I had been busy in the office all morning, having thankfully managed to avoid both of my parents by an early rising this morning, and grabbing breakfast in the packhouse dining room. The downside to that meant so many pack members decided to see this as an opportunity to make conversation with me, all seeming to want updates on my mate. Especially after many had seen us spending time yesterday. To them, that was a sign of positivity. A sign she was on the mend and that all was good. They wanted an update on their Beta mate...In truth, being faced with so many questions and no real answers as of yet was probably harder than it would have been to deal with my parents. Maybe staying at home for breakfast was the better option after all, because right now it hurt not to be able to answer my pack. And to see them so happy and excited about the prospect that my mate was healing… little did they know she had never felt further from me.It had not taken long until my mind could take no more
I had stepped from the shower, warm and refreshed once again. And in some new pajamas. My hair was braided by the lovely nurse who seemed to enjoy her time with me, and was frequently offering to sit with me to brush my hair, or simply sit and keep me company. It was something I think I may be more willing to accept in the future…“Ah, you look so much better, dear.” She smiled at me from the side of my bed as I sat myself down upon it, finding myself tired after the shower. I was finding that standing did seem to take it out of me more than I expected, so after a shower I often needed to rest, as ridiculous as that may seem.“Just tired now.” I smiled in response.“Aww, you always are, right?” she tickled at my toes. “If I could lend you my wolf I would. Give you a little boost.” She winked at me, and I found myself chuckling.“I could sure do with a boost. Maybe she could mak
Aria is there. So close. In front of me. And her scent is taking over my senses. My mind is in a spin. It is taking all my strength to stop myself placing my lips on hers... kiss her the in the way I have so desperately missed. Maybe to find the mark I created to make her my own... In truth, I am not sure what happened. We were talking one second, laughing even, and the next, her face was resting within the palm of my hand, our eyes locked… my heart was racing at an unnatural speed. The warmth of contentment rushed over me as for a moment I felt her return to me. I knew this would not last, as she still had no clue who I was to her, nor her to me, but at that moment, I was looking into the heart of my mate. The one I loved, and she was allowing me to…I traced the soft skin of her face with my thumb, and I saw a slight shiver of her body under my touch and I could not help but wonder if she was responding to our matebond. Does she feel the effects? Each time we touch the tingles, the
The way Rocco winked at me made my belly flutter a little unexpectedly. So I found myself smiling across at him. Momentarily, I had forgotten what it was I had wanted to tell him. But as I looked across him, simply looking at him, studying the chiseled jawline of his face, I felt his eyes upon mine, and as I moved my eyes to meet his, he chuckled lightly.“Was that a no?” he questioned, and I looked at him blankly.“ A no to what?”Rocco chuckled loudly. “Aww, Tesoro, you are funny.” He reached for my hand, and squeezed it gently, before sitting back again, like he was second guessing his actions. “You said you wanted to talk. I asked if you were going to tell me what about. So, I am asking again, what it was about. Did I miss something exciting while locked away in my office?” and I could tell with his words he was teasing me. Making light of the fact I had not been paying attention, while at the same time being desperately curious about what I wanted to speak with him about...I nod
I had to dismiss Aria talking about the way she felt. It hurt too much. The pain upon hearing her explain the fear she felt made me relive every moment of those early days. The hell when she had woken up and had no clue where she was or who we were. I had hoped for her to need me... want me to be there for her, but there had been nothing but fear. And now to hear how it had felt to her, only made it harder. I did not need to hear it in more detail. So, instead, I told Aria I knew. And she had agreed. Now we found one another in the empty room. Our eyes locked once again. Her eyes are ones I would never tire of looking into…And, as I looked into those beautiful eyes, I felt a heavy sigh slip from my lips, unable to help but note how Aria’s brows raised a little, likely wondering what was wrong. I did not want her worrying about me, or thinking anything was wrong. “So, have you eaten?” I asked, and she nodded earnestly.“The nurse brought my breakfast in.” she explained, and I nodded i
I sat on the seat by the window, gazing out over the gardens awaiting Rocco’s return. This tended to be my favorite place to sit now, but in this instance I was on edge as I wanted Rocco back here with me. I had no clue how he knew my favorite drink. He did not even need to ask...I remember the first time I tried it as a teenage girl… it had been so good… out with my Grandma, on one of our many girly shopping days, when we stopped into a new coffee shop and my Grandma suggested I try it… oddly, it had been one of her favorites, alongside tea. And the moment I had tried that first sip, I knew that wold be my favorite drink... I never had plain coffee again when out.I sighed heavily at the memory. I did miss her. My Grandma. I wonder how long she had been gone. They said she was gone, didn’t they? I don’t know. I don’t know anything anymore. Everything felt so blurred. But, I felt a heavy sense of loss. Loss I did not want to feel, when the door to my room opened once more, and the l
