Chapter 115

Aria

Lying in Darren’s arms the next morning, I could feel the warmth of the sun streaming through the curtains, the gentle rise and fall of his chest beneath my cheek. His heartbeat, steady and strong, pulled me out of sleep. But I didn’t get up and start my day just yet; instead, I let my eyes drift closed, just basking in the quiet serenity of the moment.

After a little while, Darren began to stir. His grip on my bare shoulder tightened ever so slightly, and his breathing began to speed up as he shook sleep off.

“Darren?” I murmured softly, my fingers tracing idle patterns on his shirtless chest.

“Hm?” His voice was groggy, still heavy with sleep, but the sound of it made my heart flutter all the same.

“Do you think…” I hesitated, biting my lip as I looked up at his mussed raven hair cascading across his shoulders. “Do you think you’ll still run in the Alpha King election?”

That seemed to rouse him fully. Darren shifted, propping himself up on one elbow so he could look down at me. The sunlight caught in his mismatched eyes, turning one a molten gold, the other a deep, shadowy green. His lips curved into a faint smile.

“Where did that come from?” he asked.

I shrugged, not really sure myself. “I don’t know. I was just thinking.”

He sighed, considering for a moment, before he answered. “It’s been a dream of mine for a long time.”

My throat bobbed. “I’m not still holding you back from it?”

Darren reached out, brushing a strand of hair away from my face. His fingers lingered against my cheek, and the tender touch sent a shiver down my spine. “You never were,” he said softly. “I was willing to leave it behind if you being human meant that people wouldn’t vote for me. But I never saw you as holding me back.”

My heart clenched at the sincerity in his voice, the way his gaze held mine like I was the only thing that mattered in the entire world. “But—”

“Believe me, Aria.”

A smile tugged at my lips, and I leaned into his touch. “You still haven’t answered my question. Are you still going to run?”

He chuckled, the sound deep and rumbling. “If I did, would you stand by my side?”

I couldn’t help but laugh at that, the sound bubbling up from somewhere deep in my chest. It felt good—light and free, like a weight I hadn’t realized I was carrying had been lifted.

“Of course,” I finally said, my smile softening a little. “I do sort of like the idea of being called a ‘queen’.”

Darren grinned, leaning down to press a kiss to my forehead. “Don’t let it get to your head just yet, darling.”

We fell into a comfortable silence after that, his arms wrapped securely around me as the world outside slowly came to life. Outside, I could hear the sounds of the village waking up, children laughing and people talking. The smell of coffee and bacon wafted up from downstairs, and I could practically picture Wendy bustling around, cooking breakfast for everyone like she always loved to do.

But my thoughts drifted, and after a moment, I found myself voicing the question that had been gnawing at the back of my mind a lot since the humans had learned about werewolves.

“What about Lucas?” I asked quietly.

Darren’s body stiffened ever so slightly, and I immediately regretted bringing it up. But I felt like I needed to know. “Do you think he’ll… see me as his mother now?”

For a moment, Darren didn’t answer. His gaze turned distant, his brow furrowing in thought. I could practically see the wheels turning in his mind, as if he wasn’t entirely sure how to respond.

Finally, he exhaled slowly and sat up, pulling me up with him. “Get dressed,” was all he said.

I blinked, confused, and pulled the sheets up against my bare chest as he climbed out of bed and strode fully nude across the room. “What?”

“I need to show you something,” he said as he pulled the wardrobe open and began selecting some warm clothes.

I didn’t press him further, sensing that whatever he had to say, he needed to do it on his own terms. Instead, I nodded and slid out of bed, quickly throwing on a pair of fleece-lined leggings and a sweater; even with the first signs of spring, it was still quite cold out.

Darren was already at the door by the time I was dressed, his expression unreadable as he waited for me.

We walked in silence through the woods, the crisp morning air biting at my skin. The path was unfamiliar, and I didn’t know where we were going. It wasn’t until we reached the small clearing with the weathered stone marker that I realized where he had taken me.

His sister’s grave.

Lucas’s mother.

Darren stopped in front of the marker, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. His shoulders were tense, his jaw tight, and for a moment, I wasn’t sure if he was going to say anything at all.

“I come here a lot,” he finally bit out, as if the words pained him to say out loud. “To talk to her. To try and figure out what the hell I’m supposed to do.”

I stepped closer, hesitant, unsure if he wanted me there. But when he didn’t move away, I took it as permission and reached out, my hand brushing against his.

“She was the best of us,” Darren continued, his gaze fixed on the headstone. “Strong, wild, brave… Everything I wasn’t. And Lucas—he’s just like her.”

I swallowed hard, my chest tightening at the thought. I wished I could have known Lucas’s mother.

“I want him to know the truth,” Darren said, his voice cracking slightly. “About who she was. About where he came from. But I’m afraid. Afraid of what it’ll do to him. Afraid of what it’ll do to us.”

“You don’t have to do it alone,” I said softly, my fingers tightening around his. “We’ll figure it out. Together.”

Darren finally turned to look at me, his eyes filled with so much emotion that it took my breath away. “Thank you,” he whispered.

Before I could respond, a voice broke the stillness.

“Darren.”

We both turned to see a man emerging from the trees. He was older, his movements slow and halting, but there was something familiar in his gaze. I recognized him instantly—Darren’s father.

He didn’t share those mismatched eyes—his were a deep blue—but he looked like Darren in every other way. The same square jaw, high cheekbones. Even hunched over a cane, I could tell he had once had broad, muscular shoulders like Darren.

“Dad,” Darren said, his voice filled with equal parts surprise and concern. He took a step forward, his hand still holding mine.

The older man’s gaze shifted to me, and for a moment, I wasn’t sure what he was going to do. But then he smiled—a soft, almost reverent smile.

“So, you’re the white wolf Luna I’ve been hearing about,” he said. “It’s an honor to meet you.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but the words wouldn’t come. Instead, I simply nodded.

The air fell silent after that, both men staring at each other as if they weren’t quite sure where to begin.

Sensing that this was a conversation they needed to have alone, I gently squeezed Darren’s hand and stepped back. His eyes met mine, gratitude flickering in their depths.

Without a word, I turned and slipped away, leaving them to their moment.