**Aria's POV**

I dropped my coffee cup due to a loud crash coming from the kitchen.

"What now?" With a moan, Dominic sprinted in the direction of the noise.

With my heart racing, I followed him. The head chef appeared to be crying as he stood amid the shattered dishes.

He pointed to the wall and said, "The whole shelf just fell." "Every piece of Christmas china we have. disappeared.

I got on my knees and grabbed a fragment of the shattered shelf. There were loose screws. Too loose. They had been tampered with by someone.

"This is the third accident this week," Dominic said in a frustrated tone. "First the tree, then the ballroom lights, and now this."

I brushed the dust from my hands and got to my feet. "Perhaps someone is attempting to ruin your festival."

"But who? "And why?"

I nearly said "your brother," but I restrained myself. Before I could make any accusations against Marcus, I needed evidence. Furthermore, some of these mishaps were still part of my original plan, if I'm being completely honest. Two days prior, I had used one of my contacts to loosen those screws.

The guilt was like a kick to the gut. I saw that my retaliation was hurting more people than just Dominic when I looked at his weary face. The entire pack was in pain.

I abruptly changed the topic and said, "We should start the tour." "If I want to fix this festival, I have to see everything."

After giving me a nod, Dominic guided me around the resort. Each room described a recent issue. There were burn marks on the walls where decorations had burned. Pipes had "accidentally" burst in the new carpet. missing furniture that had vanished from storage inexplicably.

I said, hating the way my voice sounded, "You've had a lot of bad luck."

"Bad luck," Dominic said sourly again. "Yes. Everyone refers to it as that.

My breath caught as we entered the main ballroom. Five years ago, everything took place here. where Dominic had ruined my life while standing in front of everyone.

He looked different here, though. smaller. Sadder.

He clarified, "The Christmas Eve ceremony takes place here." "The entire pack gets together for dancing and dinner. It's our most important tradition."

I was having trouble breathing. "How many people?"

"This year, about 350. members of the pack in addition to visitors from the town and other areas." He hesitated. Aria, it must be flawless. The pack council will use this festival's failure as evidence that I'm unfit to be Alpha.

My skin tingled when he said my name. Not "Ms. Blake" as she was yesterday. Only Aria. As if he was trying it out on his tongue.

"What would happen if you were to lose the Alpha position?" I inquired.

"Marcus takes charge of the pack. Furthermore, he is not at all like our father. He's chilly. brutal. He would completely alter our way of life.

Last night, Marcus's phone call crossed my mind. How he boasted about tricking Dominic into turning me down. How he was taking advantage of my plan of retaliation.

"Tell me about Marcus," I said cautiously.

Dominic's entire body stiffened. "Why?"

"I need to know who might be motivated to harm you if someone is ruining your festival."

I assumed he wouldn't respond because he was silent for so long. Then: "Being Alpha has always been a goal of Marcus's. Our father never forgave me for being his heir instead of me.

"Would he actually undermine his own pack in order to gain authority?"

Dominic said, "I don't know," but it sounded like he was beginning to wonder. "He persuaded me to make a decision five years ago that ruined the best thing in my life. He claimed it was for the pack's benefit, but now..."

"What choice?"

"I turned down my true love." The words sounded as though they had been torn out of his chest. Marcus claimed she was too weak, even though she was ideal for me. that if I picked her, the pack would never respect me. I therefore sent her away.

My hands began to shake. "And you regret it?"

"Every day. I will never be able to forgive myself for my cowardice in causing her death.

I felt like screaming. Telling him that I was here, that I had lived, and that I had hated him for something Marcus had forced him to do for five years. But would he believe me if I told him now? Or would he believe that this was all a part of a larger scheme of retaliation?

Instead, I said in a voice that was hardly steady, "We should keep moving."

We went to the outdoor pavilion, the dining room, and the guest rooms. I noticed more proof of the issues that had been ailing the resort everywhere we went. Some came from Marcus's sabotage, some from mine.

"You know what's weird?" As we strolled through the gardens, Dominic said. "About six months ago, all of these incidents began. Marcus proposed that we hire outside security at about the same time.

I stopped moving. "He recommended employing outsiders?"

"Yes. claimed that in order to keep the pack safe, we needed new eyes. However, after they arrived, the accidents worsened.

I felt cold. "Where are these security guards now?"

patrolling the property. "Why?"

I realized that Marcus was using them to undermine his own pack. And most likely to observe me as well.

After we went back inside, Dominic showed me the supply and decoration storage rooms. I saw my opportunity when he moved aside to answer his phone.

I took the tiny gadget out of my pocket with a trembling hand. Power outages during the festival would result from it interfering with the resort's electrical system. I had intended to use it as part of my retaliation.

It felt wrong now, though, knowing what I knew about Marcus. Dominic was no longer the only one with these issues. Everyone in the pack had to deal with them.

As I was about to replace the gadget in my pocket, powerful hands seized my wrists.

"What's that?"

A man I didn't recognize was holding my arms when I turned around. He had a security badge on his shirt, was tall and muscular, and had icy eyes. Marcus's outside guard.

"Nothing," I said, attempting to distance myself. "Just my phone."

He grabbed the gadget after prying open my fingers. He studied it with a cruel smile. "This is intriguing. A jammer of frequencies. "Military grade."

My heart stopped beating. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Yes, Aria Matthews, you don't."

I felt like I was slapped by the phony name. He was aware. They were all aware.

"Marcus was right," the guard went on. "You did return to exact revenge. He has been anticipating your mistake.

"Where is he?" I insisted.

"Closer than you think." The guard took his phone out. "Should I let him know you're willing to help? Or should we take the difficult route?

Dominic's voice reverberated down the hall before I could respond.

"Aria? "Where are you?"

The guard gripped my wrists more tightly. "Your precious Alpha will die tonight if you say anything about this conversation. Marcus has made that very apparent.

He pushed the gadget back into my grasp and left as if nothing had occurred.

Dominic came around the corner, and I stood there trembling.

"You're there. Are you prepared to view the final room?

Unconfident in my voice, I nodded. It seemed to be burning a hole in my pocket.

With worry in his eyes, Dominic remarked, "You look pale." "Are you feeling okay?"

"Fine," I told a lie. "Just exhausted."

I wasn't okay, though. Marcus was aware of my presence. His people were observing everything I did. And he would kill Dominic if I didn't comply with his schemes.

I had to defend the man I had come here to destroy.

And I didn't know how to accomplish that without ruining myself.

My phone buzzed with a fresh text as we made our way to the final room: "Plant the device or he dies." You've got an hour. - M.

I closed my hand around my pocket's jammer. I would have to decide between Dominic's life and my mission in sixty minutes.

Marcus was unaware that I had already decided on a course of action.

Would Dominic live long enough for me to save him?