"Alpha Damon cares about you," Arya said to Talia while folding the map.
"That's what fated mates do," Talia responded. "They care for each other unconditionally."
"So I heard," Arya said in a monotone.
"You don't believe in fated mates?"
Arya paused and looked at Talia for a long moment before responding.
"The idea of unconditional love is something I can't comprehend. Since I remember, people have been nice to me. They are smiling, eager to indulge me, but it's all skin deep. Only one truly cared about me as a person and showed interest in what I could do, and that's Alpha Cristian. He gave me a chance to rank up as a warrior while others said that a pretty girl like me shouldn't get her hands dirty because I might break a nail."
"You admire Alpha Cristian," Talia said.
Arya didn't deny it. "I do. He acknowledged my desire to prove myself, and he didn't look down on me because I was pretty. I will prove he didn't make a mistake by believing in me."
