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
AriaThe room fell silent as William stepped inside, his presence commanding attention in a way that only someone like him could. He was a model, after all—one of the best in human society, and probably shifter society, too—and it showed.His black hair was perfectly styled, his striking green eyes
William shook Darren’s hand, and for a moment, the two of them stood there with a silent understanding passing between them. It was a strange sight—the Alpha and the panther shifter, two powerful figures from different worlds, united by a common goal.The meeting continued after that, the atmosphere
AriaOver the following weeks, Darren and I poured our energy into planning the first human and shifter event in the city. It was somehow a lot more work than I expected, and that was saying something, considering that I had expected it to be stressful.Bridging two worlds, one of whom had been in h
AriaThe morning of the event dawned bright and clear, the kind of day that felt like it had been plucked straight out of a dream. Sunlight streamed through the windows of my apartment, casting golden pools across the floor, waking me with a smile on my face.Today was the day. Today was the day tha
Then Melissa, ever the perfectionist, fussed over the dress, making sure every detail was just right.By the time they were done, I barely recognized the woman staring back at me in the mirror. The dress fit like a dream. My hair and makeup were flawless, and there was a glow in my eyes that hadn’t
DarrenThe moment we stepped out of the car, the world erupted into chaos.Cameras flashed like lightning, their blinding bursts of light lighting up the dark sky. Reporters were already shouting questions before our feet even hit the pavement.I was no stranger to this kind of attention. As a CEO,
“I’d rather take a thousand tomato stains to my shirt than see a single speck on that beautiful gown of yours,” I said, my lips curving.She blinked. “You’re ridiculous,” she whispered, although I could see the faint smile tugging at her mouth.“Maybe,” I said as I dipped my head to press a kiss to
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
AriaIt felt strange, standing here in the middle of my living room, surrounded by half-filled boxes and the remnants of a life I was about to leave behind. Strange, but necessary.Packing up my tiny, run-down apartment was a lot harder than I had expected. Every item I picked up seemed to carry a m
The police arrived a moment later and took the man into custody. After that, we were questioned about the incident.Then, we were told to go home for now.As if we could possibly sleep after what had happened.Later that night, as Darren and I lay in the warm comfort of his bed together, it was just