AriaA stunned silence fell over us as Darren and I stared down at the shaky camera footage.There it was: a video of… everything. My white wolf form—it still felt strange and foreign to think of myself as having a wolf form—leaping onto the train and knocking Charles off. Shifting back into my huma
“We’ll support you,” Brandon said softly, glancing at his feet as he shoved his hands into his pockets.Melissa nodded and crossed her arms tightly over her chest. “If you think this is the right thing, then we trust you. You’ve never been wrong before, Alpha.”“And even if it all goes south,” Lily
AriaI rushed away before Darren or anyone else could stop me. Darren shifted back and shouted something after me, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t stop.“Bella!” I shouted over the crowd, trying to keep track of her head of dark hair as she hurried away. “Bella, wait!”Of course, she didn’t wait. But
Bella was quiet for another moment before she turned toward me and took my hands in hers. Her fingers were warm and solid as they wrapped around mine, and it was only then that I realized a single tear had slipped free during my speech. It was dry and sticky now from the breeze, but I could still fe
Aria“Beta Charles, you are accused of treason against Moonglow pack. What do you say to these accusations?”Darren’s voice rang across the council chamber, clear and steady. All eyes were on us, seated at the front of the room. I shifted uncomfortably in the ceremonial garb that the Luna was expect
Charles’s face hardened. “My actions?” He snapped his head toward Darren, his eyes sliding over to me. “It’s their actions that got us to this point. If your so-called Alpha hadn’t been so—”“Enough.”The sound of my voice rang out clearer than I expected, causing all eyes to turn to me—even Darren’
AriaThe village square was alive with the sound of voices and music, the scent of roasted meat and coffee drifting through the air. It was warmer now, the snow slowly melting—the first signs of spring.Or maybe it was just the bonfires.Darren, Bella, Liam and I strolled easily down the path, watch
Once they were gone, I turned to Darren with a snort. “She’s going to drive him insane.”Darren simply shrugged. “Liam could use a little insanity.”I couldn’t argue with that. Not that I had time to, because Darren was suddenly snaking his arm around my waist and pulling me toward the dance floor.
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