Chapter 26

Lucas

Aria stays tight-lipped, staring anywhere but at me. It’s like she’s deliberately trying to piss me off. And guess what? It’s fucking working. My blood’s boiling, my wolf’s pacing in my head, and I feel like I’m two seconds from snapping.

“Aria,” I growl low, leaning in closer. “Don’t fucking make me search your head myself.”

Her head snaps toward me, green eyes glaring so hard I’m pretty sure they could scorch steel. “Don’t you fucking dare,” she hisses. “That’s invasive as hell.”

Good. At least now she’s looking at me. I wasn’t actually going to dig into her mind…she’s my mate, for fuck’s sake. I just needed her attention. But that glare? Yeah, it stings more than I care to admit.

I take a deep breath, forcing my tone softer. “Just tell me. Who did this to you?”

Her jaw tightens, and for a second, I think she’s going to tell me. But nope. Instead, she hits me with, “Why do you care? You’re not my real boyfriend.”

Oh, that’s wh