Chapter 101

Aria

The feeling of the warm sun hitting my cheek gently tugged me from sleep, but it wasn’t the most peaceful awakening in the world. Not with Bella’s voice still lingering in the back of my head.

“You two should make it official,” she had said last night, her voice devoid of her usual teasing—she was serious. “I think you two were meant for each other.”

I groaned softly, rubbing my eyes. My phone sat untouched on the bedside table where I’d left it after our call, but her words might as well have been etched into the ceiling above me.

Technically, she was right. By some unforeseen force that I couldn’t even begin to comprehend with my limited knowledge of the werewolf world, we were fated to be together. Mates. It had sounded so silly and nonsensical the first time I had heard it, like someone had told me that the sky was purple.

But now, after everything, I knew it was true.

When I had made love with Darren that night in the cabin, I truly felt it for the first time—the mate bond. It felt like our souls were intertwined, becoming one as we moved together in that cabin.

I think that was when I fully realized just how profound this connection was. Maybe I didn’t fully understand it yet, but I could feel its power wrapping around me like a rope tugging me toward him.

Bella was right. As always.

The bed felt colder than it had last night, and when I rolled over, I wasn’t surprised to find the other half empty. Darren was already gone, and if I had to guess, Lucas was probably with him.

After a few moments of forcing myself out from under the warm covers, I tugged on one of Darren’s sweaters that had been draped over the chair and made my way downstairs.

The pack house felt blissfully quiet this morning, which I was glad for. I passed by a few of the warriors in the hall, but they only spared me brief glances before going about their business.

It was a far cry from the way they had looked at me when I first arrived here, but I wasn’t naïve enough to think that everyone had suddenly warmed up to the idea of Darren’s mate being raised among humans.

I found Darren in the kitchen, leaning against the counter with a mug in hand, listening as Lucas chattered on about something to do with skiing. Darren glanced up the second I stepped into the room, his gaze softening the way it always did when he saw me.

But there was something else in his gaze, too. Something harder to place.

“Morning,” he said quietly, setting his mug down. “I hope we didn’t wake you when we got up this morning.”

“You didn’t,” I replied, offering him a faint smile as I crossed the room and sat at the table. Lucas beamed at me through a mouthful of eggs, and I ruffled his hair before glancing back at Darren. “Can we talk for a minute? Alone?”

Darren hesitated. “Sure,” he finally said, shooting Lucas a look. “Lucas, go see if Nana needs help with the laundry.”

Lucas groaned dramatically but hopped down from his seat, grabbing his half-finished glass of orange juice and scampering off toward the back of the house. Darren watched him go before turning to me, crossing his arms loosely over his chest.

“Is there something on your mind?” he asked, looking rather like I’d just walked into his office at work to ask him about next week’s reports.

I took a deep breath and twisted my hands in my lap, unsure of how to begin. “I… wanted to talk about us,” I murmured after a moment. “About what… this is.”

His brow twitched, and I caught the subtle way his posture shifted. He didn’t look entirely opposed to the idea, but he suddenly looked more guarded than before. “Aria,” he started carefully, but I held up a hand to stop him.

“I know it’s complicated. I know there’s a lot to figure out, but I don’t want to keep tiptoeing around it. I want this to be official. I want to be with you.”

Darren’s gaze flickered, and for the briefest of moments, I thought he might say something reassuring—something that could pull this weight off of my chest. But instead, his expression cooled. His eyes dropped to the floor, and his grip tightened on the counter behind him.

“I need to think about it.”

My stomach dipped dramatically. “What?” I blurted out, hardly daring to believe it. “But we…” My voice trailed off, and I couldn’t even bring myself to finish.

We had slept together. He had called me his. He had claimed me in that cabin, and yet…

He glanced at me, but there was a new distance in his gaze now. “It’s not that simple, Aria. I just… need some time. I’ll be right back.”

Before I could respond, he was already moving. The back door opened with a creak, and Darren stepped outside, leaving me alone in the empty kitchen.

The silence that followed felt suffocating.

I sat there for what felt like minutes, staring at the door he had just walked through, trying to make sense of what had happened. But nothing added up. Darren had even asked if I would want to stay with him as his Luna. I thought we were on the same page.

So why did he pull away the moment I told him I wanted the same thing?

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps behind me pulled me out of my thoughts. I looked up to see Wendy standing near the door, watching me with that knowing look she always seemed to have in her eyes.

“Come on,” she said gently, nodding toward the table. “Sit with me.”

I didn’t argue. I sank into the chair across from her, resting my elbows on the table as she poured a second cup of tea and slid it toward me.

“What just happened?” I asked, shaking my head. “I thought we were on the same page.”

Wendy took a sip of her tea, exhaling softly. “He’s just afraid for you, Aria.”

“Afraid?” I frowned. “But I’m not in danger. Not when I’m by his side.”

She arched a brow. “Aren’t you?”

I swallowed, glancing down at my tea. I knew what she meant. This place still wasn’t the safest, and it might not be for quite some time. For all I knew, it might never be truly safe for me here.

“But it’s more than that,” Wendy continued softly. “Darren watched his sister suffer because of her bond with a human mate. Michael—Darren’s sister’s husband—wasn’t killed by accident, Aria. And Darren knows that better than anyone.”

I stilled, my eyes flicking to hers. “I thought it was a mugging.”

Wendy’s expression darkened, and she lowered her voice. “I don’t think it was just a random mugging.”

Her words caught me off guard, causing my back to go ramrod straight in the chair. There was no hint of humor in Wendy’s eyes, and I knew that she was dead serious.

Was Darren’s sister’s husband… killed on purpose?

Simply for being a human in love with a werewolf?

Before I could respond, the door creaked open, and Charles entered the kitchen. His eyes swept over me with a cold, lingering gaze, the corners of his mouth curling ever so slightly as he passed by.

I didn’t know why, but a chill ran down my spine as I watched him go.