Chapter 91

Aria

I couldn’t breathe.

Me? A werewolf?

A purebred werewolf?

My hand trembled as I stared at the test results that were still clutched in my grasp. Everything in the room felt too close, too loud, too suffocating—even though it had fallen eerily silent.

I still couldn’t believe it. The doctor’s test results were clear, indicating that he had been mistaken in his original tests, and yet… It felt like a prank. Or worse, a dream that I would soon wake up from.

“This can’t be real,” I whispered, the words slipping out before I even realized I had spoken them aloud. My voice felt distant and foggy, like it belonged to someone else.

Darren pulled me closer. “It’s real, Aria,” he murmured in my ear. “The blood oath worked. That’s all the proof anyone needs.”

I shook my head, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. “But I’ve been human my entire life. How—” My breath hitched as I looked around the room. “How is this even possible?”

No one answered. The earlier chaos had gone utterly silent and still, every eye fixed on either me or the bowl that had contained my blood mere moments ago. I couldn’t tell if everyone was still considering dragging me out into the forest or if they were relieved that their Luna wasn’t a human after all.

The doctor—still slightly disheveled and covered in snow from racing here—cleared his throat. “Perhaps we should discuss this somewhere more private,” he suggested, glancing pointedly at the crowd.

Darren nodded sharply. Without another word, he placed a hand on the small of my back and guided me out of the ceremonial chamber. The touch was light but firm, and something about it sent a shiver down my spine. Like it was… loaded with something else now.

Like the one barrier that had been keeping us apart had just broken down in the span of a minute.

Lucas trotted along beside us in his pup form, pressing against my leg as if to reassure me. I reached down and tangled my fingers in his silky fur, glad to have him by my side.

As soon as we left the ceremonial chamber and the doors slammed shut behind us, I heard the shouting begin again. I flinched, but Darren just pulled me closer.

We entered a small room down a quiet hallway, its walls lined with bookshelves and a single table in the center. Darren closed the door firmly behind us, effectively shutting out the chaos.

“Sit,” he said gently, pulling out a chair for me. I sank into it, my legs too shaky to keep me upright any longer. Darren took the seat beside me, his hand brushing against mine for a brief moment before he turned his attention to the doctor.

The doctor set the papers down on the table and adjusted his glasses. “Aria,” he began, “it seems I was mistaken on your last test. I missed something before—something big.”

I swallowed hard, but remained silent. Even if I had something to say, I was too choked up to get the words out.

“Your DNA contains a rare gene we refer to as the ‘white wolf’ gene,” the doctor continued. “It’s an ancient bloodline, believed to have gone dormant in most of the population centuries ago. It only appears in times of great need, and even then, it is unpredictable.”

I blinked at him, not really following what he was saying. “Great need? What does that even mean?”

“It means,” he continued, “that while you have lived your entire life thus far as a human, you have never truly been one. This gene makes you a purebred, full-fledged werewolf. Although you are… unique.”

“Unique?” I echoed, my voice shaking. “What does that mean? I don’t have a wolf… do I? Can I shift?”

“Not in the traditional sense,” the doctor admitted, glancing over at Darren. “Your wolf, as of right now, is dormant. You may never shift at all. But you are still a werewolf. The blood oath confirmed it, and so does your DNA. In extraordinary circumstances, it’s possible you might shift… if the need arises. But there are no guarantees.”

I stared at him, my mind reeling. “A moment of great need,” I finally muttered, shaking my head. “What kind of ‘great need’?”

Darren and the doctor exchanged glances again before Darren turned to me.

“There’s no way for us to know,” he explained gently. “Perhaps your wolf will emerge when you need it the most.”

I couldn’t help but scoff. “So, like, if my life is in danger?”

Darren sighed softly. “I hope it doesn’t come to that. But it’s a possibility.”

I looked away, unsure of what to make of all this. My entire life had been built around the assumption that I was human. Ordinary. Now, that assumption was crumbling before my eyes. And I wasn’t even a ‘normal’ werewolf. Even in that realm, I had to be strange and different.

And to make matters worse, I had no idea who my parents were. I was adopted, and thus my past was lost to me.

Darren reached for my hand, his fingers warm and strong as they wrapped around mine. “What are you thinking?” he murmured.

I looked up at him, my heart twisting at the sight of him. I shrugged. “I… I don’t know,” I replied honestly.

He paused for a moment, his eyes searching mine, before he suddenly said, “Do you want to stay with me? As my Luna?”

My heart just about stopped in my chest at that. Even Lucas cocked his head and whined softly, his puppy ears flopping a little with the movement.

“Just like that?” I asked, incredulous.

His jaw tightened slightly, and for a moment, he looked like he was waging an internal battle. “It would make things simpler,” he said carefully. “You’re my mate. But whether you want to stay or not… that’s up to you.”

The room fell silent. My throat constricted as I tried to process his words. The thought of staying—of being by Darren’s side, not just as his friend but as so much more—both thrilled and terrified me.

But I couldn’t make this decision now. Not here. Not with so much uncertainty hanging over my head.

“I need time,” I finally said, my voice trembling. “I need to go home and think.”

Darren’s gaze softened, but before he could respond, the door to the room burst open. Charles strode in, his presence filling the space like a storm cloud. I leapt to my feet, Darren instantly letting loose a menacing snarl and jumping in front of me.

But Charles wasn’t looking at him. His piercing eyes locked onto me over Darren’s shoulder, and I felt a chill run down my spine.

“Did you just say you’re leaving?” he demanded coldly.

I stiffened, my fingers instinctively tightening around Darren’s. I hadn’t even realized it, but I had grabbed his hand like it was the most natural thing in the world. “I… I need to go home,” I said. “To think.”

Charles sneered at me, his lip curling. “You think you can just walk away from this? From us? You are bound to this pack now, girl.”

“She’s free to make her own choices, Charles,” Darren said sharply. “And I’ll be damned if I allow you, a washed up Beta, to get involved. Leave us.”

Charles’s gaze shifted to Darren, his expression hardening. “Washed up as I may be,” he said, walking to the door and yanking it open to reveal the entirety of the people from the ceremonial chamber—even the elders—standing in the hallway, “I do still hold sway in this pack.”

Darren’s eyes narrowed as he took in the sight. I tensed, moving behind him a little more. Were they still going to try to take me away? Or something else?

“What are you saying, Charles?” Darren hissed.

Charles’s eyes flashed dangerously.

“I’m saying that, if she wants to prove her loyalty as a werewolf, she needs to stay. And if she tries to run back to the humans, we’ll ensure her journey through the forest ends with something… tragic.”