We had sat enjoying our coffees with the sun shining in the window for quite some time, and there was a lightness within my heart that I did not want to let go. Aria felt close to me again. Maybe not the way in which she always had, but she was closer than she had been in a long time.And now she was so close I did not want to let her go. I was sure I saw a sparkle in her eyes as she laughed. A sparkle I had missed. We were connecting again, I was certain of it. And it was making me reluctant to leave. Not that she once asked me to.The conversation flowed freely and easily, and Aria appeared to be appreciating my company, and it was the greatest feeling after weeks of heaviness looming over me. She seemed almost different, and it filled me with hope she was progressing within her recovery.“How is the Luna doing?” she asked me with concern.“Growing grumpier by the day.” I joked, causing Aria to look at me with shock, and I grinned. Obviously, she had not expected that response, and
My mind was drifting. I was holding Aria as we laid upon her bed. My hands snaked over the perfect curves of her hips, as I gazed into those beautiful eyes of hers. Her eyelashes fluttered seductively, while she reached up to play with my hair just the way I loved, which sent goosebumps tingling across my body, before she gripped my hair tightly. I watched her tease at her lips with the tip of her tongue, making my whole body react, as she continued to grip tightly at my hair, suddenly using it to pull me close to her and find my lips with hers.A kiss I had been waiting a lifetime for. Or that is what it felt like. Did she know that seeing her had felt like torture when I could not kiss her? But Aria's lips found mine with a hunger that took me by surprise as I felt her hands still tangled within my hair, causing me to jerk my head back... I woke with a start, and realized it had all been nothing but a dream. A fucking dream... but it told me where I was wi
With Aria in my arms we climbed into the car. Her confused expression had not altered as I adjusted the belt around her. Confusion. Fear. Uncertainty. I saw tears filling those beautiful eyes of hers, and I hated myself for being the cause of them, but I had told myself I was not going to hide things from her anymore. We had done that once, and it had not gone well. She deserved to know the truth.‘Roc, what did you say?’ Micah’s voice is urgent as he mindlinks. 'She looks terrified.'Well, he wasn't wrong. I glanced across at my friend and Alpha, as I sit next to my mate. ‘I told her the truth. She did not know why she was out there, so I told her she was leaving me.’ I explained matter of factly through our mindlink so that Aria would not hear. The situation was already spiralling, I don't think I wanted it to become any worse...Micah’s eyes widened. ‘But she seemed to know who we all were, dude. I think she was okay again.’ He suggested, and I think he may be right. That same thou
I woke up, my whole body aching. Wondering why the hell I was laying on the grass at the side of a road. A road the more I tried to look around me looked like the North Road outside of the pack. Why would I be here? A felt a sharp stinging to the base of my neck was irritating me, but then, the whole of my body was irritating me in one way or another right now. I had clearly been injured, I just did not know how...My eyes flickered between open and closed, trying to adjust to the light, and I could see the concerned eyes of my husband and mate, Rocco looking down at me. His icy-blue eyes darting over me... the eyes I adored so much... eyes that had drawn me in the first time I had seen them; and eyes that were always able to win me over... he looked worried right now though. What had happened?“What happened baby?” I whispered, hoping he may be able to give me the answers I was looking for. But my words caused his brows to furrow as I continue. “I ache all over!” I informed him, in
Ciro whimpered heavily in my mind at the sight of our mate in the arms of our friend, but I don’t think it was because of the fact she was being held by another man. A man that by all accounts would be considered stronger and more powerful than me, it was the way she had looked at us. The way her eyes lit up when they met mine…But, I knew I did not have time for emotion right now. Aria needed to know we were here for her. “Tesoro, are you okay?” I reached for her, but those beautiful eyes flickered closed once more, as Micah rushed her away from the car, just as a rush of heat englufed us. Flames were taking over the car, and we had done exactly the right thing in following my gut and getting Aria out when we did. A moment longer and it would have been too late. The thought does not bear worth thinking about...That heat from the increasing fire behind us was radiating across our bodies, so we moved faster. Micah using all her had to increase the speed with which he was moving, know
