#Chapter 117: Found Family

Aria It was time to leave the pack lands. It was time to return to the human world. It was time to go home—to the only home I had never known, anyway. Darren stood beside me, his hand resting lightly on the small of my back as we prepared to say our goodbyes. Lucas was standing a few paces away, surrounded by other werewolf pups he had grown close to during our time in the pack lands. He was hugging each of them tightly, promising to visit soon. My heart twisted at the sight. He’d found a sense of belonging here, a connection to his heritage that he’d never known in the human world. And now, we were taking him away from it. For now, anyway. “He’ll be back,” Darren murmured, his voice low and reassuring, as if he could sense my unease. “This isn’t goodbye forever, you know.” I nodded, swallowing the hard lump that had suddenly formed in my throat. “I know. It’s just… hard.” Darren’s hand tightened briefly on my back, a silent promise