Chapter 136

Aria

The deportation notice felt like a mockery.

“Darren Avarise,” the government agent said, “you are hereby requested to leave the human world and return to your ancestral land.”

The silence that followed was stifling. For a moment, I almost wondered if this was some kind of sick practical joke, but it wasn’t.

Finally, Darren said in a clipped voice, “And what grounds do you have for deporting me?”

The agent, a tall man with a stern expression and a crisp suit, didn’t flinch. “Mr. Avarise, it is my understanding that you were born in your ancestral lands, correct?”

Darren narrowed his eyes. “What does that have to do with anything?”

The agent looked unfazed. “Those lands are classified as sovereign nations. Since you were born there and never followed the proper procedures to become an official citizen here, you are trespassing on foreign soil.”

I blinked, my stomach churning. Sovereign nations? Since when?

“This is ridiculous,” Darren said with a scoff. “The pack lands are not sovereign nations. They’re on this country’s soil. We’ve been here for generations. We’re citizens of this country, just like everyone else. What the hell makes us ‘sovereign’ to you?”

“That was before werewolves were discovered,” the agent replied calmly without missing a beat. “Now that your kind has been officially recognized, the government has determined that your pack lands operate under their own laws and leadership. Alphas are considered tribal chiefs, and your territories are being treated as independent nations. Therefore, all werewolves are classified as foreign entities.”

I felt my hands clench into fists at my sides. “So you’re just deciding that all the werewolves are illegal aliens,” I muttered. “Just like that.”

The agent’s gaze shifted to me, and I felt a chill run down my spine at the cold detachment in his eyes. “You’re included in this order as well, Miss White,” he said.

I froze. “What?”

“You were born in an orphanage, correct?” he asked, although it wasn’t really a question. “You don’t have a legal birth certificate on file. Since you’re a werewolf, it must be assumed that you, like the rest of your kind, are an illegal alien. You’ll need to leave with Mr. Avarise.”

My breath caught in my throat. Illegal alien? I had lived in this city my entire life. I had worked hard, built a life here. And now, because of some paperwork that didn’t even exist until recently, I was being told I didn’t belong?

“So you’re a racist,” I blurted out.

The agent blinked, which was the first sign of emotion I’d seen on his face so far. “I don’t make the rules, Miss White.”

“Bullshit.”

Darren’s hand suddenly found mine. He gave it a squeeze, partially to comfort me but also partially as a warning. Be careful. Don’t piss them off even more.

“So we don’t have any say?” he scoffed. “There’s nothing we can do to resolve this without being forced to leave?”

The agent’s expression remained impassive. “You’re more than welcome to apply for citizenship.”

“And how long will that take?” Darren asked.

The agent simply shrugged. “Unclear. Regardless, you have until the end of the week to comply with this deportation notice, and your business will be closed indefinitely,” he said. “If you or any of the werewolves employed at Lunar Labs are found in the city after that, you will be arrested. You’ll only make things worse for yourselves.”

Darren and I looked at each other, incredulous. Surely this couldn’t actually hold legal weight—they were essentially rounding us up like cattle, forcing us to leave the city and close our business. It didn’t make any sense.

But Darren finally nodded. “Very well.”

“I suggest you start packing,” was all the agent said before turning on his heel and walking out the door.

The moment he was gone, I whirled to face Darren. “We can’t just leave,” I said, my voice shaking with rage and fear. “This is our home. Lunar Labs is our life. You’re not seriously rolling over and just… taking this, are you?”

Darren’s face was dark, his jaw clenched. “We don’t have a choice,” he said. “If we resist now, they’ll arrest us. That won’t help anyone.”

“But—”

“Aria.” He turned to me. “I can afford the best lawyers. We’ll fight this. But for now, we need to cooperate. We need to make it clear that we’re not a threat. That we’re willing to follow the rules, even if those rules are unfair.”

I wanted to argue. This felt like complete and utter bullshit. But deep down, I knew he was right. If we fought back now, it would only give the humans more reason to see us as dangerous. As outsiders. It might ruin our chances of making things right.

So, with a heavy heart, I nodded.

The next few hours were a blur. We called a meeting with the Lunar Labs staff, explaining the situation as calmly as we could. The room erupted into chaos, voices overlapping as everyone tried to process what was happening. Some were angry. Others were scared. A few even cried.

After that, we broke the news to Lucas. He was devastated, of course. He burst into tears the moment we told him. “I don’t want to leave!” he wailed. “I’m not going!”

My heart shattered. I knelt beside him, pulling him into my arms. “I know it hurts, sweetheart,” I whispered, stroking his hair. “I know. But we’ll come back. I promise.”

To my surprise, Lucas shoved me away and stormed off. A moment later came the sound of his bedroom door slamming. I looked up, shocked, only to see Darren sitting with his head hung between his hands.

“Darren—”

“Leave him be,” he said without looking up. “There’s nothing either of us can do to make this better for him.”

By the end of the day, we had packed what we could and made arrangements for a group trek back to the pack lands. Bella promised to stay behind, her eyes watering as she said goodbye to us. Liam’s face had gone stony ages ago and he stalked off after they said their goodbyes, clearly perturbed by the thought of having to leave her.

Thankfully, William and the other panther shifters still hadn’t been discovered yet, so he would remain as well to help Bella. They both promised to do their best to help from afar, pressuring local politicians to lobby for our cause.

“We’ll figure this out,” Bella said, hugging me so tight I thought she might break my ribs. “I’ll visit as soon as I can.”

I nodded, although I couldn’t bring myself to speak.

The trek back to the pack lands was long and somber. Lucas cried the entire way. No matter how much Darren and I tried to comfort him, he couldn’t be consoled.

When we finally arrived, the pack members came out of their houses, confused and worried. They had heard about the protests and the growing tension in the city, but this was different. This was their Alpha and Luna returning home with their tails between their legs, so to speak.

I looked to Darren, hoping he would say something to reassure them. But his face was dark, his expression unreadable.

“I need to think,” he said quietly before turning and walking into the packhouse, leaving me standing there with Lucas and the rest of the pack, all of us staring after him in stunned silence.