Chapter 76

Darren

The wind rushed through my dark fur as I sprinted through the forest, the earthy scent of pine and damp soil filling my senses. Lucas bounded ahead of me, his smaller wolf form agile and quick as he weaved expertly between the trees.

In moments like these, I felt truly free—unburdened by the weight of titles, responsibilities, and the complexities of both the human world and the werewolf world.

Out here, under the canopy of the trees, I was just another creature of the wild. The way I was meant to be.

Lucas let out a playful yip, glancing back at me with those bright, mismatched eyes—so much like my sister’s eyes—before dashing off again.

I pushed forward and gave chase, the thrill of the hunt igniting something primal inside of me. We darted through the underbrush, leaping over fallen logs and skidding across the pine-needle-covered forest floor.

My heart pounded not from exertion but from the pure joy of existing in this untamed, wild state.

I wished it could be like this all the time. Sometimes, I almost considered just delegating my CEO responsibilities to my Beta and returning to the pack lands full-time. Or maybe not even returning to the pack lands, but taking to the road with Lucas by my side, fully giving in to our primal nature.

Other wolves had done it before—left behind their human forms and fully succumbed to the call of the wild. We could live off the land, survive in our truest forms.

But I couldn’t do that, not really. The thought was tempting, sure, but there was too much holding me to the material world. Lately, I couldn’t even bring myself to leave the human world for an extended period of time.

The very idea of leaving the human city for too long felt... wrong. Like I was abandoning something—or rather, someone—crucial. I couldn’t just up and leave. And it had very little to do with Lunar Labs.

I slowed my pace, allowing Lucas to put some distance between us. Memories of my last conversation with Aria flooded back. The disappointment in her eyes, the hurt etched into her face.

She was right; I had been selfish, prioritizing my ambitions over her well-being. The Alpha King election seemed insignificant when it was weighed against the pain that I was causing her.

Aria had saved my life as children, and I had spent decades trying to figure out how to find her and make it up to her. And now that I had finally found her, I had tried to make it up to her—with money, stability, a good job.

But I hadn’t made it up to her. Not really.

If anything, I just added to her emotional turmoil. Maybe offering her money wasn’t everything.

Maybe it was time to tell the pack about us, even if it meant losing the election. After all, I wouldn’t even be alive if it weren’t for her and her kindness. It was only fair, right?

No one could hurt her as my Luna. I could keep her safe, and we…

Well, I didn’t want to entertain the idea of us being together like that. But I’d be a liar if I said it hadn’t crossed my mind on numerous occasions.

Lucas noticed I had fallen behind and trotted back to me, his tongue lolling out of his mouth. He shifted back into his boy form as he approached, grinning. I shifted back as well, a little breathless but exhilarated after all that exercise.

“That was fun!” Lucas exclaimed, skipping up to me and grabbing my hand. “You almost caught me this time.”

I chuckled. “You’re getting too fast for me, kiddo.”

He grinned, but then his expression turned contemplative as we made our way back to the elevator. “Daddy?” he asked, cocking his head up at me.

“Yes?”

“Are you and Aria going to get married soon?”

I blinked, caught off guard. I wasn’t expecting that sort of question; not from him, at least. He was only five, after all, and marriage wasn’t a concept he even really knew about yet. “What makes you ask that?”

He shrugged, avoiding my gaze. “I just thought... since you’re mates and all…”

My heart skipped a beat. “Lucas, where did you hear about mates?”

He looked up, his eyes earnest. “Liam told me a little. He said when a werewolf finds their mate, they fall in love and stay together forever. And I heard you say once that Aria is your mate.”

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “It’s... not that simple, buddy.”

“But why not?” he pressed. “Don’t you like Aria?”

My breath hitched a little, and I looked away, clenching my teeth for a moment. I couldn’t lie to him—couldn’t even really lie to myself anymore. “Of course I do,” I said softly. “But sometimes grown-up things are complicated.”

He frowned. “But if she’s your mate, shouldn’t it be easy?”

Dammit, I thought. He’s growing up too fast. Sighing, I crouched down to his level. “Lucas, relationships—especially ones like this—can be tricky. There are things you don’t understand yet. But you’ll understand when you get older.”

He crossed his arms, that familiar stubborn glint forming in his eye. He really did look just like his mother, more and more every day. “I understand more than you think,” he huffed.

I opened my mouth to respond, but the buzz of my phone cut me off. Glancing at the screen, I saw Liam’s name flashing.

“Hold on a second,” I told Lucas, answering the call. “Liam. Everything okay?”

“You need to see this,” Liam said without preamble.

“See what?”

“I’m sending you a file. It’s a video that's making the rounds. Thought you would want to know.”

A sinking feeling settled in my stomach. “What kind of video?”

“Just check your messages.”

I hung up and quickly opened the file he had sent. A moment later, shaky footage of a dimly lit bar popped up on a screen—the bar where Brandon’s birthday party was being held tonight. Aria was standing toe-to-toe with Lily, swaying slightly where she stood, her green eyes glazed over.

She was clearly intoxicated.

“You always act like you’re better than me!” Aria slurred, pointing a finger at Lily. “But you’re just... you’re just jealous!”

“Jealous?” Lily snapped back, her eyes flashing dangerously. “Of what? Your manipulation tactics?”

Cursing under my breath, I quickly shut my phone off before Lucas could see the footage and stood. I scooped him up, ignoring his protests, and got him settled in the apartment with Liam. And then I was off.

I drove faster than was legal, weaving through traffic with only one thing on my mind. My thoughts raced even quicker. How had things escalated so quickly? Aria was normally so composed. Something must have happened.

This wasn’t good. I had to get there before it got even worse. Before one of them said or did something that they would regret.

The bar came into view, its neon sign flickering in the night sky. I came to a screeching stop in the parking lot, not even parking in an actual space, and rushed inside, the thrum of loud music and the scent of alcohol immediately assaulting my senses.

Scanning the crowd, I spotted them—Aria and Lily—at the center of a small circle of Lunar Labs employees. Aria’s cheeks were flushed, her legs wobbly as she faced off against Lily.

“You think I don’t notice the way you look at me?” Aria shouted. “Like I’m some kind of intruder!”

“Maybe because you are,” Lily retorted coldly. “You’ve been nothing but trouble since you got here.”

“That’s not true, and you know it,” Aria protested, her voice cracking. “We used to be friends!”

“That was before I realized that you just want a ticket to an easy life!” Lily called out, lightly shoving against Aria’s shoulder. “You’re just taking advantage of the fact that Alpha Darren is your… your…”

My eyes widened. I shoved forward, my heart pounding in my chest, and reached for them before Lily could say it.

But it was too late. The word slipped out before I could reach them.

“Mate!”

A hush fell over the others. Every face turned toward me, eyes wide with shock.

So this was it. This was how the truth came out.