ARI
It's safe to say winter is my favourite time of the year.
“I hate when we do this every year.” Mimi is shaking next to me, bundled up in so many layers I can't help the chuckle that slips out.
“Are you that cold?”
“I can feel it in my bones. I don't understand why you are wearing that.” by that she means a hoodie and that’s it.
I could be naked and in the snow for days and not feel a thing.
Yes, we are very warm by nature, but only to some degree. Some wolves prefer warmer weather, and others are much at home deep in the snow.
I was born in the white Alps, where it’s snowing all year round. This place reminds me a little bit of home.
We are on a school trip- a trip that will last for a week. So deep in the mountain, where snow is so thick, if you don’t shake it off after two minutes, you will be layered in it.
I was expecting some sort of ca
ARI“Only my most trusted people and the ones who need to keep you safe. There is nothing wrong, I assure you. You can be yourself and not worry or fear that you will be in danger.”“But what if they see me as different?”“Then I will deal with them accordingly. You shouldn’t hide yourself to appease a bunch of teenagers who don’t know anything.”“I fear that …” I close my eyes as I bounce on my heels, feeling jittery. “I fear that someone will spot me, and the people who have been after us will know where to come find me.”A beat passes, and Mr. Parker is silent on the other end. “I should have told you this earlier.”“Told me what?”“We found them.”It's my turn now to pause.“What?”“We found the guys who were trailing you. They are taken care of. Your mom knows this
ARIEverything is heightened in this place.Feelings are much heavier, emotions much more prominent.What would I give to not have walked in on Zade and Olivia making out in the hot tub, which is a little secluded from the rest of the hot spring, where others are all in?They are in their cozy world, hands all over each other as they kiss. Olivia’s giggle breaks the spell I am under- a painful spell- and I turn around, opting to avoid that area and continue with my walk around the grounds.I have said that I won't feel anything, I won't even bother thinking about him, and yet here I am. I wish I could be unfeeling and unbothered by anything Zade does.I wish I could entirely blame it on the bond and say that it's making me this way. But a bond only highlights what exists already.The last time we talked, he told me he is lonely. How can someone like him be lonely? That’s impossible.He is surrounded by friends and powerful people at his whim and under his thumb. He has a girlfriend, s
ZADE“I have been looking for you.”Max walks up to where I am, and Olivia sits up.“And what do you want?” she asks, clearly not looking at the interruption.Max gives her a side glance. “I am not here for you, I am here for him.” Her chin juts towards me, and she stands on the other side of the table.“What can I do for you, Max?” she has been getting close to silvers, something I didn’t see coming.“I am looking for Ari. Have you seen her?”“How would I know? I am not her keeper.”She doesn’t look thrilled by my response, which makes me tilt my head as I regard her.“Well, can you at least tell me where I can find her using your bond? She isn't in our room, and I have been trying to find her all over the place. I think she might be lost.”True concern mars her face.“How rude of you. I thought where you were taught you better manners to not to disturb your alpha with such trivia matters.” Livie shifts closer to me, her hand falling on my thigh to drive a point.Max doesn't miss a s
ZADE“She is having a hard time, you know?”“What part of not wanting to talk about this did you not get?”Max nods, hands in her pockets as we walk around looking for silvers. Where could she possibly have run off to?“Do you think she feels happiness when she thinks of her new life?” Max asks me after a few minutes.I exhale, giving up. She will persist until she has said what she has in her mind. That’s max.“You tell me.”“I know you know, aren't you her ate? You are more connected to her than you will ever be connected with anyone else.”“And here we are, walking around looking for her, unable to pinpoint exactly where she is.”“She has suffered a great deal, just like you.”“I know you want me to feel connected, bond over the trauma we might share and each other’s pain. But I am just not there yet; all I feel is anger.”“Why?”I exhale, my shoulders loosening as I look up at the dark sky. Snow is falling heavily now.“At the dinner we had a few days ago, my father told me that h
ZADEShe is lonely.Feeling anguish.Good.I turn and start walking away.“What … where are you going?” Max asks.“You found her.”“Yes, but-““I am leaving now, Max. My nighttime schedule is behind because of you.”She doesn’t object, not that I was expecting her to.I need a drink.When I get to my room, I find the boys all gathered in front of the fireplace playing a game.“What you doing here?”“It’s so boring, there is nothing to do here other than be at the hot tub and then back in the rooms. It blows,” Cass groans as he stretches on the floor.I frown, shrugging off my coat. “Since when has that made you all look so sorry for yourselves?”“Since you started blowing us off to go for a midnight walk with Max.” Rowan rolls his eyes and throws the cards on the table.“Okay, then let's go roam the grounds.”The two look up at me, surprise marred on their faces. Logan only nods before he smiles. “I thought you had started to lose your spark.”“Never,” I smirk. “Let's do what we do be
ARISomething is beside me.No, someone. A wolf, to be precise. I know this even before I open my eyes, still groggy from the hibernation because of the link all wolves have with each other.I could be freaked out, alarmed that a wolf has come and laid down with me uninvited, but I don’t. This wolf feels familiar, safe, too.I know it's max even without confirming by looking at her.I want to lull up and sleep more, but she stirs, too, and starts moving around like she wants me not to go back to sleep.It's tempting, but I don’t think I am ready to face the world just yet. I don’t know if I want to go back at all. Being here and just hibernating sounds fun and the best option of all.Max is in her wolf form, hence the movements are not as demure or unnoticed because at one point she topples above me and I huff out a breath, breathe knocked out of me.I lazily open one eye to glare at her and shoo her away, but her nuzzle is right in front of my face, and she is looking at me, waiting
