Chapter 122

Darren

The moment we stepped out of the car, the world erupted into chaos.

Cameras flashed like lightning, their blinding bursts of light lighting up the dark sky. Reporters were already shouting questions before our feet even hit the pavement.

I was no stranger to this kind of attention. As a CEO, I had grown accustomed to the public eye, even though I had managed to keep my face relatively private.

But Aria… Aria was still finding her footing in this world. And I hadn’t properly prepared her for this.

“Stay close,” I murmured, pulling her gently against my side. My arm wrapped around her waist, shielding her from the worst of the crowd as we made our way up the red carpet and toward the entrance.

We were almost to the doors when I saw them.

A group of protesters had gathered near the edge of the crowd. They were holding signs above their heads, their faces etched with hatred and anger.

I should have ignored them. I very well could have ignored them; they were just angry humans, digging their heels in over change.

But then the first words reached my ears.

“Monsters!” one of them screamed. “Filthy animals!”

“Go back to where you belong!” another shouted, shaking a sign that read ‘Humans ONLY’ with a big red X through the image of a wolf’s howling head.

I shook my head, tugging Aria—who was trembling by now—closer. “Ignore them,” I said gently. She didn’t answer, just glanced up at me with wide eyes. I steered us up the steps, but then froze.

“That’s right! Take your whore and run away with your tail between your legs, dog!”

My wolf bristled, a low growl rumbling in my chest before I could stop myself. Turning, I scanned the crowd for the source of that last comment.

And then it happened.

A rotten tomato flew through the air. It was aimed straight at Aria.

She gasped, but I moved without thinking, stepping in front of her just as the tomato splattered against my chest.

For a moment, everything seemed to freeze. The crowd fell silent, the cameras stilled, and even the protesters seemed to hold their breath.

And then my wolf surged to the surface, a snarl tearing from my throat as I turned toward the person who had thrown it. I wasn’t angry about my tuxedo, rather angry that it hadn’t been directed at me, but my mate.

Coward.

My vision narrowed, the world fading to shades of red as I stalked forward, my claws itching beneath my knuckles. In those moments, my wolf took over, urging me to exact revenge on the person that had attempted to humiliate my Luna.

The crowd gasped, the protesters and photographers and fans alike surging away from me like I was a nuclear bomb about to go off. The protesters began to shout and jeer, pumping their signs higher in the air.

“To hell if you’re the monster they think you are,” my wolf hissed. “They deserve—”

“Darren!” Aria’s voice cut through my haze, drawing me back to the present.

I stopped, my chest heaving as I turned to look at her. She was standing there on the steps, her green eyes wide and shining as her hands twisted nervously in the fabric of her gown.

The sight of her—of my mate, so beautiful and so vulnerable—snapped me back to reality. The anger drained away, replaced by a wave of guilt.

I took a deep breath, forcing my wolf to retreat as I composed myself. The last thing Aria needed was for me to lose control.

“I’m sorry,” I said quietly, stepping back to her side. My arm wrapped around her waist again, and I guided her toward the doors.

Once we were inside, the noise of the crowd faded into a distant hum. The event space was warm and inviting, the soft glow of chandeliers casting a golden light over the room, but we didn’t stop to admire the event we had worked so hard to arrange. Rather, Aria took my hand and beelined for the restrooms, pulling me into the women’s restroom and locking the door.

“Are you okay?” Aria asked, her voice trembling as she turned to face me.

I nodded, although my jaw was still clenched. “I’m fine. Are you hurt?”

She shook her head as she grabbed a washcloth from the basket and dampened it with water. She turned to me again and began to dab at the tomato stain on the front of my white shirt.

I didn’t argue as she gently dabbed at the mess, not that it would help much. But I did notice the slight tremble in her hands, the faint sniffles as she worked.

“I’m so sorry, Darren,” she suddenly said. “That tomato should have hit me, not you. And now your suit is ruined, and—”

“Aria,” I said softly, catching her hands in mine. “Look at me.”

