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
And as we walked away, Darren didn’t make an attempt to lower his voice as he thoroughly scolded the supervisor. Even Brandon and Melissa cocked their heads to listen to the exchange.“Dammit, Arthur, I’m not here to do your job for you… Remove three points from your tally immediately!”…A little w
Aria & Third PersonAriaI stifled a yawn as I stood in front of the printer. A glance at the clock on the wall revealed that it was nearly five o’clock, which was a relief considering how poorly I’d slept last night. All I could think about was getting home and crawling into bed.After spending the
That was a relief, at least; now the blame couldn’t be placed solely on me.Sarah, however, seemed to disagree. “Look,” she said, rewinding to the minutes just after lunchtime. “Aria went in there with her hair up and came out with it down.”I felt my stomach twist into a knot as I saw the footage.
I felt a pang of guilt, knowing that our campaign had inadvertently put the pack at risk. Once, I might have felt offended by their fear of humans, but now with the protests… I couldn’t blame them anymore.I couldn’t blame anyone for being scared anymore.“I understand your concerns,” Darren said, p
AriaReturning to the pack lands felt like a breath of fresh air after a year spent underground.It had been barely a month since we had been here, but returning felt different now. When I had first set foot in Moonglow pack territory, I had been, for all intents and purposes, a human. I had entered
The man glared at me, but refused to say another word. He called out to the guards, saying he was done speaking without a lawyer present, and the guards entered and took him away.“Well, that was… frustrating,” I muttered under my breath once I was alone. “And useless.”My wolf growled once more in
DarrenThe station was cold, sterile, and reeked of stale coffee. I sat in the interrogation room, my fingers drumming against the metal table as I waited for the man to be brought in. The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, already giving me a migraine. Or maybe that was just the sensation of my wo
We spent the rest of the evening watching movies, curled up on the couch with Lucas sandwiched between us. He fell asleep halfway through the second movie, his head resting on my shoulder. I glanced down at him, my heart throbbing just at the sight of him curled up against me.Countless nights were
AriaThe moment Lucas jumped out from behind the sofa, flashing me a wide grin with his party hat askew on top of his head, I felt my previous frustration melt away like snow under the warm morning sun.“Surprise!” Lucas shouted, running up to me and taking one of my hands in his. He gestured to the
I smiled, but it didn’t reach my eyes. “Thank you, Anna. I’ll try to come visit once in a while.”But we both knew that wouldn’t happen. Not when her dog hated me. Not when she clearly was a little frightened of me, too.When I returned to my apartment, Darren was already waiting for me, leaning aga
AriaIt felt strange, standing here in the middle of my living room, surrounded by half-filled boxes and the remnants of a life I was about to leave behind. Strange, but necessary.Packing up my tiny, run-down apartment was a lot harder than I had expected. Every item I picked up seemed to carry a m
The police arrived a moment later and took the man into custody. After that, we were questioned about the incident.Then, we were told to go home for now.As if we could possibly sleep after what had happened.Later that night, as Darren and I lay in the warm comfort of his bed together, it was just