The girl shrugged. “Something like that,” she replied, then stuck her hand out. “I’m Lily, by the way.” Finally, someone friendly. “Aria.” When Lily pulled her hand back, gripping the partition once more, she cocked her head to the side and wrinkled her nose. “What perfume are you wearing?”
Aria I found myself deposited on the shore of the pool like a sack of potatoes, sputtering and coughing up cold water. Lucas was whimpering and licking my face, his giant furry head nudging me. Shivering, I raised myself on shaking arms and looked over to see Darren calmly climbing out of the po
“You can shower here,” he said, handing me the clothes. I held them up: a white t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, both clearly belonging to him, and far too big for me. I couldn’t go downstairs in these… “I’ll wash your clothes,” he said, as if reading my mind yet again. “Don’t worry. My machi
Aria Everyone suddenly turned and stared at me—even Darren. “Oh, really?” I managed, waving my hand dismissively. “It should be a coincidence. Probably just a similar scent. I noticed that you didn't like my perfume so I just used another one.” Lily sniffed me again and raised an eyebrow. “Do
Arthur’s eyes widened behind his glasses. “But she’s a hu—” “Stop right there,” Darren growled, causing the supervisor to snap his mouth shut. “I don’t give a damn. And watch your tone.” Without another word, Darren glanced at his watch and strode out of the conference room. The others began gat
Aria POVThat day, I tried to motivate my coworkers. But every time I’d ask for help or suggest something to help improve the workflow around the office, I’d just be met with the same sidelong glances and snide comments as before.Eventually, I gave up. It was five o’clock by that point anyway, so I grabbed my things and went home, glad to be out of that judgmental environment for a little while.But I wasn’t home for long before a text from Darren came through.“Can you come to my office?”I frowned at my phone as I lounged on my couch, wrapped up in a blanket. It was past seven o’clock, well after my scheduled hours, and Darren was already texting me.“I just got home,” I replied, feeling a little frustrated.A moment later, another text came through: “I can come to you. It’s important. Address?”I sighed and sent it to him. “Just so you know,” I added at the end, “I won’t allow after-hours house calls forever.”Three bubbles, and then: “I know. It’ll just be this one time, I promi
“I’m not your baby. I never was. I was just a plaything for you.” She took a step back and began to shut the door, but Jackson stuck his foot out and stopped it from closing fully. “Dad, I think she’s in trouble,” Lucas whined. “I think we should save her!”“No.” I held a hand out to my son. “Not unless she really needs us.”“But—”“I said no, Lucas.”My son whined in protest, hackles raising. Even my own inner wolf was urging me to intervene, anger taking hold of me, but I stopped myself. This wasn’t my battle to fight; Aria seemed capable enough. “Fuck off, Jackson!” Aria pulled the door back and slammed it against his foot, causing him to grunt in pain, but he just used the opportunity to force himself closer to her. “Baby, just talk to me! I miss you so much! C’mon, don’t be such a prude!” “No! Get out of my house!!” Suddenly, before I could stop him, Lucas was barking and bolting around the corner. I lunged after him, but it was too late; he charged headfirst into the apartme
Aria Darren’s arm tightened around my waist. His body felt like a warm rock up against me, soothing and sturdy. Without even really meaning to, I leaned into his side. I was glad he had come—glad that this hadn’t gone somewhere much, much darker. But the things he was saying now… Baby. Boyfr
I found Darren in his study a little while later, his face pale and drawn as he stared at a stack of papers on his desk. He looked up when I entered, and his eyes looked glazed over.“How did it go with the lawyers?” I asked, although I already had a feeling I knew the answer.He sighed and ran a ha
AriaThe morning after the search party, Darren hardly allowed himself time to stir before he was heading straight into his study. He had an appointment for a video call with his lawyers regarding the deportation.I watched him go, feeling even more sorry for him than I did yesterday. A good night’s
Darren’s jaw tensed even more, but he nodded.“We’ll start a search party,” Darren said suddenly, rising from his chair. “If Alfira is still nearby, we need to find her before the human authorities do. I don’t want to risk her falling into the wrong hands before she can tell her side of the story.”
AriaWe didn’t waste any time rushing back to the pack house with the camera in tow. If the SD card held any clues as to where Alfira had gone or what had happened to her, no matter how small those clues might be, we needed to find them.Darren and I immediately hurried into the study, calling Liam
I felt a lump rise in my throat. “I didn’t do anything, though. I certainly didn’t keep us from getting kicked out.”He stopped walking then and turned to face me. His expression was serious, his eyes searching mine as he firmly said, “Stop selling yourself short, Aria. You’re Lucas’s rock. My rock.
AriaThe forest was alive with the sounds of spring. Birds chirped in the trees, their songs blending with the rustle of leaves in the gentle breeze. The air was crisp and clean, carrying the faint scent of blooming flowers and fresh earth. My wolf was at ease, rather than bristling in the back of m
AriaDarren went straight into his study and didn’t come out all night. Just before he disappeared, he said that he was going to make some phone calls and that no one bother him.I gave him his space, knowing that he was frustrated beyond belief. I could hear him talking on the phone, and although I
AriaThe deportation notice felt like a mockery.“Darren Avarise,” the government agent said, “you are hereby requested to leave the human world and return to your ancestral land.”The silence that followed was stifling. For a moment, I almost wondered if this was some kind of sick practical joke, b
Alfira had been nothing but kind and supportive since we’d met her. She’d gone out of her way to help us, to bridge the gap between humans and werewolves. The idea that she could have done something so violent, so senseless, was unthinkable.I opened my mouth to say something else, but Darren placed