She hesitated, her eyes lifting to meet mine. The sight of her tears made my chest ache—a sharp pain that cut deeper than any knife ever could.

“I’d rather take a thousand tomato stains to my shirt than see a single speck on that beautiful gown of yours,” I said, my lips curving.

She blinked. “You’re ridiculous,” she whispered, although I could see the faint smile tugging at her mouth.

“Maybe,” I said as I dipped my head to press a kiss to her fingers. “But I mean it. You’re worth every stain, every scar, every moment of chaos. And I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe.”

Her smile widened, her cheeks flushing as she looked up at me. “You’re impossible, you know that?”

“I’ve been told.”

She laughed, the sound soft and sweet, and for a moment, the weight of the world seemed to lift from my shoulders. But even as I smiled, I couldn’t shake the guilt that lingered in the back of my mind.

I’d been too ambitious, too confident in my ability and my ability alone to protect her. Aria was so down to earth that it was easy to forget that she was my Luna now, and I should have been more proactive. I should’ve hired more security, should’ve anticipated the protesters. And now, because of my oversight, Aria had been put in danger.

I made a silent vow then and there. From now on, I would do whatever it took to ensure her safety. If that meant assigning her a bodyguard, so be it.

But I didn’t say any of that out loud. Not now, at least. Instead, I pulled her close, my arms wrapping around her as I pressed a kiss to the top of her head. She smelled like lilacs, and something stirred within me once more.

Before I could stop myself, I pinched her delicate chin between my thumb and forefinger and tilted her face up to look at me. Her lips parted before I even kissed her, as if in anticipation. And when I did kiss her, her hands instantly pressed against my chest, her fingers curling into the lapels of my ruined tuxedo.

That kiss alone, heady and intimate, was enough to set my nerves ablaze. My pants grew tight around the groin, my wolf surging with anticipation—and arousal. I wanted her, as always. Badly.

It had been constant since we’d truly joined that day in the cabin. Not one day went by that we didn’t make love, whether it was slow and sweet and into the wee hours of the morning or quick and frantic whenever we had the briefest moment alone.

And I wanted her now. We were alone here in this restroom, the door locked, with just enough time before the event officially began. After that experience outside the venue, my wolf craved joining with his mate.

But Aria, sensing my heat, gently pressed her hands against my chest and pushed. Our lips parted with a wet smack, and her cheeks were flushed. “Now now, Alpha,” she purred, batting those too-long eyelashes up at me, “we’ll have plenty of time for that later.”

I growled low in my throat, already feeling the strain of disappointment aching through me like a hand twisting my insides. “I’ll hold you to that,” I huffed, to which she winked and giggled in such a way that didn’t help my current condition one bit.

Once the tomato stain was somewhat cleaned up and my trousers were no longer straining, we returned to the event together, my arm wrapped securely around her waist as we navigated the crowd. The room was already filled with all the human and werewolf socialites who had RSVP’d, and everyone seemed to be getting along so far.

For the most part, the evening went smoothly. We mingled with guests, answered questions about the foundation, and even managed to enjoy ourselves despite the earlier chaos.

But then I saw him.

William.

He was standing near the entrance, his tall frame and striking green eyes drawing the attention of everyone in the room. He looked as polished and confident as ever, and his gaze was fixed on Aria.

I didn’t hate him, of course; he had pledged his support in our efforts, and I knew that Aria wasn’t interested in him. But I couldn’t help it. The wolf in me, the same part that had stalked after those protesters earlier, always bristled at the sight of his face. And I couldn’t help but wonder if he had only offered to help because of his attraction to her.

Panther shifters were like that, after all. Aloof and… selfish.

I watched as he made his way toward us. When he reached us, he smiled, his gaze flickering between me and Aria.

“Darren,” he said, dipping his head politely. “Aria. The event looks wonderful.”

“Thank you,” Aria said, shifting a little closer to me.

William’s smile widened as he turned to her. “Aria, would you do me the honor of a dance?”