Chapter 114

Aria

The village square was alive with the sound of voices and music, the scent of roasted meat and coffee drifting through the air. It was warmer now, the snow slowly melting—the first signs of spring.

Or maybe it was just the bonfires.

Darren, Bella, Liam and I strolled easily down the path, watching as Lucas darted back and forth up ahead with a group of kids. I couldn’t help but smile as I watched him play; it was such a far cry from the isolation he experienced in the human world, and I hoped to see him make up for all the lost time. With both werewolf children and human children, of course.

The day had been as close to a success as we had hoped. Bella’s entrance wasn’t received with the utmost happiness, but she hadn’t been immediately cast out, which felt like progress. And our promises of working to build a peaceful, happy future with the humans had stirred up some cautious optimism.

Of course, there was still a lot left to do. Darren and I were supposed to meet with the other Alphas of the packs soon—at least, the packs who didn’t decide to go completely off the grid now that humans knew of the werewolves’ existence—to discuss our next moves. After that, we planned to go on a media tour of the human world, news interviews and speeches and all the not-so-wonderful things that come with human television.

But for now, all we had to think about was the feast.

It was Wendy’s idea to put it together, an attempt at lifting spirits after the tumultuous last few weeks. And it was a goodbye, because Darren and I would be leaving the pack lands tomorrow to get started on a very long and very stressful journey.

Peace. It felt like something so far out of reach that it was a little absurd, and yet I could see it on the horizon.

“They hate me,” Bella murmured, pulling me out of my thoughts. I glanced over to see her frowning at a group of werewolf women who were huddled near the entrance to a building, whispering amongst themselves with disdainful looks on their faces.

I sighed and looped an arm around Bella’s shoulders. “Welcome to the club. They do come around, though.”

Bella scoffed slightly, but seemed at least somewhat satisfied by that. Not that she could complain, anyway; she knew the risks when she decided to take on the role of our first human emissary, and she knew that she would be met with resistance.

“Well, I just hope to prove to them that not all humans are evil,” she said, glancing up at the square ahead, where people were milling around the fire with plates of food and steaming cups of hot cider. “And that many humans will love werewolves.”

“And all the other strange and wonderful things in this world,” Darren added with a tiny smile, quoting my impassioned speech from earlier.

I blushed a little and looked away. “I hope they will.”

Liam, for his part, was as quiet as ever. But not in a bad way; not like how he used to glare at me in hateful silence. But rather… thoughtful.

And maybe a little bashful.

I saw it. Darren saw it, too; the way that Liam’s face had turned beet red the moment he had met Bella just a week ago. The way he had seemed suddenly so tongue-tied, like he had completely forgotten how to use words.

And Bella certainly noticed. I knew she did because she didn’t shut up about how cute she thought he was, and how she wished he would ask her out already.

Suddenly, as if on cue, the music in the square slowed down in pace. Up ahead, I could see couples grabbing each other’s hands and moving to the dance floor, swaying and twirling together. Bella immediately perked up.

And then, in typical Bella fashion, she whirled toward the silent Liam and grabbed his hand.

“Let’s dance,” she said. Not a question.

Before he could even respond, she yanked him away, causing him to stumble after her. Liam shot me and Darren one last pleading look over his shoulder as they went, to which Darren just smirked and wiggled his fingers at him as if to say, “Good luck!”

Once they were gone, I turned to Darren with a snort. “She’s going to drive him insane.”

Darren simply shrugged. “Liam could use a little insanity.”

I couldn’t argue with that. Not that I had time to, because Darren was suddenly snaking his arm around my waist and pulling me toward the dance floor. We pushed our way through the throng, getting as close to the musicians as possible, and began to move together.

I looped both arms around his neck and tilted my head back to look up at Darren. His fingers tightened around my waist, just barely digging through the thick fabric of my coat as his eyes swept over me.

“You look good in our styles,” he said, smirking slightly. “I take it my grandmother had her way with you earlier?”

I nodded, recalling all too well how Wendy had come into my room earlier like a tornado of jewelry and fabrics. She’d dressed me in comfortable but exquisitely-crafted pants, a warm sweater, and a fur-lined parka with delicately-embroidered vines and leaves down the front. And a lot of silver jewelry, of course, once she had swept my hair up into the most intricate braided updo I’d ever seen.

“I have to admit,” I said, glancing around, “I feel more at home here than I ever did in the human world.”

“That’s because you do belong here.” Darren paused, and his eyes softened ever so slightly. “We can stay, if you want, you know. Just say the word. Once we finish the media tour, we can come back. I’ll delegate my Lunar Labs duties to Liam.”

I hesitated for a moment, considering. The thought of staying here in the pack lands, away from the bustling city, did sound appealing. And Darren would soon be taking part in the Alpha King election. But ultimately, I knew I couldn’t.

“I can’t leave the human world,” I said softly. “Who’s gonna walk my neighbor’s dogs?”

Darren chuckled and shook his head. “You’re one of the most influential figures in the world at the moment, and you’re thinking about walking dogs?”

I shrugged. “Someone has to do it. My neighbor has a bad back, and her kids live too far away. She needs me.”

Darren knew he couldn’t argue with that. With a soft sigh, he tugged me closer, dipping his head to gently press his lips to mine. I let myself lean against him, savoring the taste of him for a moment before we pulled apart.

“I’m proud to have you as my Luna, you know,” he said quietly. “I don’t know if I say it enough.”

Truthfully, he said it constantly. Almost too much, if I was being honest, because I found it hard to believe him. This whole ‘Luna’ thing still felt so far removed from me that it was almost ridiculous to think about.

And yet, here I was, Darren’s Luna. His other half. His… queen.

Slowly, I looked up to meet those mismatched eyes. They were glowing faintly from within, just as they had all those years ago.

And I knew, in that moment, that mine were glowing too. I could feel it like small fires burning behind my irises. Glowing green like lichen climbing the dark inside of a cave long forgotten.

Without a word, Darren looped his arms around me—one arm beneath my knees, the other cupped against my back—and lifted me against his chest. The crowd parted for us, Bella and Liam at the forefront, their eyes fixed on us as Darren slowly carried me toward the packhouse.

That night, we made love until the sun came up and the birds began to sing.

The first signs of spring had finally arrived, not just in the world outside the window, but in my heart.