Chapter 7

Ariel sat with her legs stretched on her flight, enjoying all of the benefits first class has to offer. She popped a grapefruit in her mouth, chewing thoughtfully and nodding her head as the pleasure burst into her mouth, while her watchful eyes were training on the aisle, scanning for any celebrities she could notice.

Claudia was going to kill her if she knew that she had entered the plane with celebrities and had refused to update her, and she couldn’t risk the wrath of her friend. There was no one on sight, so she contented herself by closing her personal door for the rest of the flight. As she sank into the chair-turned-bed, she couldn’t be more happy that she could afford a first-class ticket.

The pilot’s voice was waking her from sleep as he made his announcement that they were getting ready for descent, and Ariel was shuffling in her seat, trying to arrange herself before the flight would start descending.

She quickly typed a message for Toby, reminding him to come pick her up before the nosy flight attendant was in her face, telling her to turn it off.

Ariel rolled her eyes as the flight attendant told her off. She hated being told what to do, especially if she was about to do so. But she ignored the flight attendant and focused on the plane that was descending.

She held on to her seat as the plane rolled on the tarmac, and an air of nervousness filled her. While she had been communicating with Toby for a while now, she wasn’t sure how the reception at home would be.

Hell, he could be pretending, and he could totally stand her up today. Suddenly, Ariel felt like a lost ship in the middle of the sea with no way to go out, and her chest began to rise rapidly. A thin film of sweat covered her forehead, and her heart rate picked up at the thought of being abandoned in a foreign land.

“Miss.” The attendant gave her a light tap on her shoulder, but she was too far gone to notice her surroundings. “Miss.” She tried again with more force, and Ariel broke free from her reverie, her breath coming out in short pants as he tried to normalize her breathing.

“What?” She turned to the flight attendant, her tone coming off as rude, not as she intended.

“We have arrived, and you can disembark now.”

“Yea,” Ariel gave her a nervous smile while craning her head to look around her, and most of the occupants had gotten off the flight. “Thank you.” She stood up and brought down her carry-on bag before she was alighting out of the flight. She checked her phone for any messages, but she couldn’t see any, and her heart began to pound beneath her rib cage.

He couldn’t have stood her up now, would he?

Ariel tried to remove that thought from her mind and focus on getting her suitcases. She should have listened to Claudia and packed  light; she could always get more clothes back home.

She was finally able to secure all seven big boxes, and she was ready to start cursing him out when she spotted a big placard with her name written on it and a silly little stick figure that she was assuming was hers.

Ariel could recognize that face any day, with his jet black hair hidden in a cap and the huge smirk on his face. She didn’t need anyone else to tell her that this was Toby.

She was running to him with strength she didn’t know she possessed, and she jumped on him as she got to him, hugging him with all she had. “Ariel .” Toby said with a humph as she landed on him.

He shifted backwards so her bosom wouldn’t come in contact with his chest; otherwise, Kane could find a good excuse to finish him.

Toby brought an awkward hand up, rubbing her back in a soothing way until he heard sniffles and the faint smell of salt.

“Are you crying?” Toby froze before he parted from the hug to look at her, and true to his words, fat drops of tears were dripping out of her eyes, and he panicked.

“Oh no. Ariel, please don’t cry.” All he could think was that he was digging his early grave if Kane even got a hint that his mate had been crying, and he just stood there.

Toby produced the hanky he always had in his pocket, and he dabbed it on her eyes gently, careful not to touch her skin.

“Sorry about that.” Ariel sniffed after she had regained herself. “I was just overwhelmed with emotions. I thought no one would be here, and I was afraid I would be all along.”

“Oh dear, I understand, but one thing you should know is that Kane would never leave you estranged without any help. No matter what, he would always come and get you.”

Toby's words sated the demon in her that was rearing its ugly head, and she nodded her head. Ariel stood on her tiptoes, scanning the faces of other people who had come to welcome their friends and family home, and there was something missing.

“What of Kane?” She asked, still scanning her neck. He couldn’t have such a drastic change that she wouldn’t be able to notice him. Right?

