Chapter 77

Aria

I felt like I was swimming through molasses, my limbs heavy, my thoughts muddled as I argued with Lily. Every word seemed to come out of me in a slurring rush, every movement erratic and unnatural.

“You always act like you’re better than me! But you’re just... you’re just jealous!”

Lily scoffed and said something, but her voice was distant, watery, like I was stuck beneath the ocean.

This wasn’t right. I’d only had one drink tonight, and yet… I was this drunk, somehow?

No, something was wrong, seriously wrong, but I couldn’t convey it—I couldn’t even comprehend it myself, even when my logic was banging at the inside of its cell, fighting to get out.

Only one thing was on my mind: her.

I’d had enough of Lily’s cold shoulder, enough with the cruelty. I was… fucking tired, if I was being honest. Tired of always having to fight for respect, tired of always being treated differently by everyone I came into contact with, tired of having to explain myself every damn day.

And I was especially tired of rolling over and taking this bullshit. No, I wouldn’t take it anymore. I needed to stand up for myself.

So I fought with her. In front of everyone. Even when, logically, I knew I should just go home and rest.

It felt cathartic, in a way, to argue with her. And if the gleam in her slightly drunken eyes was any indication, I think it was cathartic for her, too. Maybe this was all we needed to put this mess behind us and go back to being friends. Bella often said that a good fight could clear the senses sometimes.

But then it all went south. It happened so fast that I couldn’t even comprehend that it had happened until the crowd around us went utterly silent.

“You’re just taking advantage of the fact that Alpha Darren is your… your… mate!”

The world seemed to freeze as she blurted out that last word. My breath caught in my throat as the words hung in the air, heavy and damning. Around us, the other Lunar Labs employees fell silent, their faces a mixture of shock, confusion, and disbelief.

Lily’s eyes widened into saucers, as if suddenly realizing what she had just said. Her manicured hand flew to her mouth, but it was too late. The damage had already been done.

Now everyone knew that I knew about their true nature. About werewolves.

And not just that, but they all knew what I truly was to Darren. What I—we—had been hiding for months now.

Before I could process what had just happened, the crowd parted, and Darren shoved forward. Everyone turned to him, too stunned to say so much as a word. He stood there for a moment, hands clenched into fists at his sides as he looked back and forth between me and Lily.

“Alpha—” Lily began.

“Everyone outside. Now,” he cut her off. His voice was calm and quiet, but even I could sense an undercurrent of power there—the Alpha Voice. It didn’t have the intended effect on me, but I knew that it made it impossible for the others to argue.

Although, my own humiliation and terror made me want to obey anyway.

The Lunar Labs employees began shuffling toward the door, murmuring amongst themselves and glancing at me over their shoulders. Thankfully, the music was loud enough to cover most of what had been said between us. The humans in the bar continued to drink and dance and talk, utterly oblivious to the storm that was brewing between us.

That was one good thing, at least.

I stared at Darren as he threw an enormous wad of wash onto the bar to cover all of our drinks, my eyes stinging with tears. “Darren, I-I didn’t mean to—”

“Just… go outside, Aria,” he said quietly. He didn’t look angry, at least not outwardly, but his posture was tense.

His tone made something in me crack. I sniffled and stumbled as I turned toward the door, my legs shaky. But before I could fall, Darren was at my side, his arm around my waist, steadying me against his solid frame.

His touch was warm, grounding, but it also sent a pang of guilt through my chest. God… What had I done? And why was I so fucking drunk?

The cool night air hit my face as we stepped into the parking lot. The Lunar Labs staff had formed a loose circle around Darren’s car, and glanced at us as we approached.

“Darren’s mate?” Someone murmured. “No way.”

“She’s human. That’s impossible,” another whispered.

“How could he not tell us? He’s supposed to be our Alpha…”

I glanced around nervously, my head still swimming. My gaze landed on Lily, who was standing off to the side, staring at the ground. She looked miserable, her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

Even in my disoriented state, I could tell that she hadn’t meant for this to happen—that she was a little drunk, too, and the truth had slipped out before she could stop herself. But that didn’t make it any easier to bear.

Melissa, always the boldest of the group, stepped forward, her sharp eyes narrowing as she looked me up and down. “If she’s your mate, Alpha Darren, then let’s see it,” she growled. “Has she been marked?”

My heart leapt into my throat as Melissa reached for me. I instinctively took a step back, bumping into Darren’s sturdy frame. My mind wandered back to the night I had first learned about werewolves—Liam’s enormous wolf form, the fury in his eyes, the way he had tried to…

“No,” I said quickly, my voice trembling. “No, I haven’t—”

“Enough,” Darren growled, his voice echoing through the parking lot. The sheer authority in his tone silenced everyone instantly, even me. “Go home. Now. All of you. We’ll discuss this in the morning.”

For a moment, no one moved. They murmured amongst themselves, shifting on their feet, but Darren held his ground and just glared at them with an authoritative fury that made me shiver a little.

Finally, one by one, they began to disperse. Melissa shot me a final, suspicious glance over her shoulder before turning on her heel and stalking off. Lily didn’t even look at me—just hung her head and shuffled away.

The last to leave was Tracy, who just gave me an apologetic look before climbing into her car.

I exhaled shakily, ready to follow them and disappear into the night. All I wanted was to rush home and bury my face in my pillow.

But before I could take a step, Darren’s hand shot out and gripped my wrist firmly. “No. Not you. We need to talk.”

I froze, my eyes snapping up to meet his. His expression was unreadable, his mismatched eyes piercing into mine. My heart pounded in my chest, a mix of fear and something else I couldn’t name warring inside of me.

“Darren, I didn’t mean—” I started, but the words caught in my throat as my vision blurred even more. The world around me seemed to tilt and sway, the edges darkening.

Something was happening to me. This wasn’t just alcohol. Something was… seriously wrong.

“Aria?” Darren’s voice was distant, muffled. He threw his arm around my waist, steadying me, but it wasn’t enough.

The last thing I saw was his face above me, his arms lifting me against his broad chest, before everything went black.