Aria entered Knight’s car in silence. 

The omega is so cautious about everything around her now because first, she didn't text Knight, and seeing him arrive with Alexander made her a little suspicious.

After she learned that her daughter was alive and that everything that she believed was true was all lies, she suddenly had that ugly feeling in her gut about the people around her.

Knight didn't start the car. The pure blood alpha's mind was in chaos after his conversation with Alexander and now he witnessed Aria being so comfortable around Kiana and Cyrus, he suddenly felt a pang of jealousy, an envy...thinking that the omega would never be his.

"A-aren't we going home?" Aria breaks the silence because she feels like her head is about to explode if they remain in the parking lot.

Knight turned to look at the younger who was avoiding direct eye contact from him.

"Are you not hungry? We can go grab some dinner first before we go home." Knight suggested.

 Aria remained still and focused outside the car.

The omega shakes her head. She isn't hungry at all. 

Her mind is wondering about the three other wolves they left in the restaurant a few minutes ago.

She is wondering how and why Alex betrayed her. 

She doesn't have any idea why her best friend would lie to her about her child. 

Another m part of her is also wondering if her daughter got to eat the strawberry dip they ordered. 

Amidst the chaos in his head, she can't help but smile a little upon remembering that yes, her pup is alive.

Knight saw the tiny smile on Aria’s lips and as much as he wanted to ask her why, he just couldn't do it.

 He felt like anything he says will only push the omega away from him so he just kept quiet until they arrived at his penthouse. 

He also volunteered to help Aria carry the shopping bags but the younger refused immediately. 

They entered the house in complete silence until Knight slammed the door behind him.

Aria was startled. 

It was the first time that it ever happened so she slowly turned around to face the alpha only to find him flashing his red eyes directly at her.

"Why aren't you asking me why I arrived at the mall with Alex and how I found you there?" he asked, his voice so deep that almost made Aria submit. 

She would have if not because she is carrying the mark of another pure blood.

"K-knight...your eyes." Aria takes a step back from the alpha because, for the first time since they met each other, it was the only time Knight snapped at her like that.

"Answer me Aria, why aren't you asking me about what just happened tonight?" knight repeats as he takes a step closer towards the omega.

Aria gulps, she knows she is producing distressed pheromones but thanks to her scent blocker, Knight is unaware of how scared she is at that moment until the older closes the gap between them. 

Knight’s eyes turn back to normal, his scent still dominant but more relaxing than the one he was producing just a while ago.

"Did you think I would betray you just like how your best friend did three years ago? Did you think I would hurt you even after I promised that I would take care of you? Aria, I gave you my word." Knight uttered before lifting his hand to touch Aria’s pale face.

"I would never hurt you. I don't know why and I don't know how this is even possible because the moment I thought of betraying you, my heart immediately breaks as if I am compelled to protect you. It's as if you're carrying my brother's blood which is impossible because he's dead." Knight said, his voice just above a whisper as he didn't want anyone to hear him.

The pure blood alpha leans closer to the male omega and at first Aria was about to dodge him because she thought Knight would kiss her only to find out that all the alpha wanted was to lean his forehead to hers.

 "I cannot hurt you Aria. From the very first time I saw you, I just knew I could never hurt you." Knight uttered and at that moment he wasn't even sure who he was trying to convince anymore. 

He is so ashamed of himself because when Alex convinced him about her plan, he almost let his mind wonder about the possibility of conniving with her until he felt his wolf growling inside him.

Knight has never felt his wolf growl like that ever since he lost his brother but at that moment, when he almost fell into Alex’s trap..the wolf inside him reminds him of his promise to protect Aria at all costs.

“Knight ...y-you're crying," Aria mumbled when she felt his tears on her face since there was only a centimeter gap between them.

Knight lets go of the younger as he wipes his tears away.

"I'm sorry about that Ria… I was just really mad at myself for thinking about the possibility of betraying you and it hurts to think that you also thought that I could hurt you." Knight confessed.

