Chapter 92

Aria

A heavy silence fell after Charles made his demand. Darren was tense in front of me, his broad form nearly blocking out my view of the old Beta, but I could still feel Charles’s eyes boring into my skull.

“Do the right thing, Alpha,” Charles sneered. “Before she proves all of us right.”

And with that, he and the other onlookers left. The door closed behind him with a soft thud, and I let out a heavy breath before sinking down into the chair behind me. My knees felt too weak to stand.

“So I’m being forced to stay here?” I breathed.

“I won’t force you.” Darren turned to me with a sympathetic expression on his face, which was surprising. I expected him to look angrier. “But they do have a point.”

My head snapped up. “What?” I snapped. “Was my blood oath not enough?” I held up my bandaged hand, still stinging where I’d been cut.

Darren sat down beside me, looking more weary than usual. “The blood oath will keep you from speaking about our pack lands to humans, but it won’t keep you from revealing our existence in other ways—intentional or not.”

My eyes narrowed. “You know I wouldn’t do that,” I hissed.

“I know you won’t,” Darren replied, “but they don’t know that. It might not be a bad idea for you to stay here for a little while. A week or so; just long enough to get to know the pack. Prove to them that they can trust you just as much as I trust you.”

“But I’m not even a human,” I said, the words still feeling foreign on my tongue.

Darren sighed. “In their eyes, you might as well be. Please forgive them for their distrust. Humans… terrorized our people for many years. The fear still runs deep, even now.”

I paused for a moment, considering. Darren had a point; I couldn’t blame the werewolves for being afraid, given everything I’d heard. Humans had, after all, once slaughtered werewolves simply for existing.

“Fine. I’ll stay.” The air rushed out of my lungs in a shaky exhale. “But what about you? Surely you have work to do at Lunar Labs. I don’t want to be left alone.”

Darren’s brow furrowed, his lips twitching into something that almost resembled a smile. “Are you kidding me? I’m staying here too. I’ll work remotely on Lunar Labs stuff, and as far as anyone at the company is concerned, you’ll be on paid time off.”

“Paid time off?” I repeated slowly. “Darren, that’s—”

“You’re allowed to take time off, you know,” he said, cutting me off with a faint smirk. “Even you aren’t required to work every second of every day.”

“That’s not the point,” I said, shaking my head. “You can’t pay me for this. It wouldn’t feel right.”

His smirk faded, replaced by a look of quiet confusion. “Why not?”

“Because this isn’t a vacation,” I said firmly. “And I’m tired of everyone at the company thinking I’m getting special treatment. They already whisper about me enough as it is.”

“But you’re our Luna—”

“It doesn’t matter,” I cut him off. “Just… humor me, will you?”

Darren’s eyes searched mine for a moment before he nodded slowly. “Alright,” he said. “No paid time off. But that means you’re technically on leave, and you’re not allowed to work while you’re here. Understood?”

I hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Understood.”

The corner of his mouth lifted slightly, but before he could say anything else, the door opened again, and I turned to see Wendy stepping inside. She glanced between us, her expression unreadable at first, but then she smiled.

“The others are waiting,” she said. “Shall we?”

Darren straightened, his hand brushing lightly against my arm as he gestured for me to follow. That small touch sent a jolt through me, and I had to swallow hard to steady my breathing as I trailed after him. Lucas shifted back into his boy form and took my hand, his small fingers wrapping around mine.

When we stepped into the waiting room, the crowd of elders and wolves was still gathered, their gazes snapping toward us immediately. The weight of their stares was suffocating, and I felt my steps falter slightly.

But then Darren’s hand was on my lower back in an instant, steadying me, and I felt a flicker of strength return. He cleared his throat, effectively silencing the murmurs. “Aria will be staying,” he announced firmly. “For as long as it takes to build trust between her and the pack.”

There were mixed reactions—some relieved murmurs, some grumbled complaints, and, of course, the glares of distrust. The elders exchanged glances, their expressions unreadable, before one of them stepped forward.

“We’ll be watching,” the elder said coldly. “Both of you.”

Darren nodded. “I’d expect nothing less.”

With that, the crowd began to disperse, although a few wolves—the warriors who had first sprang to action when Charles commanded them to drag me away—lingered for a moment longer, glaring at me hatefully before finally leaving.

When the room was empty, I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. Darren turned to me, his brow furrowed slightly as he studied my face. “Are you alright?”

I nodded quickly, although I wasn’t sure how true it was. “Just… nervous,” I admitted. “But I know I’ll be okay with you here.”

A flicker of something softened his expression, and his hand brushed against my arm again. “You don’t have to be afraid,” he said quietly. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

My cheeks flushed, and I looked away, mumbling, “I know.”

Wendy reappeared then, Lucas trailing behind her, and she smiled warmly at me. “Why don’t you two take a tour of the village?” she suggested. “I’ll watch over Lucas for the day.”

With that settled, Wendy led Lucas away, leaving Darren and me alone once more. He glanced down at me, his brow arching slightly. “Ready for the grand tour?”

I nodded, even though my nerves hadn’t entirely subsided.

The village was even more stunning in the light of the late afternoon sun, golden light gleaming off the pure white snow. The icicles hanging from the roofs were shimmering in the sunlight, and the smell of fire smoke and fresh food was wafting through the air.

But as beautiful as it was, the cold stares from the wolves we passed were impossible to ignore. They stared at me just as much as they had during my arrival, only now, their hatred had shifted into something else.

“Raised by humans…”

“Might as well be a human herself.”

“Why is she even staying?”

I tried to focus on the beauty of the village, but their words cut deep. I felt my stomach twist a little as a group of children, who were playing in the pathway, looked up at me and scattered like I was some kind of predator. Darren must have noticed my pain, because he reached for my hand, his fingers curling gently around mine.

“Don’t pay them any attention,” he murmured. “They’ll come around. Eventually.”

I hoped he was right.

Our tour took us to the heart of the village, where a small bakery stood amongst some other quaint shops. The scent of freshly baked bread wafted through the air, and I couldn’t help but smile a little as I peeked through the window.

“Do you want to go in?” Darren asked.

Before I could answer, the door opened, and an older wolf woman stepped out, wiping her hands on her apron. She eyed me warily at first, but then her gaze softened slightly. “Would you like to join us?” she asked. She sounded gruff, but not entirely unkind.

I glanced at Darren, who nodded encouragingly, and then stepped inside. The bakery was warm and inviting, the air sweet with the aroma of flour and yeast. A group of wolves was gathered around a large table, kneading dough and shaping it into loaves.

One of the wolves handed me a piece of dough, and I hesitated for only a moment before stepping up to the table and joining in. Darren watched from the corner, a faint smile tugging at his lips as I silently worked alongside the others.

No one spoke to me as I helped, but the small act of working alongside them felt like a step in the right direction. By the time we left the bakery a little while later, I felt a small spark of hope. Maybe, just maybe, I could prove myself to them.

As we continued the tour, we passed a shed filled with sports equipment. I paused, my gaze catching on a pair of skis leaning against the wall. I remembered Darren mentioning that he used to ski when he was younger.

“The snow today seems perfect for skiing,” I hinted.

Darren stopped beside me and looked around at the powdery snow. “It is.”

“Do you think we could go? Just for a little while?” I asked.

Darren hesitated, glancing at the sun as it dipped lower in the sky. “It’s getting late…”

“Just for a little while?” I repeated, my voice almost pleading.

He sighed, but the corner of his mouth twitched into a small smile. “Alright,” he finally said. “Let’s go.”