AriaI spent that entire week painstakingly putting together a presentation for that following Friday’s meeting. I not only wanted my goals to be as clear as possible, but also wanted to back them up with proof. If there was any possible way to ensure that my idea could hold weight, then I wanted to
AriaDarren and I rushed straight to the park Bella had mentioned, only to find the entire place swarming like a beehive. Wailing police cars had blocked the entire perimeter of the park, ambulances were rushing in and out, and people were being taken away on stretchers.We found Bella and Liam near
AriaDarren and I followed the chief to a more secluded area, one that was free from prying eyes and cameras.We stopped beneath the shade of a large tree, and the chief turned to us, his cold gray eyes scanning us from head to toe. I felt like he had x-ray vision or something. Even my wolf bristled
I frowned, turning to go look for her. I knew Bella well enough to know that when she said she needed oolong tea out of nowhere, that was code for “I need something to lower my blood pressure. Like, yesterday.”While I hurried across the street, Darren and Liam remained in the car, waiting. I found
AriaDarren and I quickly gathered the necessary materials to complete the permit forms. Everything was in order, it seemed, and we sent the forms to the precinct as per the chief’s request.After that, all we had left to do was wait. However, not to be deterred by the monster known as bureaucracy,
The man nodded. “Yes, Alpha Arthur did receive your letter. He sends his apologies for not being able to visit himself, but he sent me, the official pack emissary, in his stead.”“And?” Darren asked.I wrung my hands slightly behind my back, waiting with bated breath. The emissary shifted in his sea
AriaThe moment we found the body, Darren and I froze. My stomach churned, bile rising in my throat as I stared at the mangled remains of the hiker.His face was unrecognizable, torn apart by what could only have been claws. His throat was a mess of shredded flesh, and the metallic stench of blood h
Alfira had been nothing but kind and supportive since we’d met her. She’d gone out of her way to help us, to bridge the gap between humans and werewolves. The idea that she could have done something so violent, so senseless, was unthinkable.I opened my mouth to say something else, but Darren placed
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
AriaOur wedding was never meant to spark even more of a revolution, but somehow, it had. Over the following days, the videos Alfira had captured and shared with the world had gone viral.“Ten million views and counting,” Alfira said one morning as we were going over our plans for the upcoming march
He guided me onto the bed, the sheets cool against my back as I lay down. Darren settled above me, his body a warm, solid weight against mine as he braced himself on his forearms.Our eyes locked, and for a moment, we just breathed together, the air between us like static electricity. Then he kissed