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
“Oh,” I said. Her words caught me off guard. “Well… thank you.” I glanced down, then looked back up at her with a small smile. “I appreciate that. I probably should’ve said something sooner if I needed help, anyway. I feel like I wasted everyone’s time by not being honest about my abilities.” “Don
I glared at him. “I’m not planning on starting anything.” “Your wolf says otherwise,” he remarked. “I can practically feel the tension rolling off you.” I tore my gaze away from Aria and the panther shifter, focusing on the ice melting in my glass. Maybe he was right. “It’s none of my business.”
Darren I swirled the amber liquid in my glass, watching as the dim lights of the ballroom reflected off its surface. The masquerade was in full swing—lavish costumes, ornate masks, and the hum of meaningless chatter filled the air. These events were never my scene, but as the CEO of Lunar Labs, I
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