossed my arms. “Are you really trying to fix things with him?”
Her expression shifted. “What’s that supposed to mean? Of course I am.”
“I don’t know. You tell me. I mean…can people really change overnight?”
She let out a bitter laugh and grabbed the pregnancy report from the table. “You don’t have a child, Aria. So of course you don’t understand yet. But one day… you’ll realize you’d do anything for your children. You might even change into a totally different person.”
She left after that.
Her figure looked small, even fragile, as she walked away.
I watched her leave, and took a deep breath before going upstairs to find Grayson.
By the time I reached the study, he had just finished a call with Nora.
“I’ve cleared tomorrow and the day after. Looks like we’re going on a quick vacation,” he said, holding out a hand to pull me onto his lap.
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Chapter 75
I slowly walked over, but the unease on my face must’ve been obvious. He noticed right away.
“What’s wrong? You don’t look too excited.”
I gave him a weak smile. “Are you sure about this?”
“You’re worried !‘ll go soft on them, huh?” he said, amused. “Don’t worry, I won’t. Jace Carter’s already in prison. His execution’s in 3 days. Without him around to poison her mind, Delilah’s not going to do more damage. She’s still my sister, after all.”
“I know… I’m just worried. It’s just the three of us, no bodyguards. And I’m not exactly a fighter…”
He laughed. “You’re worried about me?”
I looked at him seriously. “Safety isn’t something to joke about.”
He laughed even harder and pulled me into a kiss—deep, slow, full of warmth.
“I’m glad you’re worried about me,” he said huskily after there to protect you.”
the kiss. “But trust me. What could possibly happen in a ski cabin? I’ll always be
“I–I don’t know. And her pregnancy…doesn’t it seem a little too convenient to you? Yesterday Jace was thrown into prison, and today she showed up with a pregnancy report…”
“Relax babe. You’re too tensed. Maybe a quick getaway will ease you up.” He said casually.
It looks like he’d made up his mind already.
And I knew my worry was stupid. What could hurt him in that ski cabin anyway? A bear? The cold? An fucking avalanche? Definitely not.
And Delilah. I didn’t think she had it in her to hurt her own brother, and even if she wanted to, she couldn’t.
But still…I couldn’t shake off that strange feeling of foreboding.
We left for the mountain the next day.
It was a 5–hour drive from the city, but still within Red Stone Pack territory.
At the base of the mountain, everything was still green and lush. But as we got closer to the summit, everything turned white with snow.
Delilah was already waiting for us at the cabin. She looked better than she had the day before.
“You’re finally here!” she greeted warmly. “I’ve been waiting.”
Grayson helped me out of the car, glancing up at the building. “It’s been years. But this place hasn’t changed a bit.”
“I know right? Hey, wanna grab your skis and hit the slopes? We’ve got a few hours before dinner.”
Grayson checked his watch. “How about tomorrow? I’ve got some work to finish tonight. Aria, want to come with me or do your own thing?”
“I can entertain myself,” I shrugged.
So Grayson was off to work. And that left Delilah and I standing there awkwardly for a while.
Then I finally broke the silence:
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Chapter 75
“You don’t have to stick around. I know you’re here to fix things with Grayson, not with me”
She gave me a mocking little smile. “What’s the difference? To get to him, I have to be friends with you too, right? You’re just that important to
him.
Then she took a deep breath and gestured me to come with her. “Come on, I’ll show you around. There’s nothing else to do before dinner anyway.”
The so–called “cabin” was more like a winter lodge, way bigger than I expected. It reminded me of their villa back in Silver Creek Pack.
But this place definitely held a lot more memories for them.
As we wandered around the cabin, I saw family photos, childhood stuff, and everything. You could tell they’d spent a lot of time here as kids.
I even saw a picture of an 8–year–old Grayson holding a pair of skis. God even as a little boy, he looked so serious and cold.
When we passed the kitchen, I peeked inside on purpose. The cooks were in there prepping dinner. I let out a tiny breath of relief. It was nice to know we weren’t the only ones here. Just the 3 of us in this isolated cabin would’ve been… a little too creepy.
Out in the garden, I was surprised to see a huge treehouse built in one of the bigger trees.
“Your dad built that?” I asked, astonished.
“Please,” Delilah snorted. “You think my dad had that kind of time? It’s Grayson. He built it when he was still a kid.”
I looked up at it, stunned.
It was hard to imagine a child could accomplish something this awesome.
I remembered how badly I wanted a treehouse when I was little too. But my dad was either drinking or gambling, so of course that never happened.
“Come here. I think you should see this,” Delilah said with a strange smile.
She waved me over and pointed to something carved into the trunk.
“GH & CA.”
GH–obviously Grayson’s initials.
“Who’s CA?” I asked.
“The first girl he ever liked. From back when he was in Europe,” Delilah smiled. “You’ve heard of her, right? They were both from royal families, a perfect match. And Grayson was obsessed with her. When he came back from Europe, he built this whole treehouse just for her. They were supposed to get engaged, but too bad she disappeared later.”
I stared coldly at her. “Why are you telling me this?”
She stepped closer, voice dropping to a whisper. “Is it really worth it? Staying by his side knowing that you will never be his favorite? You’re not even his second choice. Because don’t forget about his ex–wife. You two will never have a future together.”
I let out a dry laugh.
Did I need her to tell me that?
Grayson had already made that crystal clear himself.
Chapter 75
“Instead of worrying about me, maybe worry about yourself a bit more? ” I said coolly. “You are pregnant now Maybe fociis offfraising children so they don’t turn out like his father.”
Her nostrils flared in anger. “Don’t tell me how to raise my child!” she snapped.
“Right back at you,” I said icily.
She shot me a glare, then stomped away.
I let out a frustrated breath and turned back to look at the tree trunk, and the carved letters.
Grayson must’ve really liked that girl.
Whether it was this mysterious “CA” or his ex–wife Isla, they
both nobles. People who matched his status.
They all belonged to a world I had nothing to do with.
my phone. I want to call May. Grayson had allowed me to contact
I shook my head to get rid of those depressing thoughts and pulled out my them every now and then, and I suddenly missed my grandma and best friend so much.
But the call didn’t go through.
I frowned and checked my phone.
No signal.
Strange. I’m pretty sure I still had signal on the way up the mountain.
Which could only mean one thing–we were now completely cut off from the outside world.
