Wendy chuckled softly. “Well, among werewolves, you’re just right. Strength and grace are prized here. And you, my dear, have both.” Her words warmed me in a way I hadn’t expected, and for a moment, I forgot about the hostility waiting for me downstairs. When she was finished, I looked in the mirr
Aria The room went dead silent after Wendy’s suggestion. Even the fire seemed to crackle a little less in the fireplace as her words sank in. “A human, making a blood oath?” one of the elders sputtered, incredulous. “You have my utmost respect, Wendy, but that is simply unheard of!” “Not only
Her words sent a jolt through me, and my heart pounded even harder in my chest. Stay? Here? As Darren’s Luna? I glanced up at him, searching his face for any hint of what he might be thinking. Did he want me to stay? Deep down, I knew what I wanted—I wanted to stay by his side. I… cared for him,
Aria Darren poured two glasses of the dark liquor, one for me and one for him. Even from where I sat cross-legged on the bed, I could smell it. It was strong and earthy, like nothing I had ever had to drink before. “This is werewolf liquor,” he said, holding the glasses up as he turned to face m
“Darren…” I breathed, but I didn’t know what else to say. His thumb brushed lightly over the back of my hand, and for a moment, I thought he might lean closer. All the times his eyes had glowed around me before, it had led to an… impromptu kiss and a whole lot of confusion. But instead, he let o
Aria The moment Darren opened his eyes and our gazes met, we jolted apart like we had been caught doing something we weren’t supposed to. My cheeks burned as I sat up, trying to smooth down my tangled mess of hair. Darren rubbed the back of his neck, looking anywhere but at me. Lucas, of course,
His eyes flicked to the phone in my hand, and his brow furrowed slightly. “William?” he asked. His face was neutral, but I could see the way his shoulders stiffened a little. My heart thudded as I scrambled to explain. “It’s not what it looks like. I keep forgetting to delete the app, and—” “You
Aria “Do you, Aria, vow to never speak of the pack lands or the existence of werewolves to any human, for as long as you live?” I opened my mouth to respond to the elder’s words, to make the vow, but I… couldn’t. I froze. Every gaze in the room was fixed on me, every pair of eyes judging me, w
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