For a moment, I thought about leaving it at that—leaving the candle burning and walking away before the memories grew too painful to handle.But the sound of footsteps crunching softly in the snow behind me caused me to snap out of my reverie, and I turned to find Lucas standing a few paces away, bu
AriaThe pack house felt different when Darren wasn’t around. Quieter, yes, but there was something else—something heavier that settled in the empty spaces where his presence should’ve been.I wasn’t sure if I could get used to it. And with Wendy busy making the rounds in the village and Lucas off p
They looked happy.My gaze drifted lower, to the small jewelry box resting beside the photos. I brushed my fingers along the edge of it, smiling faintly at the worn surface.I shouldn’t be in here, I knew that. But it felt like stepping into a frozen piece of Darren’s life, one that he had quietly l
DarrenThe pack house looked peaceful from the outside, but the second I stepped through the front door, I knew something was wrong.The hum of crackling fireplaces and quiet conversations that usually lingered in the air was gone, replaced by the sound of panic. People were shouting somewhere, guar
DarrenThe fire in the hearth had burned down to embers, leaving the room bathed in a soft, flickering glow. But I barely noticed the darkness, nor did I notice the sudden cold or the sound of the servant coming in to get the fire going again..All I noticed was her.Days had passed, but Aria still
So I went back to the room where Wendy had found Aria. Emilia’s room.I had avoided going there, but for selfish reasons. I hadn’t been inside since Emilia’s death. Even though I knew there must be answers inside, I was… a coward. A downright coward.Everything looked untouched at first glance. The
DarrenThe silence in the room felt suffocating. My father’s hand trembled faintly as he scrawled across the notepad, the pen moving unevenly. His movements were jerky. Unnatural. Not at all like the calm and collected man I used to know.Meanwhile, Arthur stood in the doorway. I didn’t look at him,
DarrenAll eyes were on me.By now, everyone had noticed the glaring lack of Aria’s presence beside me. And if the furious expression on my face, the heaving of my chest, was any indication, they knew that something was wrong.“She’s in a coma,” I blurted out before I could stop myself.Lily shot to
Banners hung across the walls, pink and white, with “Congratulations” written in bold letters. Streamers dangled from the ceiling, and our dining room table was lost under piles of gifts wrapped in pastel paper.“What the hell?” I managed, my jaw dropping as Bella rushed forward with Theo balanced o
AriaA year had passed since Darren and I signed that treaty, and life had settled into something sweet, even with all its ups and downs.The scars on my chest had faded to thin white lines, and Darren’s wound was just a memory beneath his shirt. We’d become godparents to Bella and Liam’s little boy
AriaLunar Labs was reduced to a shell of its former self.The once-sleek and vibrant building, surrounded by lush gardens and pebbled fountains, was now barren and burnt. The glass walls were shattered, the halls within burned and destroyed. Those damn slurs were still painted across nearly every s
He didn’t hesitate. “No.”The word hung in the air for a long moment. The president blinked, clearly startled. “With all due respect, Mr. President,” Darren went on, leaning forward in his chair, “we’re not coming back. Not like that. After being deported, hunted, abused by your government—my people
AriaDarren and I stepped out of the car and faced the sprawling estate that was the human president’s home. My chest still ached faintly from my wound, the stitches long gone but the pain lingering. Beside me, Darren subtly favored his left side when he moved, still healing from the hole in his che
We stayed like that for a while, neither of us speaking. At some point, I must have begun to drift off again, too exhausted from the day’s events to keep my eyes open.But then, suddenly, the door burst open, shattering the stillness, and I jolted upright, wincing as the movement pulled at my wound.
AriaDarren and I lay tangled together in the hospital bed, much to the nurse’s earlier chagrin. They had finally allowed us to remain together, reinserting my IV and moving my monitors to his side of the room, when my eyes had glowed and a low growl had accidentally ripped from my throat when they
He didn’t answer. I didn’t even think he heard me.Finally, the wail of sirens pierced the air, and red and blue lights flashed through the crowd. Paramedics pushed their way toward us with a stretcher rattling between them. Liam waved them over, shouting instructions I couldn’t process. Hands reach
AriaThe world erupted into chaos around me, a deafening roar of fury and movement as the protesters surged forward. Hundreds of voices shouted, feet pounded the pavement, and bodies pressed together in a wild rush toward Bella’s father.I caught a fleeting glimpse of him, his face twisted with rage