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
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 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
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 “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
“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 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
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
Then, with painstaking slowness as if teasing me, he hooked one finger under my bra strap and slipped it down. The moment his mouth connected with my breast, my back arched of its own accord. I couldn’t contain the small whimper that escaped me as he carefully twirled his tongue around the nipple,
Aria Darren’s arms around me felt like the one thing I had been missing all my life. As he held me there, curled up on the floor with nothing but the snow and the wind outside, I felt more safe and steady than I’d ever felt before. I had never felt like this with any man—certainly not Jackson, a
As if on cue, I heard it coming. It was faint, but unmistakable: the distant, droning buzz of wings. My blood ran cold. The swarm would be here in moments. Aria blinked up at me slowly, as if she hadn’t heard a word I said. Her hands moved to my chest instead, clumsily gripping my coat. “So muscul
Darren I glanced over my shoulder, grinning as I carved a path down the slope. “You keeping up back there?” But the answer never came. My smile faltered. Aria wasn’t there. I turned my skis sideways, snow spraying up in a flurry as I came to a stop. My breath fogged in the cold air as I look
Darren didn’t even try to hide his laughter as he stepped toward me. “You okay down there?” “Oh, I’m just peachy,” I grumbled, trying to sit up. My skis tangled awkwardly, and I flailed like a bug stuck on its back. “Stop laughing and help me up!” Still chuckling, Darren grabbed my arm and pulle
Aria Lucas’s face crumpled before the words even left Darren’s mouth. “No,” Darren said firmly, shaking his head. “You’re not coming, Lucas.” Lucas’s little hands curled into fists at his sides as he looked up at Darren with wide, watery eyes. “But why not? You always say I’m brave!” His voice
“We’ll be watching,” the elder said coldly. “Both of you.” Darren nodded. “I’d expect nothing less.” With that, the crowd began to disperse, although a few wolves—the warriors who had first sprang to action when Charles commanded them to drag me away—lingered for a moment longer, glaring at me h
Aria A heavy silence fell after Charles made his demand. Darren was tense in front of me, his broad form nearly blocking out my view of the old Beta, but I could still feel Charles’s eyes boring into my skull. “Do the right thing, Alpha,” Charles sneered. “Before she proves all of us right.” A
I stared at him, my mind reeling. “A moment of great need,” I finally muttered, shaking my head. “What kind of ‘great need’?” Darren and the doctor exchanged glances again before Darren turned to me. “There’s no way for us to know,” he explained gently. “Perhaps your wolf will emerge when you ne