Chapter 143

Aria

The footage playing on Darren’s laptop made my stomach churn. Lunar Labs had been reduced to smoldering ruins. The lab equipment was smashed, documents scattered and burned, walls blackened by fire.

But worst of all were the messages spray-painted across what remained of the walls: “WOLF KILLERS,” “ANIMALS, NOT PEOPLE,” “DEATH TO MOON FREAKS.”

I had to look away just to keep my tears from spilling over. Beside me, Darren’s jaw was clenched as he watched the camera pan across the destruction.

“Turn it off,” I whispered. “I can’t watch anymore.”

Darren closed the laptop, his knuckles white as he gripped the edge of the table. “This is just the beginning,” he growled. “The riots have spread throughout the city. At least twelve werewolves and seven humans were seriously injured overnight.”

“Because of us,” I said, feeling sick. “Because we’re protecting Alfira.”

“Because people would rather believe a lie than seek the truth,” Darren corrected.

He picked up his phone and scrolled through news alerts, his face growing dark. “And the fucking police chief gave a statement this morning. He’s labeled Alfira an enemy of the state and accused us of harboring a terrorist.”

My blood ran cold. “He didn’t even look at the evidence we sent, did he?”

“I think he chose to ignore it,” Darren muttered, tossing his phone onto the table. “Bastard.”

I glanced down at the screen, where the news played clips of Bella’s father standing in front of a crowd of reporters. He condemned Alfira, condemned us, condemned all werewolves by association.

Just then, my phone buzzed with an incoming call—Bella. I answered immediately.

“Are you okay?” I asked, my heart racing. “Any fresh news?”

“I’m fine,” she assured me, but she sounded exhausted. “William and I are at the shelter downtown right now. There are so many injured people, Aria—humans and werewolves alike. The hospitals are overwhelmed, so volunteers are setting up anywhere we can.”

“You need to get out of the city,” I said firmly. “Come to the pack lands. You and William. It’s not safe for you there.”

“I can’t just leave,” Bella replied with a huff. “There are barely enough volunteers as it is. Some have already quit out of fear. Every pair of hands is needed.”

“Bella—”

“I know you’re worried,” she cut me off. “But they need help. Many of them are human, just like me. I can’t turn my back on my own people.”

I felt a pang of guilt in my chest, struck by her words. She was right, of course. People were suffering. Werewolves and humans. And here we were, safe behind the borders of Moonglow territory—a sovereign nation now, apparently—while the city burned.

That was when an idea hit me, so obvious I wondered why I hadn’t thought of it sooner.

“What if we brought them here?” I blurted out.

Darren looked up, his brow furrowed. “What?”

“The injured, the displaced—anyone who needs shelter,” I explained. “We could offer sanctuary to humans and werewolves alike. Bella and William could lead them here.”

“Aria, that’s a major decision,” Darren warned. “The pack has only just begun to accept humans. It could take decades for them to trust humans enough to let humans they don’t even know live here.”

“But we don’t have decades,” I insisted. “Besides, isn’t that what your sister always wanted? Cooperation between humans and werewolves?”

The mention of Emilia made Darren’s face darken. “It could also be dangerous. We don’t know these people. Some of them might even be the same ones who were protesting against us.”

“Or they might be innocent victims who just need help,” I argued. “We shouldn’t let fear dictate our actions, otherwise we’ll be doing exactly what the human authorities are doing.”

Darren ran a hand through his hair as he considered my words. I could tell he was torn between his Alpha duty to protect his pack versus the understanding that these people genuinely needed help.

“Bella,” I finally said into the phone, “what do you think? Would you consider leading refugees here?”

My friend paused for a few long moments before she answered slowly. “It would be a huge help, actually. There are people who lost their homes during the riots and have nowhere to go. Plus, it would free up space in the shelters.”

I turned to Darren, placing my hands on my hips. He met my gaze and sighed. “We’ll have to call a pack meeting tonight. If the pack agrees, then I’ll allow it.”

That night, the pack gathered in the council chamber, bodies filling every available space. Darren and I took our seats amongst the elders behind the panel at the front. The elders weren’t exactly thrilled over the idea of allowing refugees into our borders, humans no less, but they were willing to do it if the pack had a majority vote.

When Darren stood to address the crowd, a hush fell over the room. He explained the situation in the city, the violence that had erupted, and finally, our proposal to offer sanctuary to those affected—human and werewolf alike.

The reaction was immediate. Some voices rose in support, but many more shouted in protest and even outrage. One older werewolf stood up from his seat.

“You want to bring humans here? After everything they’ve done to us? They burned down Lunar Labs! They’re hunting our kind in the streets!”

Murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd.

“Some humans did those things,” Darren acknowledged. “Not all of them. Just as not all werewolves are the same. We can’t condemn an entire species for the actions of a few.”

Another pack member stood up then, a young woman. “How do we know they won’t turn on us once they’re here? How can we trust them?”

“Don’t forget that when I first came to Moonglow,” I said, “many of you weren’t sure about me. A human woman, suddenly living among you, involved with your Alpha. You were wary, and rightfully so.”

I scanned the faces in the crowd, seeing recognition in many of them.

“But you gave me a chance to prove myself,” I continued. “You didn’t judge me based on what other humans had done. You judged me on my own actions. All I’m asking is that we extend that same courtesy to others who need our help right now.”

Another werewolf scoffed. “But you’re a werewolf now,” he said. “It’s… different.”

I leveled him with a stern gaze. “Is it really, though? I don’t think it is. I think that, even if I wasn’t a werewolf, you would have still seen my genuine actions and changed your perception of me.”

The man fell silent.

“These people are scared, hurt, and homeless because of this conflict,” Darren added. “They aren’t the ones painting hateful messages or starting fires. They’re the ones caught in the middle. If we turn our backs on them now, how are we any better than those who refuse to see us as equals?”

Suddenly, Wendy stood.

“My granddaughter believed in a world where humans and werewolves could live together in peace,” she said, turning to address the crowd. “She loved a human, and died holding onto her love for him. You all knew Emilia—you all loved her as much as I did.”

The wolves looked at each other, some eyes filling with tears while others bowed their heads. Wendy went on, “If we refuse to help those in need, then we dishonor her memory.”

Her words seemed to shift something in the room. When Darren finally called for a vote, the majority of hands raised in favor of opening our borders—temporarily, with conditions, but open nonetheless.

As the meeting dispersed, Wendy approached us. “I’ll write to Arthur and the other Alphas,” she said. “If Moonglow leads, perhaps Shadowclan and the others will follow.”

The next few days passed all too quickly. We converted the village square into a makeshift shelter with tents and temporary structures, set up a medical station outside the pack house, and organized teams to handle food, security, and intake processing.

On the fourth day, Bella called to say they were on their way. Liam went to meet them, and together with her and William, they led the refugees to the pack lands.

Darren, Lucas, Wendy and I stood at the border as the group approached. My heart raced as we waited, my palms sweating. I hoped this was the right thing to do. I hoped it would help, even if only a little.

As the group drew closer, their tired and wary faces coming into view, Darren and I stepped forward. Bella rushed through the crowd when she saw me, throwing her arms around me. She looked paler than the last time I’d seen her, and skinnier, too, but she was alive and well and that was what mattered.

When we pulled apart, her eyes were shining with tears. “They’re afraid,” she whispered, “but I think this is going to be a good thing.”

I nodded and moved toward the huddled group with Darren. There weren’t as many people as I expected, many of them women and children, but it felt like a start. I smiled as I approached, hoping to convey all the warmth and reassurance I could muster.

“Welcome to Moonglow pack,” I said, gesturing to the bustling village behind us.