“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
“She doesn’t belong here!” someone snarled. “Let her freeze in the blizzard!” another barked. Darren was in front of me in an instant, his broad frame shielding me as he let out a low, menacing growl. “No one is touching her!” he cried out, but this time, hardly anyone heard him over the noise.
Aria I couldn’t breathe. Me? A werewolf? A purebred werewolf? My hand trembled as I stared at the test results that were still clutched in my grasp. Everything in the room felt too close, too loud, too suffocating—even though it had fallen eerily silent. I still couldn’t believe it. The do
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
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
“Trying to be brave?” Sarah taunted. “Trying to protect your little dog? Maybe you need to learn a lesson.”The first shove came from behind, sending Aria stumbling forward. Then another from the side. And another. They were pushing her between them like some cruel game, laughing as she tried to kee
DarrenAria’s scream tore through the air, and time slowed to an excruciating crawl. I saw the chief’s finger squeeze the trigger, saw the flash as the gun fired, saw the bullet begin its deadly journey toward us.Toward Aria.In that moment between life and death, my mind flew backward, tumbling th
I took another step forward, still holding Darren’s hand. “You wouldn’t dare shoot your own people,” Darren said, his eyes fixed on the chief. “Would you?”For a flickering instant, I thought I saw uncertainty cross the faces of some of the officers holding guns. Their weapons seemed to lower slight
Aria“Stop!”Darren held his hand up to halt the procession as those guns pointed at us. I felt suddenly sick, and couldn’t help but glance over my shoulder at the crowd of people behind us—humans and werewolves alike.They wouldn’t shoot, would they?Beside me, Darren tightened his grip on my finge
As I spoke, I became aware of a strange silence falling over the scene. Not just Darren, but everyone seemed affected by my words. The officers had lowered their weapons slightly. The crowd had gone still, quiet… calm.My voice seemed to carry farther than it should, resonating with a power that fel
AriaI couldn’t breathe. The white fog permeated everything—my clothes, my skin, my lungs. It burned with each inhale, making my wolf howl inside of me. The tincture couldn’t have prepared us for this. Not entirely.But most terrifying of all was the absence of Darren by my side.“Darren!” I shouted
But as we turned onto the main avenue, the counter-protesters grew bolder. They followed alongside us, shouting slurs and insults.“Go back to the forest where you belong!” one man yelled.I kept my eyes forward, trying to project a calm I didn’t feel. Beside me, Darren was doing the same, although
AriaThe trek back to the portal was long and tiring, and by the time we arrived at the mysterious little elevator in the woods, the sun was beating on our backs and a fine coat of sweat had formed between my skin and my jacket. Darren, Liam, and the Lunar Labs gang and I stepped into the elevator f
Nodding, I hugged her again, tighter this time. “I promise.”Wendy approached next, her arms filled with flowers—wildflowers gathered from the meadows surrounding the village.“An old pack tradition,” she explained, placing a stem in my hand. “Carrying a piece of home with you for protection.”The f