Aria finally breathed out before gently placing her shopping bags down and tenderly holding the older’s face.

"I'm so sorry for doubting you, but remember when you told me that my daughter is alive? Y-you're right Knight. Kiana, my baby is alive." Aria admitted to the alpha when she felt the air between them going back to normal.

Knight pulled away from the younger so he could see her pretty face.

"You finally believe it! I knew that angel was yours! Aria, she's too adorable to be Alexander’s!" Knight blurted out and that made Aria smile.

 "I thought you were gonna say she's too pretty for Cyrus’" Aria said trying to lighten the mood between them but Knight immediately shook his head off upon hearing her joke.

"That idiot may look like there's always a stick stuck up his ass but he looks pretty too, well not as pretty as you of course," Knight said before taking the younger's hand to his.

Aria couldn’t help but blush upon hearing the alpha's words but she let him hold her hands.

"But Knight ... how did you know I was there?" Aria finally asks what has been bothering her after the tension between them finally subsided.

Knight guides her to their living room and lets her sit on the couch beside him before he goes to grab the brown envelope on the side table.

"First of all, I want you to know that I did what I did because I wanted to protect you and that I just want the best of you, Ria. I know you would most likely hate me because of this but I hope you'll find it in your heart to forgive me too. I would understand if…”

"Oh my god Knight stop. You are rambling. Now tell me what did you do and also what's in that envelope?" Aria pointed at the envelope he was holding.

"I hired a private investigator to….”

"You didn't stop!?" Aria interrupts him and Knight just nods before he starts to pours out what's inside the envelope.

At first, Aria thought they were just random pictures of her, Cyrus and Alex until she spotted another photo of her other best friend.

Her eyes widened as she recognized Rina in the photos taken from the places she visited in the past week after the gala.

"I-knight, why do you have Rina’s photos? And why are these....why was she...oh Luna! She has been following me!" Aria’s hands are shaking as she picks up one of the photos where Rina is pretending to be reading a newspaper inside a cafe in front of Aria’s workplace.

Then she saw another photo of Rina from the flower shop where she bought the red roses she bought for her angel a few days ago. 

Beside the said photo is another shot of Rina taken from the Hudson River where she went to scatter the petals.

Aria begins to tear up when she suddenly gets why Rina has been following her.

"She was there at the mall today too, am I right? Is that how you knew I was there?" Aria asked, her lips trembling because she could not believe that her two best friends betrayed her like that.

She was already starting to understand why Alex betrayed her. 

She remembered her father was into politics too but Rina? She has no idea why at all.

"I am so sorry Aria. When I confirmed that your daughter was alive, I just couldn’t sit back and let you wander around unprotected, especially now it is very clear that someone wants you out of Cyrus’s life. I asked Justin to assign someone who would watch over you. At first, we thought I was being overprotective until the bodyguard Mark noticed your other friend tailing you every single day from the moment you get out of the penthouse till the end of the day." Knight starts to explain but Aria is still clueless as to why Rina would do this. 

The alpha continues with his narration.

"So when we discovered that you're being tailed, I asked Mark to shift his focus. Instead of following you, he started to dig in deeper to check on Rina Perez. Nothing important came up about her, because she was following you. We found out that she had been reporting everything you do to Alexander Perez, her cousin" Knight informed her.

 "Knight, maybe it was a coincidence. I mean, Rin has no reason to lie to me. I don't think she would ever betray me not like this." Aria tried to reason but Knight just gave her an apologetic look.

"She doesn't have any reason to lie to you Aria but she has a lot of reason to listen to Alexander. We learned that the two aren't cousins. They coincidentally have the same surnames but they're not related by blood. In fact, they did not know each other at all until they met in college where they met you. Alexander’s father hired Rona’s parents as their house workers. And since Alexander’s father is fond of Rina, they gave her a full scholarship." Knight says 

He continued to give her all the information he gathered but Aria still refused to believe that Rina would betray her because of that.