ARIEverything is clear and sharp, and all my senses are awake and infused as one.The trees all blur as I run, the ground beneath my paws cool and hard. The smell of rain, mixed with snow and the trees all mix in the air, the sharp cold air making me shiver.Not from the temperature but the exhilaration, the excitement that I feel in this moment.There is another wolf, a large brown wolf, that’s ahead of me, running faster. I want to pass it and be faster, and the thrill of it makes me increase my speed, acutely aware of the other wolf behind me.The more I run, the faster I get, and the more I feel like I am stretching after a deep slumber. All my limbs feel like they are awakening, and I feel alive.Alive than I have ever been in all my life. Running with Max and Mimi is making me so happy. I can't help the howl I let out as I gain speed until I am at par with Max, before I ump my speed and run ahead of her.We have been at this the whole morning. Running, playing, and more running
ARI“How?”“We will train very day, get you stronger. You are an alpha, you are supposed to be stronger than you already are right now.”“Yeah,” Mimi agrees. “Why aren't you?”They don’t know that I have been wolfless all this time and its only recently I have had my wolf back.“Because I have been wolfless for most of my life,” I exhale. I can't meet their eyes, I don’t want to see the pity. “I just got her back, so now I have to catch up with all the missed early education and training. I am years behind, so it makes sense that I am getting kicked around like this.”“It's okay,” a hand touches my shoulder. Mimi’s smile is warm, with no pity or sadness. “We were here, and you have her back. It's not too late.”“Yeah,” Max nods in agreement. “I train junior students, so I think I am the best candidate to help you catch up.”I can't cry, not now. I blink back the tears. “Why?”“Because I want to,” Max shrugs, “and because I don’t like seeing people get bullied. I would kick their ass f
ZADEI stop behind one balding man, I think he is here because he is a legacy. Not the official family but still as important. I can see the sweat trickling down his neck into the stiff, tight suit he is wearing.If I wasn’t so sure before, now standing behind him as he reeks of fear … it's solid. My hand goes through his back, and I touch the organ that’s beating and warm in my palm.Gasps echo around, but no one says a word, as they look at me with horrified expressions, save for my father, of course.“This man,” I turn to Jude, “you missed this man.” My fingers close around the beating organ and pull my hand back. The body shakes, twitching before his head thumps on the table like a log. The scent of blood permeates the air, thickening it with the tension and fear pulsing in the room.I walk over to Jude and let the organ fall on his file, and he looks at it, eyes wide. I am sure he isn't breathing. After all, I just killed a legacy, and he has a lot of mess to clean up.And also,
ZADEWe are back to ignoring each other.Or to be more precise, Ari has gone back to hating my guts and ignoring my existence. And when she sees me, when our eyes meet, those first two seconds, time seems to slow down, and it's only us. The world fades away, and it's us, and I usually get this feeling in my chest, this heavy thing that is threatening to drown me, but in a sweet way.It's only us, as if we know something, just the two of us, and then the moment is snapped and broken, and she is back to scowling at me, rolling her eyes.But I know, those few seconds, where it is only us, when time stops and we only see each other, feel each other… that is the truth of us.She told me she wanted devotion and then proceeded to lock herself in the bedroom before she left early in the morning, even though we did spend the night together.I didn’t sleep, not when she was in the next room and I knew she wasn’t asleep either. I listened to her breathing, every turn and twist in the bed.I list
ARI“What's going on inside this little mind?” his voice is so close to me, nose brushing my temple.I should feel something. A tingle, but I am so damn tired. All I want is to sleep, forget that I exist for a few hours before I start going back to my life. I can't escape it anymore, now can I?“Nothing,” I sigh. “I am just a little sleepy.”Is he expecting more from me tonight?I wish I had the girls with me. They would allow me to be in your space. Maybe I should call them, text them, but I don't have my phone. I remember crashing it in the hotel suite before I walked out into the traffic.Maybe I am not as okay as I think. But getting a grip is important.If I am going to avenge and face the people who ruined me to begin with, I can't let go of the reality. I need to be focused and work hard to make sure they don’t destroy me before I destroy them.I know I am not going to come out of it. The plans I made to go study law as further studies, get out of the pack and live my life as a
ARIMy life is a mess.It’s a fucked life, painful, dry, bland, void of colour.I am ugly too, rotting slowly inside, underserving of anything good because that’s just what is set in stone for me.Despite it all, despite feeling all of that, as Zade looks at me like I mean something, like I matter … I can't help but want to be under that gaze for a longer time.He is looking at me how he used to look at Olivia, like he might love me, like I mean something. He wants to know if I am okay, taking care of me, a gentle, caring touch on my cold, withering soul.I don’t deserve it, and yet.I yearn for it. Crave it. I can't not shudder under it.“Do you want me to ask you?”Yes. I want him to ask me. I want him to push for me to tell him what's going on in my head. For him to fight for me. I am selfish like that. Mother didn’t say anything untrue, because here I am, asking and taking what doesn’t belong to me.I came into this life, took Olivia’s man under fate’s guidance, and yes. It hurt.
