Mistletoe and Vengeance: A Christmas Reckoning

**Aria's POV**

When my truck struck black ice, the steering wheel slipped out of my sweaty hands.

"No, no, no!" As the car swerved sideways on the mountain road, I muttered and tightened my hold. Like irate ghosts, snow whipped across my windshield. I was a little afraid that I might crash here, only twenty miles from Blackwood territory. How appropriate would that be? Before she can exact her retribution, Aria Matthews perishes in a car accident.

However, I am no longer Aria Matthews. My name is Aria Blake, and I'm not one to die easily.

I shakily exhaled as my truck straightened out. "Blake Events - Making Your Dreams Come True" was written in bright red letters on the sign that was posted on my door. If only people understood the kind of dreams I was truly here to fulfill.

Five years. I hadn't driven these roads in five whole years. I had mousy brown hair and clothes that never fit properly, and I was skinny and afraid back then. The omega of the pack. The misfit. The girl that no one desired.

I'm blond now. powerful and effective. And totally unnoticeable to anyone who might recall the previous version of myself.

My business partner Elena buzzed my phone with a text: "This is your last chance to turn around. This is not required of you.

With one hand, I typed back, "Yes, I do."

Like that Christmas Eve five years ago, the snow was falling harder now. That was the night that everything changed. The night Dominic Stone told the pack as a whole that I wasn't worthy of being his mate. He sent me away to die that night.

I didn't die, though.

When I saw the well-known wooden sign that read, "Welcome to Blackwood Territory - Population 847," my heart began to race. Since I was gone, they had painted it. Now it appeared happy and inviting. What a farce.

Not much had changed on the main street. The same tiny stores with their cozy yellow illumination. I used to work for pennies at the same coffee shop. Because they were members of the Stone pack, the same individuals were moving around as if they owned the entire planet.

But with my new eyes, everything felt different. smaller. Not as frightening. I had changed from that broken girl.

I parked in front of Stone Mountain Resort and gazed up at the enormous structure. For the next month, I would be working here to organize their largest Christmas celebration to date. It's the same location where Dominic broke my heart.

I shut off the engine with trembling hands. Not from the cold. out of rage.

"You can do this," I told myself in a whisper. "This has been in the works for five years. It's time to work some Christmas magic.

I wore special scent blockers that prevented anyone from smelling me. My hair had completely changed. My confidence and muscle had grown. My voice had also changed from a timid whisper to a clear and powerful one.

I couldn't be seen. Excellent.

After gathering my planning materials, I made my way to the resort's entrance. It felt like I was moving closer to my destiny with every step.

Although the lobby was cozy and decked out for Christmas, something didn't feel quite right. The employees appeared anxious. In the corners, people whispered about "strange accidents" and "bad luck."

Excellent. My long-range sabotage was doing just fine.

A deep voice spoke behind me as I was examining the main Christmas tree and considering how simple it would be to make it "accidentally" fall.

"Did my mother hire you as her event planner?"

My blood froze. That voice was familiar to me. For five years, I had been hearing it in my nightmares.

I turned around slowly and saw Dominic Stone.

I had forgotten how tall he was. wider. Those green eyes that used to melt my heart were now exhausted, and his dark hair was a little disheveled. There were lines of worry on his face that had never been there before. Excellent. He had good reason to be concerned.

Still, he was the most attractive man I had ever laid eyes on. Before I firmly crushed that emotion, my foolish heart gave a little flip.

"I'm Aria Blake from Blake Events," I introduced myself in a steady, businesslike tone. "You have to be Mr. Stone."

Even through my blockers, I could feel his wolf stirring. However, he failed to identify me. Excellent.

He stated, "We need this Christmas festival to be perfect," and I could tell he was under pressure. "The reputation of the pack depends on it. Recently, we've encountered some... challenges."

I wanted to yell at him, but instead I smiled sweetly. "Mr. Stone, don't worry. Making Christmas fantasies come true is my specialty. This will be a memorable holiday celebration by the time I'm finished."

If only he understood my true meaning.

"Good," he said, but his eyes glowed. "Because everything my family has built could be destroyed if this festival fails."

There was a strange little dance in my heart. Did he sound afraid? Was Dominic Stone, the great Alpha, afraid?

"It won't fail," I assured them. "I'll see to that."

He nodded, but he continued to look at me as if he were trying to figure out a puzzle. "Have we previously met? There's something about you that seems..."

"Familiar?" My heart was pounding as I finished. "I often understand that. One of those faces is mine.

"Maybe," he uttered slowly. "All right, I'll let you start working. Tomorrow, my mother Catherine will give you a tour. She has been anticipating your arrival.

Catherine Stone. I was devastated by the woman who sat quietly while her son was doing this. Who would allow the pack to make fun of me while I was discarded like trash?

I lied and said, "I'm looking forward to meeting her too."

Dominic turned to leave, then halted. "Ms. Blake? I appreciate you accepting this position at such short notice. particularly in light of all the issues we've been facing. The majority would have fled in the opposite direction.

"Mr. Stone, I'm not most people."

It was the first genuine smile I had ever seen on his face. It was the same smile that had made me fall in love with him as a teenager, so it was like a punch to the chest.

"No," he muttered. "I don't believe you are."

I stood in that lobby by myself, trembling, after he had gone. This time, not out of fear. from something far more hazardous.

I briefly recalled why I had loved him so much while I was staring into his eyes. The boy who used to smuggle cookies from the pack kitchen had been there. Who had held my hand while I watched scary movies? Who, beneath the old oak tree, had promised me forever?

However, the boy had vanished. The night he put his pack's approval ahead of mine, he had died.

"Phase one complete," I texted Elena after taking out my phone. I'm inside. He doesn't even recognize me.

"Be careful, Aria," was her prompt response. Don't fall for his tricks again.

"Never," I replied by typing.

However, as I made my way to my rental car, I touched the area of my arm where Dominic had unintentionally touched me while we were speaking. My skin continued to tingle.

I detested that weakness in myself.

"Remain focused," I muttered. "Keep in mind what he did to you. Recall how painful it was.

Now the snow was falling even more heavily, covering the windshield of my truck. As I waited for it to warm up, I turned on the heater and started the engine.

I saw him then.

Across the street, a man was observing me from the shadows. tall, dark-haired, and dressed in a pricey coat. I could see his face clearly through the snow falling.

Marcus Stone. The elder brother of Dominic.

And he was looking directly at me with a recognition that chilled my blood.

He was fully aware of my identity.

With his eyes fixed on mine, Marcus took out his phone and began to walk toward my truck. His smile had a predatory quality that made every instinct cry out for danger.

With my heart thumping my ribs, I put my truck in reverse and drove off into the night.

The plan did not include this. I wasn't supposed to be recognized by Marcus. Nobody was.

However, one horrifying question kept coming to me as I drove toward my hotel through the swirling snow:

What was Marcus going to do if he knew who I really was?