AriaDarren looked furious. I felt my heart quicken, no longer at the sight of his bare torso flecked with sweat and fake snow, but at the sight of the anger in his eyes.But to my surprise, he turned away from me and looked at Liam instead.“I can understand her making a mistake like that, since sh
AriaA little while later, we pulled up to the expensive supermarket downtown—you know, the type of supermarket where only the rich and people who are pretending to be rich but are really putting themselves into debt go to shop.Already, I felt a little out of place as we stepped out of the car and
The CEO was silent for a moment as he studied the cart. Lucas had already picked out a couple other things he wanted to try: pre-popped popcorn, frozen dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets, and french fries.Finally, Darren shook his head. “Sorry, Lucas, but no. You’ve already picked out a bunch of thing
Darren“Now watch this… see how the cream gets thicker when you mix it?”“Wooow… That’s so cool!”“It’s science!”I wasn’t used to the apartment being so… full. Full of noise, full of people, full of laughter. It was a strange thing, to step inside and hear the sound of voices in the kitchen. To sme
So it was better if we just cut things off.Maybe even find a way to wipe her memory of us altogether. Although if there was a way to do that, I wasn’t sure what it would be or where to find it.“Alpha?”I looked up at the sound of Liam’s voice. He was standing in the doorway, his face solemn. I kne
AriaDarren insisted on taking me home that night.“I can take the subway, you know,” I said as I grabbed my coat off the hook. “You don’t have to go out of your way.”The CEO shot me a bemused expression. “I’m not letting you take the subway this late. It’s dangerous for a woman.”I couldn’t help t
Despite my disappointment, I couldn’t help but feel oddly impressed by Darren’s resolve. Maybe two things could be true at the same time; maybe Sarah had been my childhood bully and had still done something kind for Darren.“Maybe there’s a side to my sister that I never got to see firsthand,” I mus
AriaThe CEO strode over to us with quick steps, his gaze stern. Good, I thought, letting out a tiny breath of relief. The cavalry had arrived.“I… uh… Alph—I mean, Mr. Avarise! I didn’t see you there,” Arthur stammered as he shot to his feet.Stopping in front of Arthur’s desk, Darren crossed his a
Banners hung across the walls, pink and white, with “Congratulations” written in bold letters. Streamers dangled from the ceiling, and our dining room table was lost under piles of gifts wrapped in pastel paper.“What the hell?” I managed, my jaw dropping as Bella rushed forward with Theo balanced o
AriaA year had passed since Darren and I signed that treaty, and life had settled into something sweet, even with all its ups and downs.The scars on my chest had faded to thin white lines, and Darren’s wound was just a memory beneath his shirt. We’d become godparents to Bella and Liam’s little boy
AriaLunar Labs was reduced to a shell of its former self.The once-sleek and vibrant building, surrounded by lush gardens and pebbled fountains, was now barren and burnt. The glass walls were shattered, the halls within burned and destroyed. Those damn slurs were still painted across nearly every s
He didn’t hesitate. “No.”The word hung in the air for a long moment. The president blinked, clearly startled. “With all due respect, Mr. President,” Darren went on, leaning forward in his chair, “we’re not coming back. Not like that. After being deported, hunted, abused by your government—my people
AriaDarren and I stepped out of the car and faced the sprawling estate that was the human president’s home. My chest still ached faintly from my wound, the stitches long gone but the pain lingering. Beside me, Darren subtly favored his left side when he moved, still healing from the hole in his che
We stayed like that for a while, neither of us speaking. At some point, I must have begun to drift off again, too exhausted from the day’s events to keep my eyes open.But then, suddenly, the door burst open, shattering the stillness, and I jolted upright, wincing as the movement pulled at my wound.
AriaDarren and I lay tangled together in the hospital bed, much to the nurse’s earlier chagrin. They had finally allowed us to remain together, reinserting my IV and moving my monitors to his side of the room, when my eyes had glowed and a low growl had accidentally ripped from my throat when they
He didn’t answer. I didn’t even think he heard me.Finally, the wail of sirens pierced the air, and red and blue lights flashed through the crowd. Paramedics pushed their way toward us with a stretcher rattling between them. Liam waved them over, shouting instructions I couldn’t process. Hands reach
AriaThe world erupted into chaos around me, a deafening roar of fury and movement as the protesters surged forward. Hundreds of voices shouted, feet pounded the pavement, and bodies pressed together in a wild rush toward Bella’s father.I caught a fleeting glimpse of him, his face twisted with rage