DARIAN POV
The “talk” with Stan went smoother than I expected.
I’d gone in braced for an argument, for fists slamming tables, for him maybe trying to test me one last time. Stan wasn’t just Sammy’s brother—he was a protector, a stubborn, prideful wolf. And I was asking for his sister, for her trust, for her whole life.
But maybe he already knew. Maybe he’d been watching me long enough to understand I wasn’t going anywhere, that I wasn’t like the other guys who’d sniffed around her. Or maybe he was just honest enough with himself to see what the Moon Goddess had already decided.
If She had chosen us—me and Sammy—who was Stan to say no?
Still, the weight of that conversation stuck with me as I left his office. My chest felt tight, my palms a little sweaty, my head buzzing. I hadn’t even
