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. “
At Darren’s instruction, the woman then removed the muzzle and passed the leash to a pair of burly male humans, just in case the dog lunged. Edward instructed the other onlookers to stay far back, keeping a healthy distance so as not to interfere with the trial. I stood off to the side with Wendy, B
AriaTo say that Darren was not happy with the chief’s absurd request would have been an understatement. In fact, he was downright furious.“No. Absolutely not,” he said, turning to face me. “It’s way too dangerous to let you speak to that fucker alone. Either I go with you, or you don’t go at all.”
The chief’s eyes narrowed. “I see. Congratulations.”I didn’t bother to point out that I highly doubted he felt very congratulatory about the news.“Well, I must say, your methods are quite innovative,” he continued, “and surprisingly compassionate.”“Surprisingly?” I echoed with a wry chuckle.The
AriaI hurried away from the waterfall, hoping that my posture didn’t exude all of the fear and anxiety I felt. The warriors converged on me as I approached, and quickly ushered me back to safety. Darren was waiting for me out of sight, his hands finding mine the moment we saw each other.Neither of
Around mid-afternoon, work had begun on reinforcing the walls surrounding the village, with every able-bodied person—werewolf and human alike—working hard to help. Some strong humans even volunteered to fight if the need arose, and Alfira contacted her pack to send a troop of warriors to come and ai
AriaThe dining hall of the pack house was warm and filled with laughter, the rich scent of roasted meat and spices still lingering in the air.Plates were scraped clean, wine glasses half-full, and the soft glow of candlelight flickered against the wooden walls. It wasn’t a grand celebration, not b
I let out a breath but didn’t argue further, watching as he carefully wrapped my finger with a strip of gauze he had retrieved from the first-aid kit. He didn’t speak, but his hands were steady and methodical as he worked.When he was finally finished, only then did he meet my eyes, and something in
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