And yet, thinking about this made something else creep back into my mind. Tracy’s words. Lucas had told me once that his mother had died. And yet, Tracy was so sure that she’d simply walked out, abandoned him. I looked down at Lucas, wondering what the truth was, and why he seemed so certain tha
Darren & Aria Darren The night Lucas was born was a night I would never forget. But not necessarily for the right reasons. What should have been a joyous occasion was instead filled with heartbreak and loss. My sister had been fighting for hours. The baby was turned in her belly—or at least,
Darren paused, then shook his head, looking a little guilty. “Not yet. I do plan to tell him, just… When he’s a little older. Partially because I fear that the secret would get out if he knew.” He let out a wry chuckle. “The kid likes to yap, as you well know.” I couldn’t help but snort at that. “
Aria I looked down at the stack of paperwork in my arms, the numbers swimming slightly on the paper as I tried to make sense of it all. The columns, the calculations, the graphs—it felt like I was staring at a page full of hieroglyphics. But there was something about Tracy’s words that made me w
Tracy’s lips curved into a small smile, but there was something in her expression that made me uneasy. I couldn’t place my finger on it, though. Maybe I was just nervous. “Oh, of course, Aria,” she said gently. “Just give me the papers. I’ll see what I can do.” Relief washed over me, and I hande
Aria The next morning, as soon as I stepped into the office, the atmosphere felt… different than usual. It was sort of like it was my first day all over again; like I was the strange human outsider that didn’t belong. And my fears weren’t just in my head. When I walked through the room, I caught
I was so stunned, in fact, that I lingered there for a moment, hoping she’d look back up and say something else. But she didn’t. It was like I wasn’t even there. With a soft sigh, I turned to head back to my cubicle. But my footsteps slowed before I could leave, and I paused, glancing at her over
Aria “Want to have lunch with me?” Tracy offered me a kind, warm smile as I looked up at her. Honestly, I was a bit surprised that she was asking me out to lunch today. After what happened yesterday, I sort of assumed that she was mad at me or disappointed with me. “Are you sure?” I asked, hal
It was exactly as I remembered it, and yet completely different.We wandered through the festival for a while, stopping to admire the crafts and sample the food. Lucas was in heaven, running ahead and pointing out treats and games he wanted to try. Darren and I followed behind him, our hands intertw
AriaAfter a few days spent in the pack lands, we returned home. The trip was much shorter now, since I could shift and run back through the forest with Darren and Lucas by my side. Freeing, too.But when we returned, I felt even more stifled than ever.At first, I figured I would just adjust like I
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