​for their pup to be born. It was only when he finally heard his very own daughter's loud cries that he finally froze on his feet and stopped his relentless pacing.

He felt like his heart stopped beating, he could not hear anything aside from the  loud cries of his baby His eyes widened when he finally took a whiff of his daughter's scent in the air.

Cyrus’s favorite scent is his mate's scent but the new scent that infiltrates his nostrils is different and yet it makes his heart flutter wildly. Her scent is a combination of peony with a fresh note of agrums. The scent also gave him a heartwarming aroma of rose & osmanthus. At that moment, Cyrus decided that peonies & roses were now some of his favorite scents too.

"Mr. Carter, your mate is ready to see you now." one of the Beta nurses came outside to fetch him after what seemed like an eternity.

Cyrus turned to look at Aria’s best friends before he followed the nurse who guided him toward his family inside the private room.

Aside from Aria’s friends, Cyrus is alone with his mate now, his parents are abroad.

For a rich and powerful family like theirs, occasions like giving birth aren't really that important.

The older Carter just ordered his assistant to send Aria and Cyrus a huge bouquet of flowers and a basket full of fruits when he learned that they were already in the hospital and ready to welcome their pup.

The pure-blooded alpha tried his best to shake the ugly feeling that slowly crept in his head upon remembering the nonchalance of his father about his firstborn and first grandchild.

Cyrus thought falling in love with Aria the first time he saw her was the best thing that happened in his life. He really thought that him, having found his soulmate was already magical.

But the moment he laid his eyes on the small pup lying beside his mate, he immediately burst into tears again.

"Oh Luna, she is here," Cyrus uttered as he took another step closer to his mate and pup.

"C-Cy...you're here." Aria managed to say upon seeing her alpha who was so focused on their little pup.

The alpha heard his mate for the first time since he entered the room, and it was only then that he saw his mate’s very tired state.

"Oh gosh, I was so focused on her that I didn't realize how exhausted you were. You did well, my moon. You did well delivering our princess." Cyrus uttered before he leaned forward to leave a light peck on her forehead.

"She is so beautiful," Aria uttered as she tried to look down at where her pup was.

"Yes, she is. But my moon please stop moving for a while. You need to rest, love. Don't worry I will take care of her." Cyrus promised as he carefully carried his pup for the very first time.

Aria’s eyes widened when she saw how her mate was holding their pup.

"Oh my Luna, CYRUS! Are you trying to kill me? That's not how you hold a baby!"

Aria even tried to lift herself to try to take the pup from her mate, but she ended up crying out at the pain that suddenly hit her the omega winced when she felt like her stitches slightly opened again.

Cyrus' eyes widened when he smelled his mate's blood and distressed scent too.

"For goodness’ sake Aria! Don't move! You cannot just move the way you want, not unless you want to hurt yourself. And please, don't worry about our princess,  just look at her peacefully sleeping on my hands." Cyrus even leans closer to show his mate that their pup is indeed sleeping peacefully despite her weird position on her daddy's hand. Aria shakes her head but ended up smiling when she realized how his baby is sleeping peacefully.

"How could she be so calm when we are already yelling at each other?" the omega asked her mate, but her eyes were focused only on their pup.

"Maybe she's used to our voices already. She's been living with us for nine months Love. Of course, she already knows our voices." Cyrus grins as he lifts his arm closer to his chest so his pup wIll be on his chest.

Aria smiled fondly while watching his mate with their pup. She still couldn’t believe how everything in her life changed the moment she met Cyrus.

She still remembers how  Cyrus’s parents strongly opposed to them being married but since her mate seemed to really love her, they got married anyway. She still remembers how they both eloped, and searched for a judge to officiate their marriage without their family and friends. She still remembers how Dylan Cyrus’s cousin was the only person who witnessed their wedding because he was coincidentally visiting his friend in the same area.

It was chaotic. Meeting Cyrus was like letting a whirlwind enter your house, thinking that it will just pass by but it ends up taking you away too.

Cyrus is everyone else's dream but for the older alpha, he chose her and for Aria, that is more than enough for her.

"Moon, why are you looking at me like that?" Cyrus asked when he noticed his omega staring at him. 

She contemplates whether to tell him what she was thinking or just to make up random things

"Why? How do I look at you that it bothers you so much?" the omega decided to ask.

Cyrus looks at their pup before he returns his gaze to his mate."You're looking at me as if I'm weird?" Cyrus replied with a tiny pout on his lips that made him look less intimidating.

Aria smiled at her alpha.

"I was just thinking about how lucky I am to have you as my mate. You and our pup...you are the best things that happened to me, Cyrus." Aria poured her heart out.

Cyrus smiled only to frown again when he saw the tears in his omega's eyes.

"If we are the best things that ever happened to you, then why are you crying my moon?" the alpha moved his pup to his other arm so he could wipe away the tears on his omega's face.

"Those are not sad tears, you silly alpha. They're tears of happiness," She replied before she lifted her hand to reach the tiny hands of their pup.