“Unfortunately, he was tied down with a lot of office work, and he wasn’t able to make it.” Toby said, and he noticed the change in her mood, and he was panicking.“But not to worry; the pack has been dying to see you.”

Now Ariel was confused. “pack?” Her forehead furrowed as confusion overtook her. “I thought you said we stayed in a mansion.”

“Ha ha.” Toby tried to cover it with a nervous laugh as he began to lead her away. “I mean the people are eager to see you. But come on, let us not waste time on meaningless things; I am sure you are hungry.”

“Starving.” Ariel sighed as she thought of a big pot of chicken and a tub of ice cream. “Wait!” She yelled, halting in her steps. “My bags.”

“Geez, you almost burst my eardrums. There are people taking care of it.” Toby said, gesturing to the back, and true to her word, huge men that felt like they belonged in the boxing ring were dragging her suitcase behind them.

“Thank you.” Ariel said with a sheepish smile, and they continued their journey to the car.

They walked in silence until they got to the car, and Toby was helping her get inside. Ariel was beginning to feel the aftermath of the long flight, and she rested her head on the back seat, almost immediately drifting to dreamland.

“Ari.” Toby called in a soft voice. He has been reluctant to wake her up because she looked so peaceful and beautiful in her sleep, but he knew he was risking his head if he carried her in his arms.

Nothing pisses off an alpha wolf more than when their mate bears another scent that isn’t theirs. It was in their nature to remove such a threat, and Toby still likes living on earth very much to end his life.

Yet he could admit that his alpha’s mate was a beaut. He was a man who could tell when something was good, and right now he was staring at the forbidden fruit.

The plump of her lips, the swell of her breast, and the way her long lashes curled up.

“Get a grip, Toby; she is off limit.” His wolf was cautioning him, and he was taking a step away from her.

“Toby?” Ariel murmured in a sleep-laden voice. Her eyes were fluttering from the ray of light that was entering them. “Are we home?”

"Yes, we are; I was about to wake you up." Toby replied, and he stretched out a hand to her, “Come on, you could continue the sleep in your bed.”

Ariel allowed him to lead her into the house while she kept her eyes half-closed, afraid that if she opened them wide, the sleep would leave her.

She had barely gotten a good rest for the past two weeks, and coupled with the jet lag, she needed a solid 10 hours of sleep.

No sooner than Toby showed her her bedroom, she was climbing onto the bed and closing her eyes.

***

Ariel worked up to an empty room, and she sat down on the bed, trying to recollect herself. She had no idea how long she had been out, but one thing was clear: she needed to put food in her system before she passed out.

She was jumping out of bed with only one thought in mind. “Food.” Her drunken walk reminded her of the gollum and his precious, and right now, she was the gollum.

“Where do I even start from?” Ariel thought as she came out of her room and saw similar-looking doors all around her.

She was walking down the hallways until she stood in front of one, her hands itching to open the knob. They say curiosity kills the cat, but satisfaction brings it back, and that was her motto.

Ariel pushed the door open, and surprisingly, it gave way—an obvious red flag if she had been observant. Her pupils dilated in the poorly lit room, and it took some seconds before she could recognize her surroundings.

She brought out her phone and turned on the flashlight, pointing it in the direction, and the first thing she saw was the bright red liquid. The first wave of dizziness passed through her, and the second had her stumbling a little, her heart rate spiking as she followed the trail of blood, but Ariel prided herself on being level-headed even in difficult situations, and she continued pressing on.

“Maybe someone got hurt and needs my help.” She tried to reassure herself, despite the beads of sweat that were clinging to her forehead like a second skin. She knew the basics of first aid, and she was sure she would be of help if she wasn’t going to need it.

Ariel was placing one foot after another, venturing deeper into the room. She tried to ignore the blood on the floor that had changed from a drop to a puddle, and she continued pressing on until she saw a dark mass on the wall.

She flashed her touch light on the image, and she froze momentarily, her organs recognizing the threat in front of her and shutting down completely. Her stomach twisted as she made contact with those golden orbs, and the initial shock gave birth to flight. Ariel opened her lungs and did the only thing she could do.

“Aaaahhhh!”

And her head was hitting the ground with a thud.