My time in the last few days had been difficult. Or, maybe not so much my time, but my thought processes. I wish there was a way to turn off my brain. Every part of me had wanted to see Aria. Ciro’s presence was stronger, despite him not actually talking to me. I could sense him, and that was more than I had been able to do in some time. But, after the things that had passed between Aria and me, I simply did not feel comfortable being near her. I knew our closesness was what had brought my wolf closer, but I was worried I may not be able to hold myself back if I allowed myself to get too close to my mate...It was a screwed up mess. I needed my mate. I needed my wolf. But, my mate was fragile, and the bond that we shared was currently not the way it should be. I did not know where we stood. I believed Aria felt something. Sensed a form of connection between us, but did not know what it was, or what it may mean. And, after what occured between us, I did not how she felt. And, in all tr
I did not feel comfortable with the way Rocco was acting. So the way he reached for me irritated me, and I instinctively went to stand on my own. I could see the awkward glances between the nurse and him, but I did not care. I wished right now I had other friends to call. Anyone I could ask to allow me to stay with them, but I did not even know where my phone may have gone.I had asked multiple times since being admitted to the hospital, only to be told it must have been lost during the attack. I could do with it now more than ever. Surely on that phone would be contacts. Contacts of friends. Family. People who could help me. I should not be staying with a man I do not know properly. Yes, we may have shared some form of history, but I did not know him. I do not feel a few photographs allowed enough of a connection to say I should be living with the man!I awkwardly walked, or more a case of plodded along the corridor, following the nurse in front of me, Rocco by my side, being guided
It felt like the world had stood still. Hearing her yell like that had been a shock. Aria had broken down, not only telling me how she felt, but all those involved in her care. It was truly heartbreaking to hear what she was going through. And, everything she said was right, we did not know what it was like, because we were not the ones experiencing it. And, the thing was, I doubted even if we did, would it be the same for us. This was something unique, and none of us knew the best way to help Aria. We had tried, and it seemed we had failed. Miserably. Never had it occurred to me that was how she was feeling. And I was supposed to be able to pick up on her feelings. I felt like a failure.Some of her thoughts made sense, but others, I do not think I could have ever have thought of. And it broke my heart she had gone through them alone. Never speaking out until now. Until she felt pushed into a corner. I fear because she was scared about coming to live with m
I had my outburst and I walked away. Admittedly, not all that fast, but I did my best to storm away. I half expected Rocco to rush after me, but instead I heard muffled voices behind me, making me assume he and the medical staff were discussing things… or more specifically, me. I had most definitely given them plenty to talk about.But, I had no intention of turning back. I kept walking, the pain in my legs still there, but not quite as bad as it had been, which I have to say was a relief. Each step I made I expected Rocco to appear, but he never did, and as I reached the bottom of the corridor, where it veered off into two directions, I was surprised to say the least. I had most certainly exected him to be here by now, it would not have taken him much to catch up with me.I turned to the right, opting for that corridor because it was the emptier of the two, hoping there may be an empty room I may walk past that I would be able to hide in for a time, until I was
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
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 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 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
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