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
I step back, the sight of my sister completely taking me by surprise.“S-Sarah?” I can’t help but stutter out. It’s clear that Sarah is shocked by me too, all her attention has been focused on Darren, but as soon as I call her name, she whirls around to face me.“Aria? What are you doing here?” Her
“What’s so important, Lucas?” I ask him, but he just stares at the door. He waits until door is fully closed behind us, and then whirls around to look at me.“I’m sorry, I lied.” He says guiltily. “I just hate that woman! She’s mean!”“She’s mean?” I say, surprise decorating my tone. Sarah’s usually
Aria POVI feel Sarah scream at my attack, ripping her hands out of my hair and pulling away. I let her go, limbs failing, and the two of us stare each other down.“What the hell is wrong with you!” Sarah yelps, rubbing at her head, and I can’t help but feel a sharp spike of fury.“I’m not so easy t
Aria POVAfter such a chaotic morning, grabbing lunch with Bella was a huge relief. I had so much to catch her up on, so the extra long break Darren gave me for lunch was a huge benefit. I gave her the cliffnotes, taking out all the crazy parts about werewolves for both of our sakes.“I can’t believ
AriaI knew my adoptive sister’s tactics all too well. Years of being ruthlessly bullied by a person will do that to you.So I had come prepared.“Just hit play,” I said, jerking my chin toward the phone in Darren’s hand. “Then you can decide for yourself just who was the aggressor in this situation
I grit my teeth, but managed to reply, “I’ll spend the day with him.”Looking a bit relieved, Darren nodded and sat back in his chair. Sarah opened her mouth and closed it a few times, her face still crimson with anger, but seemed to think better of whatever she had been about to say and simply stor
AriaSpending the afternoon with the guy who tried to kill me wasn’t exactly what I’d had in mind.But it was either that or spend the entire day in that frigid playroom, so I bundled myself and Lucas up in our winter coats and sucked it up.We made our way through the city, each of us holding one o
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