Chapter 100

Aria

Wendy pressed the steaming mug of hot tea into my free hand. She deftly massaged the balm into the small cuts and scrapes covering my other hand, but I hardly felt it. My mind was still on the edge of that cliff with Darren’s arms safely wrapped around me.

“You’re lucky you didn’t come into contact with any poisonous plants,” Wendy tsked as she worked. “You could have a full-blown infection by now.”

I swallowed a gulp of tea, burning my throat as it went down. “I’m just glad I’m alive,” I muttered. My voice was still hoarse from screaming, and now that I was settled in a warm chair by the fireplace in the common room, my entire body ached from running.

Wendy glanced up at me. Her usual tender demeanor was still there, but it was now edged with the kind of disappointed look that only a grandmother could have.

“You shouldn’t have gone into the forest on your own.”

My cheeks reddened, and I looked away as if that could somehow hide my shame. “Trust me, I know.”

She sighed and finished working on my left hand, then had me switch. The ointment stung a bit as she worked, but I didn’t wince. My eyes kept drifting to the council room door, through which Darren had disappeared with Tracy, her cohorts, Charles, and the elders some time ago.

I didn’t know exactly what was being said in that room, but if the raised voices were any indication, then it wasn’t good.

“He called her an enemy of the pack,” I whispered, glancing back at Wendy. “What does that mean for Tracy?”

Wendy’s face hardened, which was about the only expression that could show the years on her skin. “It depends. Many Alphas would just banish her from the pack, but we don’t need more rogues in the world—and it would just make her more likely to harm you.”

“So what will Darren do?”

“I’m not sure,” Wendy sighed, just as the commotion inside the meeting room grew to a din. “But I supposed we’re about to find out.”

As if on cue, the council room doors swung open, revealing a flurry of activity within. The elders and Charles all seemed to be arguing amongst themselves, their voices mingling into one incoherent racket. Meanwhile, warriors were escorting Tracy and her two cohorts out of the room. Darren was at the forefront.

“You’re going to regret this, Darren!” Tracy practically shrieked as two warriors dragged her away. “You have to come to your senses! If you fall for her, you’ll become the laughingstock of our people before meeting a tragic end—just like your sister!”

My eyes turned as wide as saucers as I watched Tracy being dragged past. I was suddenly glad that Lucas was playing upstairs, safe from hearing all of this.

Darren ignored Tracy. His expression, however, was nothing short of thunderous as he stormed up to me and dropped to one knee in front of where I was sitting. My eyes instinctively went to him as he gripped my hands and looked me over, and soon, Tracy’s shouts faded into the distance as she was taken to the cells.

“I’m fine,” I managed, my voice a low whisper as Darren looked me over. And thankfully, it was true; aside from some cuts and bruises from my run through the forest, I was unharmed. Although it could have been far worse if Darren hadn’t shown up at just the right moment.

Still, I couldn’t help but wonder about this ‘white wolf’ business. If my wolf was supposedly going to emerge during a time of great need, then why didn’t it emerge earlier? The fact that it didn’t made me feel helpless, hopeless.

Darren’s face darkened as he looked at me. “You can’t go out on your own anymore,” he said gruffly, his voice brooking no argument. “From now on, I don’t want you leaving my side.”

I swallowed another gulp of burning-hot tea, but didn’t argue. The idea of feeling like an invalid who needed to be watched at all times didn’t exactly fill me with joy, but I couldn’t deny the small spark of peace that flickered through me at the thought of being by Darren’s side.

But even though Tracy and her cohorts had been apprehended, there were still those in the pack who wished harm upon me.

And the sight of Charles’s hateful look as the council room doors swung shut was nothing short of proof of that.

…

Later that night, I slipped out of the bedroom and onto the small balcony overlooking the village. Darren was in the bathroom with Lucas, helping him with his bubble bath, and I needed to make a call.

Before I could stop myself, I quickly dialed Bella’s number and pressed the phone to my ear. She picked up after the fourth ring.

