#Chapter 174: Open Fire

Aria “Stop!” Darren held his hand up to halt the procession as those guns pointed at us. I felt suddenly sick, and couldn’t help but glance over my shoulder at the crowd of people behind us—humans and werewolves alike. They wouldn’t shoot, would they? Beside me, Darren tightened his grip on my fingers and called out to the police, “We come in peace.” There was a brief silence. Then: “This is your final warning,” called out a deep male voice through a megaphone. “Disperse immediately or we will open fire.” A murmur ran through our crowd—fear, outrage, disbelief. Open fire? We had been peaceful. We had even been joined by their own officers at one point. How could they still see us as a threat? Darren clenched his jaw and nodded toward the officer who was standing nearby, the same one who had started the wave earlier when he had removed his badge and joined us. He nodded and stepped forward. “My name is Officer Jones,” he said, addre