Chapter 23

Aria

Darren looked furious. I felt my heart quicken, no longer at the sight of his bare torso flecked with sweat and fake snow, but at the sight of the anger in his eyes.

But to my surprise, he turned away from me and looked at Liam instead.

“I can understand her making a mistake like that, since she doesn’t know anything about our kind,” he said through grit teeth, “but you, Liam? You should have known better.”

Liam’s eyes widened slightly. “I—”

“I don’t want to hear any excuses.” Darren set Lucas down and grabbed his shirt off of a nearby boulder, slipping it on over his head. “You know that Lucas has never tried sugar before. And you know what sugar can do to a pup his age. How could you let this happen?”

Incredulous, I turned to Liam as well, who was silent. Since the beginning, I’d gotten a sense that Liam knew more than he was letting on. When he’d said that it would be fine for Lucas to have sugar, he didn’t seem to think very hard about it.

I had trusted him. Maybe I shouldn’t have. He clearly hated me; maybe he thought he could get me in trouble.

“I’m sorry, Alpha,” was all Liam said, hanging his head.

Darren scoffed and turned to me. “No one saw him shift, right?” he asked.

I shook my head. “No. He shifted in the bushes and stayed in his pup form until we got in the elevator just now.”

“Good.” Darren looked a bit relieved at that, although still pretty angry. “For future reference, sugar can make pups Lucas’s age shift uncontrollably. It makes them too hyper if they haven’t been weaned onto it.”

“Oh,” I muttered. “I’m sorry. I should have been more cautious.”

“No. You’re not the one who should apologize,” Darren growled, glaring at Liam once more. “Liam, I sent you with them because I thought you would be capable of keeping them safe. How could you let something like this happen?”

“I don’t know, Alpha. I’m sorry.”

“‘Sorry’ isn’t good enough,” Darren ground out. “Someone could have gotten seriously hurt. Someone could have seen him shift and discovered us! I don’t suppose you’re itching to kill another human, are you?”

Liam was silent, his gaze averted. I glanced at him and…

I couldn’t help but feel pity for him. Darren continued scolding him in the background, and it was as if the Beta’s shoulders curled even more inward with each word, his head hanging lower and lower. If he’d had his tail right now, it would be between his legs.

It was hard to watch. Maybe Liam and I had our differences, but… I couldn’t bear to see him being berated like this.

He’d already been punished severely for trying to kill me—I had stayed out of it, but I had seen Darren making Liam do intense exercise until he collapsed in his office one day, as well as making him perform menial tasks like getting everyone coffee and taking the trash out and scrubbing the bathroom floors until his hands were raw.

“Stop scolding him.”

Darren snapped his head over to me at the sound of my voice. “What?”

I took a deep breath. “It was me,” I lied. “Liam told me that it wasn’t a good idea, but I insisted. I bought Lucas the treat even though Liam told me not to.”

The playroom went silent, save for the sound of that phantom wind blowing from a vent somewhere. The breeze ruffled Darren’s raven hair, tugging a few strands loose from its bun.

“You did that?” Darren asked, his voice quiet. “You really didn’t listen when he told you it wasn’t safe?”

My gaze flicked to Liam, whose eyes were huge as they stared incredulously at me.

But I nodded. “Yes. It’s… It’s so normal for human kids to have sugar, and I was trying to make Lucas happy. So I told Liam it would be fine. Clearly, it wasn’t fine.”

Darren’s eyes narrowed as he looked at his Beta. “Is this true?”

Liam was silent for a moment, glancing back and forth between me and Darren. Behind Darren’s back, I offered him a tiny nod of encouragement. Darren couldn’t punish me, not in the same way that he could punish a member of his pack.

His Alpha Voice didn’t work on me. And I doubted he’d fire me over something like this.

Besides, I was already in Darren’s bad graces after this morning. What was one more thing, for the sake of not seeing someone else get punished?

“I…” Liam stared at his feet, shoulders slumping again. “Yes, Alpha. It’s true.”

Darren stared in shock at the two of us. Liam glanced up at me from beneath his eyebrows, and I got a sense that he’d pay me back for this kindness with some favor or another. Maybe I even earned a little of his respect, for whatever it was worth.

Finally, Darren sighed and walked over to me. I tensed, expecting an explosion, but none came.

He just placed his hand on my shoulder, his palm warm against me. “Next time my Beta tells you that something is a bad idea, you should listen to him,” he said, his voice surprisingly calm. “Or at least text me if you’re really unsure.”

I nodded quickly, eyes wide as I stared at our feet. Darren huffed softly, his breath fanning across my forehead.

I couldn’t decide if I was frozen from the shock of such a gentle scolding or if it was because of his warmth enveloping me.

I sensed it may have been both of those things when he pulled away and that warmth was suddenly gone. The loss of it instinctively made me shiver, and I wrapped my arms around myself.

“Just… for future reference,” I said tentatively, “what other things has Lucas not tried eating? So I know what to avoid or wean him onto.”

Darren glanced at me. “He’s only ever eaten food for pups—raw meat, grains, that sort of thing.”

“I tried pasta this week!” Lucas, who’d been playing nearby, suddenly piped up.

“And pasta,” Darren said. “It’s a slow process, letting him try… human foods.”

I frowned as I considered this. Raw meat, grains, and pasta. Not the most enriching diet for a little boy. “Can I help?” I asked, standing up a little straighter. “Not to toot my own horn, but I’m a pretty good cook. I could make some meals that Lucas hasn’t tried before.”

Darren and Liam exchanged glances. “What sort of meals?” Darren asked, cocking his head.

I shrugged. “Whatever Liam wants to try.” I glanced at my watch; it was already almost dinnertime. I hadn’t realized just how long we had been out. “I could cook something tonight, if you want.”

“I haven’t gone grocery shopping,” Darren remarked.

“I’ll go,” I offered, figuring that it would help get me back into Darren’s good graces. After today, I probably really needed it.

“Ooh! Can I go, too?” Lucas chimed in, bounding over to me.

Darren paused, considering as he glanced at his own watch. Then, he was striding past me and toward the elevator.

“We’ll go together,” he said. “Let’s go before rush hour hits.”