“Aria, oh my gosh,” she gushed immediately. “I had the craziest day at work. Are you free? I have to come over and tell you.”

I felt my heart sink a little. Nothing made me happier than the thought of spending the evening with my best friend, drinking wine and watching crappy television, but I couldn’t. “Actually, I’m not home,” I said.

There was a pause before she answered. “Oh. You’re not working late, are you?”

Even though she couldn’t see me, I shook my head. “No, um… Actually, I’m gonna be out of town for a month or two.”

“A month?! Or two?! Aria, what’s going on?”

I took a deep breath as I glanced around at the village below. The little houses were all glowing with golden light, fragrant smoke billowing out of chimneys. Somewhere, someone was playing a violin. It was… peaceful. If only I tried not to think about the fact that certain people here wanted to kill me.

“I’m… visiting Darren’s family,” I finally said, which was technically true.

“Ooh,” Bella cooed, and I could practically hear the smirk in her voice. “Taking things to the next step, huh? Where’s he from?”

“A small town in the middle of nowhere. Up north. You wouldn’t know it,” I replied a bit too quickly. I swallowed, then continued, “I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s the ‘next step’.”

Bella paused for a moment, clearly not believing me. “So you’re saying the relationship hasn’t gone further? And yet you’re spending months with his family?”

“I mean…” I glanced over my shoulder through the double doors leading into the bedroom. I could still hear Lucas’s giggles in the bathtub, mingling with the sound of Darren’s deep voice. Even now, after everything that had happened today, I couldn’t get the sensation of his lips off my skin.

Bella noticed my hesitation. “Oh my god, you two actually—”

“Yes,” I cut her off, my face reddening to an impossible shade of crimson. “But don’t make a big deal out of it, alright? It was just one time, and we weren’t… sober.” Again, technically true. But it still hurt not to be able to tell her everything.

She sighed. “Once is all it takes,” she replied. “And besides, being drunk doesn’t really change anything. You two have been obsessed with each other for ages now. So, when’s the wedding?”

“Bella…” I groaned.

Bella giggled. “I’m kidding. But really, you two should make it official. Personally, I think you two were meant for each other.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but no words would come out. Truthfully, she had a point. I… cared for Darren. We were mates. And I didn’t know exactly how he felt about everything, but I knew he had feelings for me, at least to some degree.

Still, it wasn’t that simple. But Bella didn’t know the full extent of it. And I couldn’t tell her.

After that, we shifted the subject to other things—Bella told me about her day, promised to walk Anna’s dog for me while I was gone, and I promised to fill her in once I got back, even though that felt like a big, fat lie.

But by the time I got off the phone, I was feeling marginally better. I stepped back into the bedroom, shivering a little, and turned to see Darren and Lucas snuggled up in bed. Darren had a picture book open in his lap, and Lucas was curled up in the crook of his arm, sounding out the words as he traced his little finger across the page.

The sight made my heart flutter in my chest. Even more so when Lucas and Darren both looked up at me with those mismatched eyes, and Lucas held his hand out to me.

“Mommy, come read with us.”

I hesitated, my fingers tightening around my phone. Bella’s words rang over and over again in my mind, and as I looked at Darren—wearing a flannel pajama shirt with his long raven hair loose around his shoulders—I began to realize that she was right.

Despite everything, we were fated mates. By some natural or supernatural power beyond my realm of understanding, we were meant for each other. I’d felt it clear as day when we had tangled up together in that cabin.

And maybe that was enough to prove that we belonged together. That we could make it work.

But right now, with Lucas around, I didn’t want to talk about it. I just wanted to curl up and read a story, and so I did.

With a soft smile, I climbed into bed and snuggled up next to Lucas, listening as he sounded out the words on the page.

As he read, I felt something warm touch my shoulder. I looked up to see that Darren had slipped his arm around me—around both of us—and tugged me ever so slightly closer.