**Aria's POV**

My pocket gadget began to beep.

My heart leaped into my throat as I froze in the middle of the hallway. Until I turned it on, the little jammer was supposed to be silent. Now, though, it was making noise, and Dominic was approaching me.

With his head cocked like a bewildered puppy, he questioned, "What's that sound?"

I hastily said, "My phone," taking out my real phone and feigning to turn it off. "I apologize. Calls for work never stop.

Just as Dominic got to me, the beeping ceased. Too near. Too close. My wolf was practically purring, and even through my blockers, I could smell his scent of pine and leather.

"You work too hard," he said quietly. "How recently did you take a break?"

"Breaks are for people who don't have objectives."

His eyes flickered. "That sounds lonely."

I wanted to chuckle. Or weep. Or perhaps both. "Being alone is preferable to putting your trust in the wrong people."

"Yeah," he muttered. "I also had to learn that lesson the hard way."

For what seemed like an eternity, we gazed at one another. Like he was trying to solve a puzzle, his green eyes scanned my face. I was certain he could hear my heart pounding so loudly.

The spell was broken when his phone rang.

He said, "I should take this," and moved aside. "Pack business."

I took the gadget out of my pocket while he was preoccupied. It remained warm, as if it had been remotely controlled. When I understood what that meant, my blood froze.

Marcus wasn't merely observing me. He was teasing me. Putting me to the test. determining how far I could go before breaking.

Dominic returned with a somber expression and said, "Bad news." "Just now, two more vendors canceled. The backup caterer and the flower shop. No justification.

I was ill. Marcus must have done this, not me. I had only intended to tamper with minor details and decorations. not ruin the celebration as a whole.

"I can fix it," I said without thinking. "I'm connected everywhere."

"Why are you assisting us?" Suddenly, Dominic asked. "Most event coordinators would flee from this many issues. Or charge us three times."

I was surprised by the question. Why was I assisting? I was going to watch it all fall apart. However, after seeing Dominic's worn-out face, I could no longer bear the thought of him going through pain.

I said, "Because everyone deserves a perfect Christmas." Not all of it was a lie.

"Even people who've made terrible mistakes?"

I nearly reached out to console him because his voice was so unvarnished and filled with suffering. "Especially them."

"I need to tell you something about this place," Dominic said, his gaze averted. "Why this festival is so important to me."

"What?"

"I made the worst choice of my life in this ballroom five years ago. I hurt someone I loved more than life because I was afraid and felt pressured by others.

My throat tightened. He was bringing me up once more. Regarding that terrible evening.

"What happened?" I muttered.

"In front of the entire pack, I turned down my true mate. referred to her as weak. told her that I didn't think she was good enough. His voice broke. That night, during a blizzard, she dashed into the woods. Her body was never discovered.

My eyes were burning with tears. "Perhaps she lived."

"No." He gave a headshake. "I spent months looking. She would have returned if she had been alive. or at least made an effort to exact revenge. He gave me such a depressing look that it hurt my chest. "If she did, I wouldn't blame her."

I opened my mouth to speak the truth to him. that I was present. that I was still living. that everything was changing, but I had returned for retribution.

Then there was the sound of footsteps in the corridor.

"All right, all right. "What do we have here?"

As if he owned the ballroom, Marcus Stone entered it. I suppose he believed he did. He was taller than Dominic, but he was colder. His eyes never met his smile.

"Marcus," a startled Dominic said. "I assumed you wouldn't return until Christmas Eve."

"Plans changed." Marcus stared at me intently, like a snake observing a mouse. "You must also be our well-known event coordinator. "You mean Aria Blake?"

"That's right," I said, trying to maintain a steady tone of voice.

Marcus approached and looked at my face. "Interesting. You remind me of someone I knew in the past, you know. Someone who was a major source of conflict for this family.

My heartbeat quickened. "One of those faces is mine."

"Do you?" Marcus cocked his head. "Ms. Blake, tell me why you decided to do business in our small mountain town. It seems like a strange place for a successful event planner to wind up.

"I go where the work is."

"Smart." He grinned icily. "And, I'm sure, profitable. However, I'm curious about what would occur if people learned about your... techniques.

"What methods?" Dominic inquired, glancing confusedly between us.

"Oh, I'm sure Ms. Blake understands." Marcus never took his eyes off mine. "Some people will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. even if it results in harm to innocent people.

The danger was obvious. He could reveal me at any time. Why wasn't he doing it now, though?

Marcus stepped back and said, "I should let you get back to work." "I'm sure you have a lot of planning to do."

He brushed past me as he left, whispering in my ear, "Thirty minutes. Come to the wine cellar with me. By themselves. Don't make me wait.

Then he disappeared, leaving Dominic and me standing there with trembling all over.

"Are you okay?" Dominic enquired. "You appear to have seen a ghost."

If only he realized how correct he was.

I lied and said, "I'm fine." "Just exhausted."

"Perhaps you ought to get some rest. Tomorrow, we can wrap up the tour.

Unconfident in my voice, I nodded. My phone buzzed with the text, "It's been twenty-nine minutes now," as I made my way to the exit. Don't force me to come look for you.

Dominic was staring at the location where the Christmas tree had fallen when I turned to face him again. He appeared so isolated. So lost.

I had to confront Marcus in half an hour. The man who had already ruined my life. My revenge plan was being used by the man to further harm Dominic.

I had to make a crucial decision first, though: was I still Aria Blake, the event coordinator on a covert mission?

Or was I Aria Matthews, the girl who had sacrificed herself for Dominic Stone?

Because everything would be different after tonight, in one way or another.

My phone's clock indicated that I had twenty-eight minutes left.

I still didn't know which version of myself would enter that wine cellar, and time was running out.