I felt a lump rise in my throat. “I didn’t do anything, though. I certainly didn’t keep us from getting kicked out.”He stopped walking then and turned to face me. His expression was serious, his eyes searching mine as he firmly said, “Stop selling yourself short, Aria. You’re Lucas’s rock. My rock.
AriaWe didn’t waste any time rushing back to the pack house with the camera in tow. If the SD card held any clues as to where Alfira had gone or what had happened to her, no matter how small those clues might be, we needed to find them.Darren and I immediately hurried into the study, calling Liam
Darren’s jaw tensed even more, but he nodded.“We’ll start a search party,” Darren said suddenly, rising from his chair. “If Alfira is still nearby, we need to find her before the human authorities do. I don’t want to risk her falling into the wrong hands before she can tell her side of the story.”
AriaThe morning after the search party, Darren hardly allowed himself time to stir before he was heading straight into his study. He had an appointment for a video call with his lawyers regarding the deportation.I watched him go, feeling even more sorry for him than I did yesterday. A good night’s
I found Darren in his study a little while later, his face pale and drawn as he stared at a stack of papers on his desk. He looked up when I entered, and his eyes looked glazed over.“How did it go with the lawyers?” I asked, although I already had a feeling I knew the answer.He sighed and ran a ha
AriaThe moment I realized Lucas was gone, my heart stopped in my chest. One second, he was laughing with the other kids near the edge of the village square, playing make-believe knights with sticks as swords.And then the next moment, he was nowhere to be seen. My stomach dropped, a cold wave of dr
AriaBy the time we reached the pack house, Alfira fading in and out of consciousness in Darren’s arms, the local doctor was already waiting for us at the front door. Darren whisked Alfira inside to be examined, and I followed, Lucas trailing behind me.The infirmary was a small room on the first fl
“I was gathering footage for the documentary,” she began. “I wanted some shots of the forest at sunset. My crew had already headed back to the pack, but I stayed behind.” She swallowed hard. “And then I saw a man. A human man.”Darren and I exchanged wary glances. Alfira went on, “He was just... sta
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