Chapter 180

Aria

A year had passed since Darren and I signed that treaty, and life had settled into something sweet, even with all its ups and downs.

The scars on my chest had faded to thin white lines, and Darren’s wound was just a memory beneath his shirt. We’d become godparents to Bella and Liam’s little boy, a squirming bundle named Theo who had Bella’s big brown eyes and both of their stubborn streaks.

Lunar Labs stood rebuilt in the human city, no longer a tech hub but a werewolf embassy, its doors open for charity benefits—food drives for humans, clothing swaps for werewolf families, a place where both worlds met.

We split our time between the pack lands and the city, running through the forest one day, grabbing coffee downtown the next. Our traditions wove together seamlessly now, a balance we’d fought hard to earn.

Today was a big day—Lucas’s first day of human school. First grade. I’d barely slept the night before, fussing over his backpack, double-checking his lunchbox, wondering if he’d be okay out there without us. Darren had laughed, pulling me into bed with promises that Lucas was tougher than I gave him credit for.

Still, my stomach churned as we pulled up to the school that afternoon, the parking lot buzzing with parents and kids spilling out the front doors.

Lucas burst through the crowd, his chestnut hair a mess, his backpack bouncing against his shoulders. He spotted us and ran over, grinning so wide I could see the gap where he’d lost a tooth last week.

Darren scooped him up before he could crash into my legs, swinging him onto his shoulders with one arm.

“How was it, buddy?” Darren asked, steadying him as Lucas squirmed on his shoulders.

“It was awesome!” Lucas said. “We did art, and I made a picture of our pack house, and Ms. Carter said it was really good! And then at recess, I played tag with this kid named Max—he’s super fast, but I’m faster ‘cuz I’m a wolf—and we learned about numbers, and I already knew most of it since Great-Grandma Wendy taught me!”

I laughed, reaching up to ruffle his hair. “Sounds like you had a blast. Did you make any other friends?”

“Yeah, a bunch!” He leaned down, nearly toppling off Darren’s shoulders. “There’s this girl, Sophie, who has a pet lizard, and she said I could come see it sometime. Can I, Mommy? Please?”

“We’ll see,” I said, grinning at his excitement. “As long as it doesn’t try to eat you.”

Darren set him down, and Lucas grabbed my hand, still chattering as we headed to the car. “And lunch was great—thanks for the sandwich, Daddy—but Max traded me half his cookie, and it had chocolate chips, and I think I want those next time.”

“Deal,” Darren said, unlocking the car. “Chocolate chip cookies it is.”

We piled in, Lucas’s energy boundless as ever as he recounted every little detail—how the classroom smelled like crayons, how the teacher let them pick their own seats, how he’d tripped over a rug but played it off like it didn’t hurt even though he’d scraped his knee.

I listened, my chest loosening with every word. He was okay. More than okay—he was thriving.

As we drove, Darren reached over and squeezed my hand, his silver wedding band catching the sunlight through the windshield. I glanced at him, catching the soft curve of his mouth, and something warm settled in my gut. We’d made it here—through gas and bullets, through marches and rubble—to this quiet, perfect moment.

Not long after, we pulled up to our new house in the human city—a modest two-story with a porch and a yard, close enough to Lunar Labs to walk. There was a park next door, and plenty of other families on the block so Lucas could play with the other kids. Since we were splitting our time between the pack lands and the human city, now sporting honorary dual citizenships granted by the president himself, we wanted to make sure Lucas really could have the best of both worlds.

No sooner had Darren parked than Lucas was already bolting out of the car, shouting about putting his art project on the fridge.

The front door swung open before I could touch the knob, and a chorus of “Surprise!” hit me like a wall.

I stumbled back, nearly tripping over Darren, who steadied me with a hand on my waist. Inside, the living room was packed—Bella, Liam, Wendy, Alfira, Dr. Edward, Lily, Melissa, Brandon, even a few pack members from the lands.

Banners hung across the walls, pink and white, with “Congratulations” written in bold letters. Streamers dangled from the ceiling, and our dining room table was lost under piles of gifts wrapped in pastel paper.

“What the hell?” I managed, my jaw dropping as Bella rushed forward with Theo balanced on her hip.

“Surprise, you idiot!” she said, grinning as she pulled me into a hug. Theo giggled, grabbing at my hair. “Did you really think we’d let this slide?”

“Let what slide?” I asked, still dazed. Darren stepped up beside me, looking just as confused.

Wendy approached next, her silver hair pulled back, a knowing smile on her face. “You’ve been glowing lately, Aria. Didn’t think we’d notice?”

My stomach flipped, and I glanced at Darren, who couldn’t contain his grin anymore. I couldn’t, either. We’d been hiding it for weeks, wanting to wait until just the right time, and yet…

“Alright,” I said, my shoulders slumping. “You’re all right. I’m—”

“Pregnant,” Liam finished for me, clapping Darren on the shoulder. “Congrats, you two. Bella figured it out weeks ago—said you were eating weird stuff and napping all the time.”

I blinked, my face heating up. “I—what? How did you—”

“I may have caught you sneaking pickles and ice cream last week,” Bella said, smirking. “Classic sign. Plus, you’ve been exhausted. But I may have had the information confirmed by an… outside source.”

Dr. Edward stepped forward then, looking sheepish. He was the only one who knew for certain—he was the one who had confirmed it for us initially, who had shown us the first ultrasound.

“You sly bastard,” Darren breathed.

Dr. Edward scratched his head and looked at me. “Your human friend is scary. I was worried I might not make it out alive if I didn’t tell her.”

I snorted. “Trust me, we know.”

Darren wrapped his arm around my waist and tugged me close. “We’re thinking of naming her Emilia if it’s a girl,” he said.

With wide eyes, Wendy looked at me. Tears pricked my eyes, and I nodded against his shoulder. “Yeah. Emilia. After Darren’s sister.”

“And my mom!” Lucas added.

The room erupted into cheers. Wendy surged forward and hugged us both, pulling us into her arms. Darren leaned into her, and I inhaled her familiar scent, her silver hair tickling my nose.

“She would be so happy,” Wendy whispered. When she pulled back to look at me, there were tears in her eyes, but a smile on her face. With that, she gently pulled herself away and began bustling around the room in her typical fashion, doling out plates of food and drinks.

We settled into the chaos, friends and family filling the space with laughter and chatter. Darren stayed close, his arm around my shoulders, Lucas perched on his lap with a smear of frosting on his cheek. I leaned into Darren, my hand resting on my stomach again, feeling that flutter that had been there for weeks.

Emilia. Our little girl. I knew it in my bones, somehow, that it was girl, even though the pregnancy was still so early on. And the thought made my heart soar.

A year ago, the very thought of having a baby filled me with dread and fear. I’d never considered myself to be mother material, always too sullen and broken to properly raise a child. But something had changed in me when I had held Bella’s hand during labor, and Darren and I had begun secretly trying after that.

And now, I couldn’t have been happier. The road ahead was terrifying, maybe even more terrifying than all of the turmoil we had endured to get here, but it was an exciting one—filled with love, family, and hope.

Suddenly, Darren pressed a kiss to my temple, pulling me out of my deep train of thought. I met his gaze, seeing those mismatched eyes flicker faintly with that otherworldly glow. For a moment, just a moment, I saw the eyes of that wolf pup in the sunlit barn, my oldest and truest friend.

Gently, he leaned down and brushed his lips against mine. And as the sound of happy chaos surrounded us, I decided that I would happily go through hell all over again just to wind up here.