"I promise that I will take care of you and our pup, our Kiana." Aria finally says the beautiful name she wanted to give her pup.

Cyrus smiled back at his mate upon hearing the name of their pup for the very first time.

"Kiana, yeah...our Kiana will be loved by us always and forever."

"Yes Cyrus, forever, always..." Aria replied before she finally succumbed to sleep due to fatuge 

Cyrus smiled at his pretty mate when he realized that she wasn’t able to complete her words.

"Forever Aria, forever," he whispered before leaving a kiss on his omega's lips.

 ​for their pup to be born. It was only when he finally heard his very own daughter's loud cries that he finally froze on his feet and stopped his relentless pacing.

He felt like his heart stopped beating, he could not hear anything aside from the  loud cries of his baby His eyes widened when he finally took a whiff of his daughter's scent in the air.

Cyrus’s favorite scent is his mate's scent but the new scent that infiltrates his nostrils is different and yet it makes his heart flutter wildly. Her scent is a combination of peony with a fresh note of agrums. The scent also gave him a heartwarming aroma of rose & osmanthus. At that moment, Cyrus decided that peonies & roses were now some of his favorite scents too.

"Mr. Carter, your mate is ready to see you now." one of the Beta nurses came outside to fetch him after what seemed like an eternity.

Cyrus turned to look at Aria’s best friends before he followed the nurse who guided him toward his family inside the private room.

Aside from Aria’s friends, Cyrus is alone with his mate now, his parents are abroad.

For a rich and powerful family like theirs, occasions like giving birth aren't really that important.

The older Carter just ordered his assistant to send Aria and Cyrus a huge bouquet of flowers and a basket full of fruits when he learned that they were already in the hospital and ready to welcome their pup.

The pure-blooded alpha tried his best to shake the ugly feeling that slowly crept in his head upon remembering the nonchalance of his father about his firstborn and first grandchild.

Cyrus thought falling in love with Aria the first time he saw her was the best thing that happened in his life. He really thought that him, having found his soulmate was already magical.

But the moment he laid his eyes on the small pup lying beside his mate, he immediately burst into tears again.

"Oh Luna, she is here," Cyrus uttered as he took another step closer to his mate and pup.

"C-Cy...you're here." Aria managed to say upon seeing her alpha who was so focused on their little pup.

The alpha heard his mate for the first time since he entered the room, and it was only then that he saw his mate’s very tired state.

"Oh gosh, I was so focused on her that I didn't realize how exhausted you were. You did well, my moon. You did well delivering our princess." Cyrus uttered before he leaned forward to leave a light peck on her forehead.

"She is so beautiful," Aria uttered as she tried to look down at where her pup was.

"Yes, she is. But my moon please stop moving for a while. You need to rest, love. Don't worry I will take care of her." Cyrus promised as he carefully carried his pup for the very first time.

Aria’s eyes widened when she saw how her mate was holding their pup.

"Oh my Luna, CYRUS! Are you trying to kill me? That's not how you hold a baby!"

Aria even tried to lift herself to try to take the pup from her mate, but she ended up crying out at the pain that suddenly hit her the omega winced when she felt like her stitches slightly opened again.

Cyrus' eyes widened when he smelled his mate's blood and distressed scent too.

"For goodness’ sake Aria! Don't move! You cannot just move the way you want, not unless you want to hurt yourself. And please, don't worry about our princess,  just look at her peacefully sleeping on my hands." Cyrus even leans closer to show his mate that their pup is indeed sleeping peacefully despite her weird position on her daddy's hand. Aria shakes her head but ended up smiling when she realized how his baby is sleeping peacefully.

"How could she be so calm when we are already yelling at each other?" the omega asked her mate, but her eyes were focused only on their pup.

"Maybe she's used to our voices already. She's been living with us for nine months Love. Of course, she already knows our voices." Cyrus grins as he lifts his arm closer to his chest so his pup wIll be on his chest.

Aria smiled fondly while watching his mate with their pup. She still couldn’t believe how everything in her life changed the moment she met Cyrus.

She still remembers how  Cyrus’s parents strongly opposed to them being married but since her mate seemed to really love her, they got married anyway. She still remembers how they both eloped, and searched for a judge to officiate their marriage without their family and friends. She still remembers how Dylan Cyrus’s cousin was the only person who witnessed their wedding because he was coincidentally visiting his friend in the same area.

It was chaotic. Meeting Cyrus was like letting a whirlwind enter your house, thinking that it will just pass by but it ends up taking you away too.

Cyrus is everyone else's dream but for the older alpha, he chose her and for Aria, that is more than enough for her.

"Moon, why are you looking at me like that?" Cyrus asked when he noticed his omega staring at him. 

She contemplates whether to tell him what she was thinking or just to make up random things

"Why? How do I look at you that it bothers you so much?" the omega decided to ask.