My eyes are darting over the damage to the car. This is not how I had wanted to find my mate. I had wanted to find her well. Be able to convince her to return with me. Tell her what a fool I had been. Knowing that in spite of everything she had fallen for me again meant the world to me. We had found one another once and fallen for one another, and in a cruel twist of fate, she had forgotten me, and fallen for me all over again... I had been blessed, not just once but twice. I could not let my girl die.I looked to Micah. His eyes were doing the exact same thing as mine. I could see the concern across the face of my friend, as his dark eyes took in the damage to the car. There has certainly been some sort of impact to it. Aria had to have been thrown around inside of her car. My heart ached at the thought that my mate may well be injured further... but I noticed my friend's eyes are currently lingering on that leaking fuel. The thing that is concerning me the most right now…‘We need t
Ciro ran. Faster than I think I have felt my wolf run before. His feet pounding along the floor of the packlands until we had crossed the borders onto the lands beyond. Micah’s wolf, Zane, had wasted no time in shifting and running alongside me. But I was paying little attention to the wolf by our side. My focus was through the eyes of my wolf. Looking for the car accident that my Alpha had mentioned.The car accident that my mate may well be laying in…The thought that Aria could be laying injured in a car somewhere tore at my heart strings. Knowing that she had been fleeing me when that had potentially happened made it even worse. This was not how my life was meant to go. Never how I envisioned meeting my fated mate would be. It had been enough of a shock to disover she was a human. But, I had thought I was strong enough to protect her. A matebond is everything to a wolf; and I truly thought ours would be. Evidently, I was wrong. I had
I stood from the bed, needing some space, but Micah blocked my way. “You think I am going to allow you to get away with this? Abandoning your fated when she needs you the most? That is not what we do, Rocco and you know it is not.” he demanded. “You know this is not the way to do this, Rocco. Yes, this has got tough, but as her mate you deal with the tough as well as the good. That is part of being a mate.”I shook my head at my Alpha, not willing to get into a grand debate over it all. This was not his choice anyway. My mind was made up. Aria had evidently made her choice the moment she wrote that letter. She had been planning to find a way to escape. She had made the decision in her mind that all of this was some sort of game. I don’t think there would ever be a way for her to trust me. I had known deep down all along, I would never gain my Aria back. The one I had fallen for was gone to me. The one in front of me all these we
I picked the second piece of paper up, and began to read. My heart aching at the thought my mate had been developing feelings for me once again and I had been oblivious to it, despite it being what I had hoped for all along. Or I had simply been too scared to notice…Well, you did not come back to me. I waited all day, and a great portion of the night in the hope you would come to see me. Not just upon one day, but many. Yet on each and every single one of those days, as my hope slipped away, all I received was a brief moment when you came in to place a coffee upon my table, before making some fandangle excuse before rushing off again. Anyone would think you did not want to be around me Rocco. And I have still to understand why - believe me I have tried. My heart dropped at her words. I imagined her sittng in her room trying to understand what was happening. Why I had been avoiding contact with her. I had stayed away, not because I did not want to be around her, but because I was wo
I looked to the nurse with confusion. “Letters?” I asked, and she smiled at me, all fear that had been displayed upon her face moments ago now gone, as she nodded at me.“Yes, Beta. I have not looked at them, but she must have been thinking of you to be writing to you these last few days. I think she missed your visits.” She suggested, and my heart twisted at her words. My rushed calls had been causing her pain? I know the reason behind my swift visits to the hospital was more to avoid my discomfort but I believed it would help Aria too. I thought she would appreciate the space. The awkward tension between us…“Do you think so?” I asked quietly, and the nurse smiled again.“I think the fact she was asking for paper each day to write to you says a lot, do you not, Beta?” she said, offering me the letters again. I tentatively took them, before sitting myself upon the edge of Aria’s bed, my heart inexplicably pounding as I looked down to the papers within my hands. “I will leave you in p
I paced the corridors of the hospital. Mindlink after mindlink being sent to as many people as I could think of to assist in my hunt for Aria. I needed as many of the senior people within pack, past and present to know she was missing. They needed to begin a hunt for her. My mate had been safe whilst we knew where she was. She had been safe within our care. Now, we did not know where she was. She was still healing. I needed to know she would be okay...I needed to know where Aria was. None of this made sense. My mind was spinning with the possibilities of where my mate could have gone. She had been mere steps away. Uable to walk at speed. I did not understand how she had got away from me. I cursed myself for even talking to those doctors now. I should have gone after her. I should never have given her the time she needed to calm down. Giving her space had been the thing that may have lost me my mate...There was no plan to my search. It was a franctic dash back and forth down as many