I couldn’t get those words out of my mind.All weekend, whenever I thought about what Darren said to me, I felt my pulse pound. I know it was just him being nice, saying things that bosses normally say to their employees, but it really meant a lot to me.Plus, I couldn’t really escape any reminders
Aria POVI’m sitting in the pet hospital waiting room, heart in my throat, when I decide to call Darren.It was just after the strangest conversation I had with the head nurse. When I told the pet hospital staff about Lucas’ injury, they rushed him to their observation room. A nurse had come out onl
Darren POVDamn humans, I think as I walk through the hospital walls, heart hammering with worry. The scent of them was everywhere in this damn hospital, it made it hard to focus on the task at hand. When I catch Aria’s scent, I feel my hackles rise.My own son, attacked. I internally seethe. All du
“About seven a.m.” He asserts. “You were asleep for a long while.”“When did you fly in?” I ask, eager to keep the small talk going to avoid the elephant in the room.“A few hours ago, give or take.” He says, tone mild. I let out a sigh, placing my head into my hands. Might as well get this over wit
“W-What?” I can’t help but exclaim, my mind moving a mile a minute. “B-But, Lucas is a dog! I mean, a wolf!” The boy (apparently Lucas?) just giggles again.“Don’t be silly mommy.” He says. Since when did I become mommy? I think faintly. “I can change. I’m still Lucas like this!” he clarifies unhelp
Darren POVAs I latch onto her, the only thing I can think of is it's too late, I cannot save her.So when my Beta is flung to the ground, and the light of the Luna mark glows upon Aria’s chest, I can’t help but let out a singular prayer of thanks to whatever god may be listening.“It can’t be…” Bet
“Aria’s blood is quite unique,” Dr. Edward explains. “It has specific values that align with both werewolves and humans alike, which could potentially indicate that Aria is the child of a human and werewolf coupling” The information throws me for a loop.“My parents… one of them was a werewolf??” I
Darren POV“Don’t call her that,” I lash out at Liam. “She’s not my girlfriend.”“Whatever you say,” Liam mentions, handing a phone over to me. What has gotten into him lately? I can’t help but think. This Aria business really must have him thrown. I look down at the phone and think for a moment, my
Bella put a hand on my shoulder. “It’s okay, Aria. We’ll figure something out.” “But—” Just then, a smooth voice interrupted. “Is there a problem here?” We turned to see a tall man approaching, his dark suit impeccably tailored. His mask was sleek and black, covering half of his face but revea
Aria We’d been at this for hours now, primping and prodding in preparation for the masquerade tonight. Bella was like my drill sergeant, commanding me to don this color eyeshadow, smear this lipstick shade across my lips, spray just the right amount of perfume. It felt like we were teens again, ba
“Sarah,” I greeted coolly. “What brings you here?” She eyed the bags in our hands, noticing the mask peeking out of mine. “Shopping for the masquerade, I see? How… quaint.” Bella arched an eyebrow. “And what’s wrong with that?” Sarah let out a mocking laugh and checked her nails. “Oh, nothing.
Aria “Come on, Aria! This one is perfect for you!” Bella exclaimed, holding up a floor-length emerald gown that shimmered under the thrift shop’s dim lighting. I laughed, shaking my head. “Bella, that dress would make me look like a sequined asparagus.” She burst into giggles. “Yeah, but you’d
Bella raised an eyebrow. “Are you?” “No!” I exclaimed. “Well, maybe. I don't know. Darren and I talked about it, and he admitted that he might have been a bit... lenient with me.” “Hmm,” she mused, swirling her wine. “Well, at least he acknowledged it.” “Yeah, but it’s more complicated than th
Aria I hesitated for a moment but then nodded, following Darren as he led me to a fallen log near the edge of the clearing. He sat down and gestured for me to join him. I sat, but kept a small distance between us. “Listen,” Darren began, “I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said the other ni
Tracy frowned, genuine concern etched into her face. “Oh no, that wasn’t my intention at all. I just thought she was checking in on you, maybe worried about your workload.” I sighed, once again feeling at a loss for words. Tracy seemed genuinely apologetic, even if it was unprofessional of her to
Aria I stared at the employee points board, blinking a few times to make sure I wasn’t imagining things. Lily’s name was gone—completely erased from the board as if she had never been there at all. My heart skipped a beat, a knot forming in my stomach. Lily always saved up her points like her life
The plaza was bustling, rows of tables with posters and brochures advertising various fields, from tech to business to environmental work. I weaved through the booths as I sipped my coffee, half-curious and half-cautious. Eventually, I found myself at a booth for animal sciences: wildlife rehabili