Kian’s POV
I should have walked out the second I saw him, but I didn’t. I stood there, watching like a fool as Lucian ignored my presence entirely, stepping forward with that smug smile and extending a bouquet of roses toward Aria.
"Happy birthday, Aria," he said smoothly.
Aria hesitated before taking the flowers, her fingers barely grazing his as she accepted them. She didn’t look at me, she was avoiding my gaze.
Lucian knew exactly what he was doing.
My wolf was snarling beneath my skin. I wanted to shred him apart for acting so familiar with her, for being here when he shouldn’t be. I knew he had gone to town with Aria before but I hadn’t expected this.
The fact that she had told him about her birthday, something she hadn’t even mentioned to me, burned more than it should have.
“I should go,” I muttered under my breath, forcing myself to move toward the door.
Lucian, the bastard, sat down like he owned the place.
“Go get dressed, Aria,” he said casually, as if I wasn’t standing right there. “I should take you out on a special day like this, right?”
I saw Aria tense. Lila glanced between us awkwardly, clearly uncomfortable with the tension.
Aria gave a nervous chuckle. “There’s no need. I just wanted a quiet birthday, like always.”
Smart answer, but Lucian wasn’t about to let it go.
“Nonsense,” he said, waving a hand. “This is your 18th birthday. It should be different. Let’s make it memorable.”
Lila nodded eagerly. "He's right! You should do something different this time, Aria."
Aria hesitated and I saw it the way she glanced at me. She knew I was angry. She knew I didn’t want her anywhere near Lucian. And yet, she was thinking about it.
For the first time, I saw it in her eyes. She wanted to see what I would do. She wanted to see if I would stop her. And that realization made my blood boil.
Lucian leaned forward slightly, still smirking. "What do you say, birthday girl?"
Silence stretched between us. Then Aria smiled.
I knew what she was about to do before she even said it.
“I can’t wait to have a different birthday this time,” she said, voice light, but her eyes were locked on me. Then she turned to him. “Let me just change.”