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.
AriaLying in Darren’s arms the next morning, I could feel the warmth of the sun streaming through the curtains, the gentle rise and fall of his chest beneath my cheek. His heartbeat, steady and strong, pulled me out of sleep. But I didn’t get up and start my day just yet; instead, I let my eyes dri
I blinked, confused, and pulled the sheets up against my bare chest as he climbed out of bed and strode fully nude across the room. “What?”“I need to show you something,” he said as he pulled the wardrobe open and began selecting some warm clothes.I didn’t press him further, sensing that whatever
DarrenThe clearing was quiet, save for the soft rustle of leaves in the wind and the distant call of birdsong. The air was crisp, carrying the faint scent of pine and earth, and the sunlight filtered through the trees in golden shafts, illuminating the weathered stone marker that bore my sister’s n
“So you chose numbness over me,” I said. “Over Lucas. Over the pack.”“I know,” he said, his voice breaking. “And I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. But I need you to understand, Darren… I wasn’t strong enough. Not after losing your mother. Not after losing Emilia. I wasn’t strong enough to be
AriaIt was time to leave the pack lands.It was time to return to the human world.It was time to go home—to the only home I had never known, anyway.Darren stood beside me, his hand resting lightly on the small of my back as we prepared to say our goodbyes. Lucas was standing a few paces away, sur
Darren’s hand tightened around mine, his warmth seeping into my skin. “I know. And I’m grateful for that. For you.”We walked in silence for a while after that, neither of us feeling particularly inclined to speak again. But it was anything but quiet in the world. The forest around us was alive with
AriaWe met in the conference room at Lunar Labs one week after our return to the human world.In my head, I had imagined the place of our first meeting with the other pack leaders to be something grand, perhaps a long wooden table surrounded by towering chairs, like the council chamber in the pack
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