Chapter 82

Aria

The moment we walked into the store, I could tell that I didn’t belong here. The racks of hiking boots smelled like expensive new leather, the shelves of puffy coats practically reeked of cash, and the few other customers who were browsing looked like they were planning month-long expeditions in the Arctic.

And then there was me. A human girl who had barely left the city in her entire life suddenly hiking off into werewolf territory.

I glanced down at my light jacket and skinny jeans, feeling wildly out of place in a store like this. And one look at a nearby thermal top, which cost over a hundred dollars, told me all I needed to know.

“Are you sure this is the right spot?” I asked Darren quietly, tugging on his sleeve. “This place looks… really expensive.”

Darren didn’t even glance at the price tags as he strode through the store, his broad shoulders practically cutting a path through the racks like he owned the place. “You need proper gear,” he said simply, turning to look at me over his shoulder.

“Yeah, but I don’t think I need anything this fancy,” I muttered, eyeing a pair of boots that looked like they cost more than my rent. And upon closer inspection, they actually did cost more than my rent. I shuddered just at the thought.

“You’re going to the pack lands with me,” he replied quietly, pausing by a display of heavy-duty winter parkas. He pulled one out and held it up to me without even looking at the price tag, but then shook his head and put it back. “The weather there is brutal for a human. If you’re not prepared, you’ll freeze. Besides, I’m paying.”

I flushed a little, shoving my hands into my pockets. Darren was a billionaire, but it still didn’t feel great to let him spend so much on me. “But I’m not sure how I feel about you spending this much money on me,” I protested. “I can just go to a department store—”

Before I could finish, Darren turned to face me fully, his mismatched eyes fixing on mine. “My Luna can’t get cold,” he said firmly, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

My cheeks burned at the word.

Luna.

Did he even realize what he was saying? Did he notice the way it sounded so… intimate coming from him, after all we had been through?

I ducked my head, trying to ignore the flutter in my chest. “Fine,” I mumbled. “But I’m picking out the cheapest stuff they have.”

He smirked slightly, clearly not taking me seriously. “We’ll see about that.”

I followed him reluctantly as he handed me a white, puffy parka that looked like it belonged on an Antarctic expedition. “Try this,” he said, practically shoving it into my hands.

The coat was enormous, the kind of thing that looked ridiculous on a mannequin and even worse on a person. I tugged it on over my sweater, the thick fabric swallowing me whole. When I looked in the mirror, I nearly laughed.

I looked like a big, fluffy marshmallow.

“This is ridiculous,” I said, holding my arms out to the sides. “I can barely even put my arms down.”

Darren turned to look at me, his eyes scanning me from head to toe. For a moment, his expression froze, his jaw tightening slightly as a faint pinkish tint spread across his cheeks and the tips of his ears.

He quickly averted his gaze, clearing his throat. “Is it warm?” he asked gruffly.

“It’s warm.” I frowned, turning back to the mirror. “But I feel like I belong on top of a cake.”

Shaking his head, he stepped closer, his fingers brushing the coat as he tugged it tighter around me. “It fits well,” he murmured, tugging me closer with it—so that I nearly stumbled against him—and zipping it up slowly. His fingers grazed against the warm skin of my throat as he zipped, and I shuddered slightly, my breath catching.

Our eyes met in the mirror, and for a moment, the air between us felt charged and thick, like static electricity before a lightning storm. Darren’s hand lingered on the zipper, his fingers barely brushing the fabric near my collar.

“I think it looks… cute on you,” he said. His voice was low and rough, like his throat was strained.

I felt my face go up in flames, my cheeks burning hot. It only hit me then that he had tugged me even closer as he made that last statement, and now we were standing close enough for the thick fabric of the coat to press up against his chest. His eyes were serious as he looked down at me, and even through the thick layers of down inside the coat, I could feel his heat emanating through to my body.

“O-Okay,” I stammered, cringing at how small my voice sounded. “I guess I’ll buy this one, then.”

He stepped back, his expression turning unreadable once more as he nodded. “Good choice.”

I quickly changed out of the coat, trying to ignore the lingering warmth of his touch on my skin. After that, we moved on to gloves, socks, and other winter accessories, and I tried to focus on the practicalities instead of the way Darren’s presence seemed to make my thoughts scatter.

As I was checking out a display of thick wool socks, I noticed Darren standing by a rack of skis across the store, his hand trailing over one of the sleek, polished surfaces. His expression was far away, almost wistful.

I walked over, my curiosity piqued. “Do you ski?” I asked, tilting my head as I studied him.

He glanced at me, his expression softening ever so slightly. “I used to,” he said. “A lot, actually. My sister and I would go all the time when we were younger. She loved it.”

The mention of his sister made my chest ache. I didn’t know much about her other than the story he’d told me about Lucas’s birth, but I knew enough to understand how deeply Darren still felt her absence.

“Do you ever think about teaching Lucas?” I asked gently. “I bet he would love it. It’s good exercise for a kid, and I’ve heard it’s best to start young.”

Darren’s expression darkened slightly, and he shook his head. “No. It’s far too dangerous,” he replied firmly.

“Dangerous?” I repeated, surprised. “But you said you used to do it all the time. And your sister loved it. Don’t you think she would want Lucas to give it a try in her honor?”

He stiffened, his gaze hardening. “It’s not the same.”

I hesitated, realizing I might have pushed a little too far. “I just meant… it might be a nice way to connect with him. And with her.”

Darren’s jaw tightened, and he turned away. “Let’s just focus on getting what you need,” he said curtly.

I nodded, biting my lip as I stepped back. I hadn’t meant to upset him, but it was clear that the subject was off-limits. We finished gathering the rest of the items quickly and headed to the checkout counter.

Darren insisted on paying for everything, not even giving me a chance to protest before he was handing his credit card over to the cashier. I watched in silent awe as the cashier rang up the total—an amount that could have easily funded my monthly expenses for three months—and Darren didn’t even blink.

“You didn’t have to do that,” I said quietly as we walked back to the car, the bags swinging in my hands.

He glanced at me, his expression softening slightly. “You needed it.”

I didn’t have a response for that, so I simply nodded, grateful but still slightly overwhelmed by the whole ordeal.

As we loaded the bags into the trunk, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out, frowning as I unlocked the screen. A notification from the dating app I had completely forgotten about popped up, the message preview catching my eye.

“Hey, Cinderella… is that you?”

My heart stopped in my chest as I saw the sender of the message—a handsome man with dark hair and piercing, ethereally beautiful green eyes.

William.