ARIA’S POV

MEANWHILE…

I staggered through the woods. My feet were shaking. I fell to the ground more times than I could count. I had made an elaborate meal and did not have the luxury of eating anything before my escape.

I heard a growl and waved it off, thinking it was the sound of my stomach. It had been doing that for days. I pushed through the starvation, dehydration, weakness and the pain. I heard the growl again, this time, too loud to be ignored, too fierce to be my rumbling stomach.

At first it was a small shadow, but gradually it rose from the bushes, covering the moon...