Chapter 36

Aria & Third Person

Aria

I couldn’t shake the image of those glowing eyes out of my mind.

Darren always had beautiful eyes, as did Lucas. I had always loved the appearance of heterochromia—such a unique trait in what I once thought was a mundane world. But seeing them glow like that… somehow, it unlocked a memory I’d almost completely forgotten.

I had seen those eyes before, or something very close to them. Years ago. In a barn, when I was just a child, frightened and alone.

At that time, even as a child, I had chalked it up to a trick of the light. There was no way my stray puppy’s eyes had glowed when he protected me from my abusive sister.

Now… I wasn’t so sure.

“Hey.” The sound of Lily’s voice snapped me back to the present. I lifted my head to see her eyes poking up from over her cubicle, her fresh nails—pink with little red hearts—gripping the felted partition. “You okay? You’ve been staring at that spot on your screen for a while now,” she chuckled.

I blinked, realizing that she was right. “Oh. I’m fine.” I rubbed my eyes and forced a tiny smile. “Just… tired today.”

Lily didn’t seem terribly convinced. Sometimes, I wondered if they could all smell it with their werewolf noses when I lied. “You’ve been acting weird since we got back from the park,” she said, cocking her head. “Did something happen?”

“No. Just tired, like I said.”

But I wasn’t tired. I was consumed—by those eyes, by that kiss, by the memories that were clawing their way back to the surface after years and years of not thinking about them.

“Well… If you need to talk about anything, I’m here,” Lily offered, shooting me a strange look before she disappeared back into her cubicle.

I bit my lip as I watched her go. I couldn’t tell her. Not any of it. If people found out that I’d been kissing our boss, then they might start questioning my place here, and then they might even figure out that I was his mate. All hell might break loose if that happened.

And although my fingers itched to text Bella, I couldn’t tell her, either. She still had no idea about werewolves, and I had to keep it that way.

As I sat there, I realized that the only person I could talk to was Darren. I couldn’t sit around stewing over this kiss or those eyes forever. Even one of his usual flippant responses would do—“I just slipped,” he might say. Or: “It was an accident. Hormones from the mate bond and all that.”

Anything, really, just to make me stop thinking about it.

My legs moved before my brain could decide not to. But when I reached his office, the door was locked. The lights were off, and Darren was nowhere to be found.

“He left early,” Liam’s voice startled me as he passed by. “Something came up unexpectedly. He won’t be back until next week, actually.”

Next week? My heart plummeted, sinking into the pit of my stomach. “Oh,” was all I managed to say. I probably should have been relieved that I wouldn’t have to look my boss in those strangely familiar eyes for an entire week after that unexpected kiss, but I was honestly just disappointed.

“He should have texted you,” Liam said, nodding toward my phone. “About Lucas.”

Right. Lucas. I fumbled for my phone, and sure enough, a new message from about half an hour ago flashed on the screen from Darren.

“Had to leave town unexpectedly. If you don’t mind, I’d like you to stay at my place until I return to look after Lucas. Liam will be coming and going so it’s best if you stay close.”

That was it. No mention of what had happened between us in that tent. No explanation as to why he had kissed me. No acknowledgment of any of it, like it had never even happened.

I stared at the message for a long moment, scratching my head. Did I imagine it? The kiss, the intensity, the way his eyes had burned through me as if he saw more than just the girl standing in front of him?

Maybe I had.

Either way, I wouldn’t be seeing him for a week.

I couldn’t seem to decide whether I was relieved or disappointed about that.

…

Third Person

Sarah’s mind whirled as she swiveled back and forth at her desk, lips pushed out in a not-so-subtle pout.

Thanks to Aria, she’d been relegated to the receptionist’s desk. Normally, she took pleasure in sauntering past that bitch at the front desk, Susan—the one with the red hair who was too tall and too skinny and too pretty for Sarah’s liking.

But now she had to spend the entire month working with her. And it was all Aria’s fault.

Today, though… Something had happened. That annoying little kid, Lucas, had tried to pet a mangy dog and had nearly gotten his hand bitten off for it.

Something was off with that kid, that much was for certain.

But more importantly, that moment had sparked an idea in Sarah’s mind. A way to finally get rid of Aria once and for all.

Lucas. That boy had something about him, something that set animals on edge. And if regular dogs couldn’t stand to be near him…

Sarah smiled to herself, a cruel smirk curling across her upper lip. She slipped her phone out and typed out a quick text to the one other person in this office who she knew would want to hear her little idea.

“Meet me in the copy room in 5.” The message was sent, and Sarah slid her phone into her pocket, stretching languidly before turning to Susan.

“I have to use the ladies’ room,” Sarah said.

Susan didn’t look up from her computer screen. “‘Kay,” was all she said, not even deigning to give Sarah a glance as she typed on her computer. Sarah made sure to stick her tongue out at the back of the bitch’s red head before she sauntered away.

Arthur arrived moments after Sarah had, the door to the copy room clicking shut behind him as he stepped inside. “What do you want?” he asked, not really making much of an effort to hide how much he disliked Sarah.

Sarah leaned against the counter, her arms crossing over her chest. “I saw something interesting today at the park,” she began, her voice dropping to a whisper. “Something we might be able to use.”

Arthur raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued. “What are you talking about?”

“That kid of Darren’s—Lucas,” she said, the name slipping off her tongue like venom. “Did you see how that dog nearly chewed his face off for no reason?”

Arthur’s expression shifted almost imperceptibly. “Yes,” he said slowly. “Why?”

Sarah smirked and checked her nails. “Seeing that dog go berserk like that… Well, it got me thinking,” she explained. “About ways to handle our little friend.”

As she spoke, she jerked her chin toward the window of the copying room. Even now, Aria was sitting in her cubicle, Lucas playing with blocks at her feet while she worked.

At that, Arthur’s eyebrows shot up with interest. Sarah knew fully well just how much he hated her adoptive older sister, how he would jump at any chance to see her get kicked out of this office. Arthur and Sarah weren’t exactly friends either, but they both wanted the same thing in that regard.

“Go on,” Arthur said, leaning against the nearby table. “I’m listening.”

“She’s in charge of this whole stupid playground idea. So I was thinking…”

Sarah’s eyes glinted with malice as she explained her plan—a foolproof way to make Aria look bad. Really bad. And all it would take was a little drop of something extra special to make it all happen. Aria would be viewed as incompetent, she’d lose her job, and Sarah’s little secret would be safe.

“Meet me in the lab tonight once everyone else is gone,” she said, her lips twisting cruelly. “And make sure to bring some of those free treats that we’ll be handing out at the event next week.”