Chapter 134

Aria

Darren and I quickly gathered the necessary materials to complete the permit forms. Everything was in order, it seemed, and we sent the forms to the precinct as per the chief’s request.

After that, all we had left to do was wait. However, not to be deterred by the monster known as bureaucracy, we quickly moved on to the next step of our campaign—which was filming the documentary back in the pack lands.

We weren’t supposed to start filming for another month, but since we couldn’t continue with our charity drives for the time being, we figured that getting ahead on the documentary was the next best step. When we contacted Luna Alfira and asked for her help, she happily obliged, agreeing to meet us in Moonglow pack lands.

And so, bright and early on a Saturday morning, Darren and I made our way to the pack lands. Lucas, much to his chagrin, stayed behind with Liam and Bella. But a promise from Bella that they would play board games until Lucas was blue in the face seemed to satisfy him enough to let us go without him for a few days.

The trip to the pack lands was far quicker now that I had my wolf form. Darren and I shifted as soon as we stepped into the cool forest, the gentle breeze ruffling our fur.

My wolf was instantly overcome with relief, grateful for another escape from the city—which was becoming more stifling as of late, seeing as how the protests had begun ramping up even more following the fight in the park.

Darren and I gave in to our more primal sides as we made our way to the pack lands, running and playing in the forest. The snow had almost entirely melted by now, vibrant blossoms swaying in the spring air.

By the time we arrived, Alfira was waiting for us by the border, her small film crew standing beside her. She grinned and gave each of us a hug as we approached.

“I’m so glad you two are okay,” she said, squeezing me extra tight. “I keep hearing such awful things about all those protests. But Darren, your speech was very insightful.”

I glanced at Darren, who had just given a speech in front of the press yesterday. He’d addressed the protests, calling for both humans and werewolves to exercise peace and unity.

Right now, I didn’t feel as if it would help much. If anything, our call for peace just seemed to anger people even more. The humans felt we were virtue signalling and hiding our true motives, and the werewolves felt we were being too gentle on the humans.

Alfira, noticing our hesitation, sighed gently. “I can tell you two would rather think about other things right now. How about we take some b-roll footage here?”

Darren and I happily agreed, and Alfira and her crew got to work filming some footage of the surrounding nature for the documentary. By the time they were finished, the sun was beginning to climb high in the sky, so we made our way into the village.

When we arrived, we were surprised to find Wendy standing on the doorstep of the pack house with an unfamiliar man beside her. He had long, ashy blond hair that was pulled back into a low bun at the nape of his neck, and looked to be around my age.

“Alpha Darren,” the man said as we approached, nodding his head politely. “Luna Aria. I’m from Shadowclan pack.”

Darren and I froze, surprised. This man definitely wasn’t the Alpha we had written that letter to, and yet when we looked at Wendy, she just nodded in support.

“Come in,” Darren said, leaving Alfira to get started setting up to shoot more footage in the village square. “We can talk somewhere more private.”

We headed into the pack house, where Darren led the man to the study on the first floor. Wendy offered me a warm squeeze as I brushed past, and I kissed her on the cheek before closing the study door behind us.

Darren gestured for the man to sit, and he did.

“Did the Alpha receive our letter?” Darren asked.

The man nodded. “Yes, Alpha Arthur did receive your letter. He sends his apologies for not being able to visit himself, but he sent me, the official pack emissary, in his stead.”

“And?” Darren asked.

I wrung my hands slightly behind my back, waiting with bated breath. The emissary shifted in his seat.

“Alpha Arthur said he will send twelve Shadowclan warriors to help protect your borders,” he said, and I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding until then. “They are highly skilled warriors—I assure you, you will feel quite safe with them around.”

Darren and I looked at each other with relief. “Did he say anything else?” Darren asked.

The emissary nodded. “Alpha Arthur has been keeping an eye on your moves in the human world, albeit from a distance and with a skeptical eye,” he said. “He is… intrigued by your efforts. But also concerned by the protests.”

“We all are,” I chimed in quietly.

The emissary glanced at me. “Rightfully so, I’m afraid. It seems these protesters are growing more and more in numbers by the day. The possibility of humans locating and storming the pack lands hasn’t been this high in many generations.”

Darren and I knew that, of course. We spent many nights awake, discussing those very concerns.

“However,” the emissary went on, “Alpha Arthur also sees the value in your efforts to bring unity. He—and many in our pack—believe that it’s time for change. That is why he has proposed a pact; should your pack lands be in danger of invasion, he will join you in fighting off the intruders. All he asks in return is for you to do the same should Shadowclan territory be in danger.”

Darren blinked. “But our warriors aren’t nearly as skilled as yours. And our pack is hardly even a quarter of the size.”

The emissary smiled slightly. “Alpha Arthur believes you show great promise, Alpha Darren. He believes you would make a valuable ally, regardless of the size of your pack.”

For a moment, Darren and I were silent, stunned by such a generous offer. Finally, Darren stood and shook the emissary’s hand, asking him to send word back to his Alpha that we accepted the offer and were incredibly grateful for the support.

Our spirits were much higher after that. Much higher. And over the next few days, between filming and simply visiting our people, hardly a minute went by that we didn’t smile.

Eventually, Alfira got all the footage she needed for an hour-long documentary showcasing our pack’s traditions. She held interviews with all of the pack’s artisans, toured the village, and we even took her hiking through the local wilderness to show off the unique flora and fauna.

We finally parted ways, Alfira promising to get right to work on editing the footage together. She left a little sooner than us, and we remained behind for another two days to handle some pack matters—we held a town hall with the pack members, checked on the food bank, school, hospital, and other necessary institutions, and met with various elders to discuss the future of the pack. All was well.

By the morning of the third day after Alfira’s departure, I was looking forward to getting back to Lucas. Darren and I said our goodbyes, knowing that we would be back soon enough.

We started our hike in a lazy fashion, holding hands and chatting as we meandered through the now-familiar trails. We even took a detour through the nearby forest, just to enjoy some more fresh air before we returned to the city.

It was as we were rounding a bend in the forest trail that I saw it.

A pale, almost blueish hand sticking out from behind a tree.

I gasped, rushing forward with Darren on my heels. We skidded around the tree, and…

I vomited before I could stop myself, not just from the stench of rot and decay, but the sight of it.

A human hiker was laying on the forest floor, dead, with his face and throat ripped to shreds as if he’d been slashed by claws.