"Ari, the year you left the country was the same year Rina’s mother was diagnosed with cancer. She has been receiving treatment from the  Hospital under Elijah Perez’s sponsorship. I guess your friend…”

"Oh my goodness!" Aria breaks down when she finally puts the pieces of the puzzle together.

"We were about to graduate that year. Rin..." Aria suddenly starts to cry because no matter how much she hates the idea of her best friend lying to her about the death of her child, she can't also deny the fact that Rina is just as much of a victim of the ugly fate given to her as she was.

It's not her friend's fault to be poor like her. And it's not her fault that she wanted to save her mother too because Aria knows if she was put in the same situation, she would probably do the same thing just to save her family too.

"Ssh it's okay now Ari. I already asked Justin to reach out to Rina. But I will still respect your decision if you tell me to stop interfering. I just wanted to help because I  feel Rina genuinely loves you." Knight said before showing Aria the photos of Rina feeding her mom in the hospital.

Aria’s heart breaks the moment she sees it. Mrs. Perez looked so frail in the hospital bed while Rina was obviously pretending to smile for her mother.

 "Knight... I want to talk to her. I at least deserve an explanation from her." Aria said while staring at her best friend's photo on the table.

Knight nods in understanding.

"Sure Ari, tomorrow I will let you meet with her," Knight said with a small smile.

Aria sighs after a while. She stares at the older pureblood beside her before she leans on his shoulder.

"Have I ever told you how lucky and blessed I am to have you in my life? I don't even know why and how Harris managed to bring you into my life when you both don't even look like you're close." Aria mumbles while playing with his fingers.

Knight’s breath stopped the moment he heard the softness in her voice. 

His heart melts even more for the younger but because he has decided not to put any more pressure on her plate he just playfully nudges her.

"Why are you suddenly being a baby now? Why don't you go and have a rest? You have had a long day, I'm sure you're  tired." Knight said while carefully pushing the younger to stand up.

Aria whines but smiles at the alpha.

"Thank you for everything, Knight. I'll talk to you again tomorrow. Goodnight." Aria says before she leans to leave a light peck on his cheeks.

When Cyrus said he would bring Aria home soon, he didn't mean it to be the next day immediately. 

So imagine his surprise when Dylan barged into his office in the middle of the day when he was working with the documents they just forwarded to him.

"Cyrus, Ashbourne is outside," Dylan said with wide eyes because the truth is, his cousin hadn't told him anything about all that he had discovered yet because they got so busy and there was no time to discuss it.

Cyrus was just planning to talk to Dylan after office hours because he was going to invite him to his penthouse where Felicia and Kiana are currently staying in.

"Ashbourne? You mean knight Ashbourne?!" Cyrus raised his brows upon hearing the other pure-blooded alpha's name.

"Yeah! He wants to talk to you." Dylan informs him.

"Wait a minute Dylan. Since when did you become my secretary and why the hell haven't you sent him in yet if he wants to talk to me?" Cyrus frowns before removing his reading glasses.

Dylan rolled his eyes at his sarcasm.

"He wants you to see him in his car outside. Now what the hell is going on Cyrus?!" Dylan frowns.

it was only then that Cyrus realized.

"Oh Dylan, I'll be right back," he replied to his cousin before he grabbed his jacket and ran towards the elevator.

There is no reason for Knight to visit him at his workplace because he knows that the son of the Prime Minister would never step foot in his office unless…

Cyrus was already panting by the time he finally spotted Knight’s black Lamborghini parked at the side of their building. 

He gently knocks on the window of the car before Knight finally opens it.

"Carter" 

"Ashbourne"

 The two are  glaring at each other before they're interrupted by a very familiar voice.

"Cyrus! Bring me to my daughter." Aria says while staring at the Assemblyman who's eyes widened when he saw her at the back of the car.

"Get in Carter. We know you moved your pup this morning, take Aria to her now." knight said, opening the other door for Cyrus.

The younger pure blood alpha glared at Knight first before he nodded and entered the car with a huff.

