Darren called the meeting to order, standing tall at the front of the room. “We’re here to discuss the incident that occurred today and to decide what needs to be done.”The girl’s mother was on her feet immediately. “There’s nothing to discuss! These animals are clearly dangerous, and their owners
AriaThe phone call with Dr. Edward lasted longer than we expected. Darren paced back and forth in our bedroom while I sat on the edge of the bed, watching him wear a path into the carpet. We had put the call on speaker so we could both hear.“I’ve been working on the tincture day and night,” Dr. Ed
I shuddered just at the thought of what my sister had done that day. I didn’t like to think about it.“Anyway,” I went on, looking at the mother and daughter both, “we’re going to ensure things like this don’t happen again. But I also hope you understand that we’re in a difficult situation, and it’s
Aria“You’re...pregnant?”Bella sighed, her shoulders slumping. “Yeah. About eight weeks, I think.”My mind raced. I couldn’t figure out if this was good news or not. We were both still young, and Bella had never shown an interest in being a mother before.“Is this... wanted?” I asked softly. “I mea
Bella flushed. “I guess you’re right,” she sighed. “But I’ve been so sick, too. Much sicker than any pregnant human woman I’ve seen. Is that normal?”Wendy nodded knowingly. “Yes. Human women carrying werewolf babies often experience more intense morning sickness. The werewolf genes are strong, and
AriaWe all gathered in the den of the pack house a little while later, surrounding the large TV screen mounted on the wall. Alfira connected her laptop to it, her hands shaking slightly as she pulled up the documentary.“It’s a little under an hour,” Alfira said as she set up the film for us to wat
“And?” he asked. His voice was carefully neutral.“And…” I took a deep breath, inspecting my moonstone ring in the moonlight. “I’m not sure if I want to have children of my own. I mean, we have Lucas, and he’s enough for me. But I wasn’t sure if you’d be disappointed, if you wanted more children, or
AriaMy eyes widened when Darren volunteered himself to be the first test subject for the tincture.I hurried forward. “Darren, are you sure? I could do it instead—”“No, let me do it,” Liam cut me off, holding up his hand. “I won’t let my Alpha or Luna put themselves at risk.”Bella’s face paled. “
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
AriaDarren kicked the bedroom door open with a swift nudge of his foot, the heavy wood banging against the wall before he stepped inside and closed it behind us with another kick. I giggled as he set me down gently on the hardwood floor. But then a flush crept up my neck, heating my cheeks.“Darren
Alfira, as per our request, was capturing it all on cameras that she’d surreptitiously placed throughout the space. “You’re trending already!” she announced gleefully, showing us her phone screen where thousands of comments poured in from supporters around the world. Humans and werewolves alike.“St
AriaI stepped into the candlelit ceremonial hall, my fingers trembling around the bouquet.The hall had been transformed. Hundreds of candles lined the path in front of me, their golden light flickering against the stone walls. White flowers—moonflowers and lilies—cascaded from every corner, their
“It wasn’t that bad!”“It was worse,” I deadpanned, making Wendy chuckle.Bella secured the end of the braid with a ribbon, then stepped back to admire her work. “Perfect.”Wendy moved to the wardrobe in the corner, carefully removing a garment wrapped in protective cloth.My pulse quickened as she
AriaI sat on the edge of my bed, my fingers fidgeting with the soft material of my nightgown as Wendy bustled around the room, gathering various items from the dresser. My shoulder still ached, the wound healing but tender beneath the fresh bandages Dr. Edward had applied earlier. The pain was mana
“Shut up, Jenkins,” the commander—Fletcher—snapped.Darren circled the table slowly, approaching the kneeling men. “Someone high up the chain of command wants us dead,” he said. “I want to know who, and I want to know why.”Fletcher remained silent, but his resolve was visibly weakening.“We can do