ARII don’t think I have ever truly let myself think deeply about Zade, who is becoming, and his birthright. I am not one to attach my identity to the boy I am seeing or crushing on, and in this case, the boy I am mated to.But it's still heavy. I find it … sexy that he is already so mature, powerful too, and it's only going to get even better.Yes, I think I am crushing on Zade, and I can't control choking on my water once that fully hits me.“Are you okay?” he asks me as he rushes to my side, rubbing my back.“Yeah,” I wheeze out. “Guess I am a little surprised.”“Why?” he chuckles as he gets back to cooking.“The first thing someone sees when they see you is how spoiled you are.” That’s not true.The first thing I saw and felt when I first laid my eyes on him was just how magnetic and powerful he was. Yes, you could tell from miles away that he is wealthy, but it wasn’t the kind I got from the rest of the students.No, his was the quiet, generational wealth that just didn’t come fr
ARIIt’s weird.I woke up feeling this gut-wrenching painful reminder that I was still alive, that I am still feeling, and my mind is still as loud as before.I wasn’t ready to face myself, the world, or even reality, so I went back to sleep despite not knowing where I was. I could hear someone, a female, who would come and look after me once in a while. I should have been worried that a stranger was hovering over me.But I didn’t care. That’s how gone I was. I did manage to sleep more until I woke up again, and the tension in my temples was lessening.Someone was touching me like I was so fragile, and I could feel how gentle they were being. I knew it was Zade even before I could open my eyes.It felt better, the chatter, the exhaustion… it all lessened when he was around like this. It’s something I have come to notice, not ready to admit it yet, but it’s there.I could hear his thoughts. They were so unguarded, I wondered if he knew I could hear them, and it’s the first time I've be
ZADEShe is so beautiful.I exhale softly as I sit on the bed, watching her sleep. I can't resist reaching out with gentle fingers as I push back her hair off her face.Her hands are tucked under her chin, pressed to her chest, her body curled in as if she is feeling cold or protecting herself from something.But she isn't feeling cold; her body temperature is higher, too, which prompts me to stand up and walk over to the screen door. I slide it open, and the soft light curtains let the air in, billowing soundlessly.I had this bedroom built with a terrace garden, so it feels like someone is sleeping in a garden. I know she will love it when she wakes up.I sit on the floor, watching her as she exhales softly once cool air hits her skin.She had a massive panic attack, and I wasn’t there to help her. The first one she ever had was when she saw me kill that crush of hers –something I don’t regret, but I do regret triggering it- and she broke down in the bathroom.I knew she didn’t want
ZADEMercy.That word alone makes me hit her at the back of the neck as gently as I can, rendering her unconscious. I hold her limp body, my eyes on her now sleeping face, as I breathe hard.I am scared.I almost lost her a few minutes ago, and then watched her as she almost slipped out of her mind. I stand up as I carry her bridal style to my car, where I am parked. I don’t mind the eyes on me, murmuring bout the girl who almost got run over by walking to the busy highway.I secure Ari on the seat before I get in myself and drive away.I knew something was off, from the moment I saw her mother walking out of the hotel, minutes after I had dropped ari and then the coldness that overcame me like I had been pushed in an extremely icy frozen lake.I don’t think twice, taking her to my private home, somewhere no one knows, not even my father. She is still out cold, and I start to worry that I might have hurt her. Lying her gently on the bed, I clean her up, making sure she is comfortable
ARISomething is breaking inside me.I can’t feel my touch, even as I touch my chest. I have gone numb, nothing truly registering as I sit on the floor, remaining in a state of static as she has left me.What you are doing is not worth it.Not worth it.Nothing is worth it.What do I do now?A murderer. A misguided child. Doing things that I shouldn’t, wrecking her life.A broken wail escapes my lips as I hunch down, feeling like I am taking my first breath.This is not how it was supposed to go. How can this happen? I killed someone, but I don’t know why. I don’t know why I keep getting angry, like I am in a cage, and when I am let out, I lash out at the first person closest.I wish I could stop, remember myself, and stop getting so angry, to stop my actions before they are thrown back at me, like I am going crazy and need to be put down.Everything I am doing feels wrong. Everyone keeps telling me that I am doing the wrong thing the wrong way.I don’t know what to do anymore. I don’