The nerve of that woman infuriated me. I needed to remove myself from that situation before I overreacted. I could not stay when she was so blatantly flirting with me while my mate was by my side. I had warned her so many times in the past, but this was something else.I continued to push Aria toward the door as quickly as I could, throwing another dirty look in the direction of Chelsea behind the counter as I did. ‘You overstepped a mark today. How fucking dare you.’ I linked, and as I did her face fell. The smirk that had lingered over her lips slipped. She did not find herself quite so confident now.I hated she-wolves like that. Single and desperate for attention from the higher-ranking wolves within the pack. Yes, as a young and single wolf, it is all good fun, but as a settled-down guy with a mate, then the appeal simply is not there. I would not betray the matebond blessed to me, and most she-wolves knew that. Yet there were some that still tried their luck.The moment we step
I don’t know why I had allowed Rocco to take me to a house I did not know. A house I could only assume was his own. Though, I was sure he had pointed out a different home the other day when we walked through the pack… or was that my mind playing tricks? I was unsure. It seemed to like to play tricks upon me of late. I was certain the many hours sitting looking at the same four walls were to blame for that. I hated feeling like my mind was not my own.But, agreeing to this, well, I had yet to decide if it was a smart thing to do or not. I would like to think I could trust the Beta. He was a trustworthy figure in a pack, wasn't he? I have tried so many times to recall the information I had read when researching all those years ago. But, ultimately, it would all depend on the character of the man, and in truth, I found this man very hard to read. His moods changed as quickly as the weather...Regardless of the fact, I had not even put up a f
I don’t even know why I had flirted with her so openly. It had just kind of happened when she had teased me. The way we used to chat together… that easy chatter… I missed it… but to see her cheeks flush that way told me perhaps she was not quite so comfortable with the flirting, or maybe with the things I mentioned. Maybe I had overstepped a mark. Something I am beginning to regret. I do not want to ruin what we have. If we even have anything. At the least, she had appeared comfortable with me, I could not risk losing that...I had put the music on like I so often did when I was in the kitchen, or in the shower. Something to fill the silence that I so desperately hated. I had thought Aria would head to the lounge and sit herself down. I felt a little foolish when I turned and found her amused eyes upon me. Watching me as I sang and half danced my way through making the hot chocolates, with a beautiful smile upon that face of hers.
This had gone from fun and a little flirty, to strange and far too flirty in a moment. But the way Rocco’s eyes were focused upon me now made it virtually impossible for me to look away from him. That gaze was far too intense. Though it always had the potential to be. His eyes were stunning, and I knew that from the amount of times I had looked at them... and the amount of times I had tried to avoid their gaze...But, something was different today. This had gone from just intense gazes. Now he had touched me in passing multiple times, which had made me feel a whole host of things I had tried to ignore... and then there was the kissing of my hand. The kissing of my hand, which, when I questioned him about, he was saying he had wanted to kiss me for a while now. That was what he had meant, right? Because that was what it came across as. No. I urged myself. That couldn't be it, surely. Can it?My heart felt like it would beat right out of my chest right now, and I don’t know if that was
I had no clue what came over me. Aria was there. So close. Her scent had taken over all aspects of my senses. Her beautiful eyes looked up at me the way they used to, and I was transported to a different place… a different time… and then I saw the tiny speck of hot chocolate sitting upon the edge of her lips, and I could not resist. Maybe that made me a weaker man than I should have been...I could feel her heart thumping heavily underneath me where I leaned to reach her, which only fed my need for her. She wanted me? Or some part of her had to, didn’t it? To cause that sort of reaction, right? And as my tongue teased along her lips, there was a whimper deep within my mind, telling me that Ciro had awoken, making me move back suddenly, just as I was sure Aria was going to move forward. Had she been about to kiss me? My head spun with that possibility...I tried so desperately to act casually, like nothing was different. Dismiss it as light teasing,
Sitting in his house didn’t feel wrong. If anything, being with him felt almost comfortable. He made me feel at ease. And we were now discussing the one thing I had wanted to chat about… but I may have slipped up again, in implying that the moon goddess had talked to me about him. The moment I mentioned that, I saw the way his eyes lit up. Like a spark of hope had been ignited deep inside of him. I could not risk giving him any more hope than he already seemed to hold… a hope that had never made any sense to me.“Aria?” his voice was a little unsure now, and I turned to him, slowly, only to find those big blue eyes watching me intently as they so often did.“Yes, Rocco.”“What do you mean, like me?”I shrugged. “I don’t know.” I dismissed it, hoping I could get away with that, but the soft and warm way in which Rocco usually looked at me altered as his eyes narrowed. I did not like the way he looked at me now. He was an intimidating man at the best of times without even trying to be,
I had gone to the effort of ensuring we did not return to our own home, to make sure that Aria did not see the multitude of photographs that adorned the walls and almost every available free space within the house. Although there had been the added difficulty of lack of supplies in the house for me to make us a hot chocolate. But, then, on top of that, I had demanded my father to ensure there were no photographs of us here too, yet in the end, I had succumbed to the pressure within my heart and shown Aria a picture.I don’t know what had come over me. But the pain became too much as she continued to push against everything I offered. Every time I attempted to explain my care for her. None of it was accepted within her mind. It was like she did not want to believe a word that was said to her. Like the thought repulsed her. An invisible wall was erected to stop that explanation being allowed through and that hurt me more than anyone could ever know. She would not let me, nor our past i
I felt the tension building within the room as my words settled between us. I would think anybody could gather that we knew one another from the amount of photographs of the two of us that were stored within my phone. There were so many, it was evident we shared a substantial history together. But Aria’s eyes narrowed.“Really?” her voice was accusing. “Or have you been using photoshop to make it look that way? Even AI can be used in that way now, can't it? It isn’t like you can’t find pictures of me if you know where my social media is.”If her look was not so angry, I may have laughed, with how ridiculous her idea seemed. Did she really believe I would go to the effort of sitting and creating so many pictures of myself and who she believed was a virtual stranger to me? I mean, yes, I guess AI was being used for all sorts now, but never would I have dreamed of using it for something along those lines. Do people even do that? Pain radiated through my chest that her first thought had b
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