Cyrus looks at their pup before he returns his gaze to his mate."You're looking at me as if I'm weird?" Cyrus replied with a tiny pout on his lips that made him look less intimidating.

Aria smiled at her alpha.

"I was just thinking about how lucky I am to have you as my mate. You and our pup...you are the best things that happened to me, Cyrus." Aria poured her heart out.

Cyrus smiled only to frown again when he saw the tears in his omega's eyes.

"If we are the best things that ever happened to you, then why are you crying my moon?" the alpha moved his pup to his other arm so he could wipe away the tears on his omega's face.

"Those are not sad tears, you silly alpha. They're tears of happiness," She replied before she lifted her hand to reach the tiny hands of their pup.

"I promise that I will take care of you and our pup, our Kiana." Aria finally says the beautiful name she wanted to give her pup.

Cyrus smiled back at his mate upon hearing the name of their pup for the very first time.

"Kiana, yeah...our Kiana will be loved by us always and forever."

"Yes Cyrus, forever, always..." Aria replied before she finally succumbed to sleep due to fatuge 

Cyrus smiled at his pretty mate when he realized that she wasn’t able to complete her words.

"Forever Aria, forever," he whispered before leaving a kiss on his omega's lips.

Aria had never been a fan of wearing hoodies. She liked cute dresses or button-up shirts better but when she was changing her outfit for her flight back, she knew that wearing hoodies even when it was summer was a must for her to hide her face just in case someone recognized her.

The omega who used to sing at one of Harris’s bars in New Zealand checks the time on her watch again before she finally calls a taxi as she tries to hide her face with her hoodie. It was 10 a.m. already and the address written on her phone was about an hour away from the airport. Aria put her luggage at the back of the cab before he settled inside. She also gave the driver the complete address before she leaned back and checked her phone.

Since she is an orphan and has no family in the US, Harris gave her the number of his trusted friend, Knight Ashbourne. At first, she was hesitant to accept the offer again because he'd been helping her for the past three years but when he informed her that Knight was an alpha who had high respect for Omegas, she relented. 

She accepted the phone number since Harris already told her that he already informed his friend about her arrival.

Aria decided to dial the number for the first time. a man on the other side answered on its third ring.

"Hello?" 

"H-hello. Is this Mr Knight Ashbourne?" Aria asked hesitantly when she heard the deep and authoritative voice from the other line.

"Yes. Is this Aria Thomson?" the man asked with a little excitement.

She knitted her eyebrows when she noticed. "Yes, this is Aria... hmm,    I'm Harris’s friend." she tried to hide her confusion.

"Oh, it's nice to finally hear from you, Miss Aria. I'm sorry but this is Justin, Justin Steele. Mr. Ashbourne is in the middle of a meeting. He informed me about your arrival today. Are you at the airport already? Shall I call a driver to pick you up and--" 

"Wait! No! I mean, hold on a second Mr. Steele. You said Mr. Knight is in the meeting?"

Aria asked, a little confused because as far as she could remember, Harris told her that he didn’t have a business but he could help her once she was back in New York.

"Yes, Miss Thomson. Mr Ashbourne is in the meeting but he is aware that you're arriving today. So please tell me where to pick you up so I can instruct the driver to--" Micheal is interrupted.

"I'm sorry Justin but can I just call you again later? I just have to deal with something."

Aria made up an excuse so she could hang up from the call.

"Sure Miss Thomson but please call us immediately if you need help with anything." He said again before finally ended the call.

Aria sighed as she looks out the window. She noticed how the city Looked busier compared to the last time she was there.  She also noticed the beautiful buildings that were towering along the streets.

"Mr. Driver can you please pull over." Aria suddenly asked the taxi driver to stop the car in front of a chicken restaurant.

The taxi driver seems confused at first because it was  clearly not the address she gave him but she explained that she needed to meet someone else there first so the old taxi driver just dropped her off. When she was standing outside the restaurant,is only then when she finally realizes that she really was back. He went inside and ordered a bucket of fried chicken & a can of soda.

The truth is, she had no one to meet there.she just wanted to breathe and think of the things she really wanted to do now that she was back. First on her list is to visit her baby. She wanted to pay respect to her daughter but she knew it was risky to go to the private cemetery of the Carter,s so she just made a mental note to buy a bouquet of roses that she could scatter on the River later.

The Omega's heart suddenly throbs in pain again upon remembering her angel. She doesn't cry anymore, she doesn't sob like a baby too whenever she remembers Kiana.

But her heart never failed to remind her that she lost a piece of herself. Her fading mating mark is also a huge reminder every day of how broken she is.

She knows that her marriage to her mate was dissolved 3 years ago but the mating mark on her neck was still visible even though it was slowly fading through the years that she's been away from her mate. Aria almost jumps off her seat when the waiter serves her food. She was lost in her deep thoughts that she didn't even notice how much time passed by. She looked at the chicken and forced herself to smile.

"Come on Aria, at least let this fried chicken welcome you back," she mumbled to herself before she took a bite of the tasty fried chicken.