"How the hell did you even know I---"

"I was outside your house earlier but I'm not sure whether to follow you or not so I just asked Knight to accompany me here." Aria cuts him off.

"What were you doing outside my house?" Cyrus asked only to regret it immediately when he heard Knight’s mocking voice.

"Why else Carter? Of course it’s to see her pup." Knight replied and maybe he loves it a little more when he sees how flustered the two are.

The drive to Cyrus’s penthouse was uneventful since Knight decided to keep quiet after he made both young wolves blush.

They're already inside the very secured building when Cyrus turns to look at Knight .

"My penthouse is for my family only. Do you mind if you'll wait outside?" Cyrus said smirking at the older pure blood but Aria isn't having it.

 "He's coming with me, Cyrus." She said before she entered the elevator.

Knight almost laughed at Cyrus’s reaction before he also joined Aria inside the elevator.

Cyrus bites his tongue so he could stop himself from cussing at the other pure blood in front of Aria before he also steps the elevator.

The two pure blood alphas are focused on Aria the moment they enter the penthouse.

The space is the total opposite of what Aria was expecting to see.

 It's also very different from Knight’s penthouse because Cyrus’s space looks like it was built for a child since the floor is carpeted.

"Oh.. your place looks...nice." Aria can't help but to comment when they're finally inside.

Cyrus was about to reply then he sees Knight staring at a portrait on the wall, it was the only picture he had as a child. It was taken just as they were just about to relocate to England.

"What are you looking at Ashbourne?" Cyrus asked.

"Nothing Carter, you just looked like a lost child in there." Knight replied with a smirk before he joined Aria on the couch.

Cyrus frowns before he throws another glance at the portrait.

"It's because I was." he murmured to himself before he started climbing the stairs to check on Felicia and Kiana in his baby's room.

Aria and Knight were appreciating the place when a familiar scent starts to infiltrate the omega's nose.

"Pwetty Pwincessss!!" Kiana excitedly screams the moment she sees the pretty omega downstairs.

Aria almost tripped on the stairs when she runs to welcome her baby, this time Kiana wasn't wearing any scent blocker so she could finally scent her baby.

"Kiana, my little princess!" Aria says before taking her pup from Cyrus’s arms.

The pure blood alpha couldn't help but smile when he saw how Aria eagerly scented his baby, their pup.

Even knight’s heart melts as he has witnessed how Aria’s eyes light up the moment she saw Kiana.

The older pure blood didn't even notice he's already smiling when Cyrus suddenly blocked his view.

Knight frowns.

"Stop staring at them Ashbourne."

"They're not your private property Carter."

 Cyrus almost growled on hearing his words. But he's interrupted by the loud laughter of his omega and their pup. 

Cyrus froze on his feet when Kiana started to pepper Aria’s face with little kisses and it was only then that he realized that he could also finally smell his mate's scent.

"You smelled like stwawbewwy too pwetty pwincess!" Kiana said while nuzzling her mother.

Aria smiled as she tightened her hands around her pup.

"Daddy loves stwawbewwy too. Sometimes we bwuy stwawbewwy and daddy----"

"Kiana, princess! Why don't you show Ria---the pretty Princess your room?" Cyrus panics when his child almost exposes him to everybody.

The three other adults in the room gave Cyrus a weird look before Aria agreed to go with Felicia and Kiana in his pup's room.

Cyrus was about to finally breathe a sigh when he heard chuckles behind him. "What's funny now Ashbourne?" he asked with a frown.

"Can't believe you really cried over a strawberry Carter. Very creative." Knight said before he runs and goes to where Aria and Kiana went.

"Hey! Knight,  strangers are not allowed in---goddamn it!" Cyrus murmured to himself when he realized that the pure blood alpha wont listen to him anyways.

He just decided to quickly type a message to inform Dylan that he won't be coming back to work the rest of the  day before he also follows his family upstairs.

"Yeah, my family and that fucking annoying stranger." he mumbled to himself.