Chapter 120

Aria

Over the following weeks, Darren and I poured our energy into planning the first human and shifter event in the city. It was somehow a lot more work than I expected, and that was saying something, considering that I had expected it to be stressful.

Bridging two worlds, one of whom had been in hiding for generations, the other blissfully unaware, was no easy feat. But thanks to the help of our friends and the five other packs who pledged their help—particularly Alfira, Kael, and Mira, as well as William—it was doable.

So, we spent our days and nights throughout the weeks allocating funds from Lunar Labs, organizing committees, and setting up the venue itself. Darren and I spent many nights awake, wired on too much caffeine and a whole lot of willpower, working until the sun rose.

But eventually, the preparations for our first event were completed.

The event was scheduled for this coming weekend, and with every detail finalized—the guest list, the venue, the security protocols—my excitement turned from a seed into a small green sprout. The future was still tentative, but this was a start.

I just hoped it would be a good one.

But even with all that momentum, life had a way of reminding me that I needed to slow down and breathe. Smell the roses, so to speak.

One crisp morning, I decided to do something simple, something normal: walk my elderly neighbor’s dachshund, Morty.

It had been a while since I’d done it. Life had gotten complicated, but I missed my old routine. I never planned on stopping my dog walking gigs, but I suppose I just… forgot.

I knocked softly on Anna’s door, and she greeted me with her usual warm smile and a bag of cookies for me to munch on. Morty trotted over, his tongue lolling out happily. I grinned and crouched down, holding my arms out.

But the moment he caught my scent, everything changed.

A low growl rumbled from his tiny chest, his body shrinking back, ears pinned flat against his head. He bared his teeth, trembling with something more than fear—primal instinct, maybe. I felt a knot form in my chest.

“Hey, Morty. It’s me, Aria. Remember?”

But he didn’t. Not in the way that mattered, at least. His eyes seemed to look at me as if I were a predator, not the nice lady next door who took him to the park.

He knew. He knew I wasn’t… human.

He could smell my wolf, and he didn’t like it.

“I’m so sorry, dear. I think… maybe it’s best if we try again another time,” Anna said slowly, cautiously. I knew that she knew the truth about my werewolf heritage now, and although she was the last person I ever expected to turn on me for something like that, I could see the distrust in her eyes.

As if she thought I might open my jaws and eat her dog alive, whether I meant to or not.

Her words were kind, but they still cut deep. I forced a smile, nodded, and left before my throat tightened any further. The walk back to my apartment felt longer than it should have.

That evening, Darren and I had planned a cozy date night at my place. The apartment felt both comforting and cramped, filled with little pieces of an old life of mine that now felt distant. I’d spent so much time lately at the Lunar Labs building, sleeping in Darren’s apartment during our late nights, that I’d barely even been in my old apartment in over a week.

It felt… strange. But soon we had settled on the couch, takeout food containers balanced precariously on our knees as the flickering glow of the TV cast shadows across the room.

But I could barely eat. I kept picking at my food, my mind constantly replaying this morning.

“Something happen today?” Darren asked softly, his eyes cutting to me between bites.

I hesitated, then set my fork down. “Yeah. I went to walk Morty today. My neighbor’s dog.”

Darren nodded, waiting for me to finish, although I could tell he knew how the outcome of this story was going to go before I even said it.

“He was terrified of me,” I admitted. “Growling, cowering like I was a threat. I mean, I get it. I… I’m different now. But dog walking used to be one of my favorite things, you know? It was simple. Easy. And now it… isn’t.”

Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes before I could stop them. I looked away, embarrassed by how much something this small was hurting me.

Darren shifted closer, his arm sliding around my shoulders. He pulled me against his chest before saying anything.

“I’m sorry, Aria,” he murmured. “It’s not your fault. It’s just… a thing. A lot of regular dogs react that way to werewolves. It’s our scent. There’s not much we can do about it.”

I sighed, recalling all too well the way the dogs I’d been walking that day I’d met Darren for a second time at the park had cowered when Lucas appeared. I was preaching to the choir here.

“I just wish there was a way to… shut off my scent for a little while,” I mused. “You know, like a pill or something I could take to hide my scent, just for a bit. Just so I can still enjoy playing with dogs.”

Darren didn’t answer that. But he looked thoughtful, the way he did when we were strategizing for Lunar Labs. His brow furrowed slightly, his eyes going distant. Finally, we returned to our meals. I felt a little better after venting to him.

As the night wore on, Darren kept glancing around my small apartment. The mismatched furniture, the framed photos from a life before I knew what it meant to be a Luna. He shifted on the sofa beside me, his expression softening.

“Aria,” he began gently, “have you thought about moving in with me? With Lucas and me, I mean.”

The question hit me harder than I expected. Not because I didn’t want to live with Darren—the idea of waking up next to him and cooking breakfast for Lucas every day was a dream.

But moving in wasn’t just about sharing a space. It was about leaving this one behind. Stepping fully into a life that no longer had room for who I used to be.

And that was exactly why he had asked. Because the dog walking incident was just proof that my old life might not be… a good fit for me anymore.

Still, I stared at him, and my heart twisted as I said, “I… I don’t know if I’m ready for that.”

I thought I might have hurt him, but to my surprise, Darren reached for my hand, his thumb brushing over my knuckles. “That’s okay. You don’t have to decide right now. I’ll stand by you no matter what you choose.”

The words made me let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. I rested my head on his shoulder, letting the steady beat of his heart anchor me.

“Thank you,” I murmured.

He kissed the top of my head and pulled me closer, down onto the cushions of the sofa. Then, with a swift movement, he tugged the blanket over us for warmth.

I fell asleep like that, soothed by the beating of my mate’s heart. And not once all night did he let me go.