Chapter 127: Bonded

ARIEL

Jo and Vivian stare at each other in stunned silence.

I peek over at Alex and see the excitement on his face mirroring my own.

~WOW!~

~This is incredible.~

I wasn’t even sure that Vivian would be able to recognize her destined mate, because she’s just half werewolf. But I’m so happy to be proven wrong.

Killing Fate caused so many disastrous consequences. Now it’s ~finally~ done something good.

Vivian has found her mate, and I can’t think of anyone more perfect for her than this fun-sized, firecracker warrior.

“I’m sorry—” Vivian says suddenly. “Can we reschedule this meeting—I just—I need to—I don’t know what’s happening—”

Her slight frame is shaking from excitement.

“Of course!” I shout. “Both of you get out of here before I kick you out.”

Vivian shoots me a look and I wink back at her.

She stands and approaches Jo timidly.

“I’m Vivian,” she says, holding out her hand.

“And I’m not great at small talk,” Jo says.

“I’ve been waiting so long for this,” Vivian says.

“Well then, let’s not wait anymore,” Jo says, a rare smile spreading across her face. With that, she grabs Vivian’s arm and whisks her out of the room.

I can’t wipe the stupidly large grin off of my face as I watch them go.

~Even the darkest cloud has a silver lining…~

I walk over to Alex’s chair and sit down on his lap.

“Life feels so impossibly hard,” I say, “and then something like that happens, and I remember how lucky we are. Having someone to love makes all the pain worth enduring.”

Alex plants a soft kiss on my lips. Our tongues swirl together in a sweet embrace.

“Let’s let those two lovebirds have some time to get to know each other,” he says. “We’ll solve the Mateo situation eventually. There’s no use rushing it.”

I press my lips into his cheek and stand up. “If we’re taking a break, then I’m gonna to go train,” I say.

“You really don’t understand the concept of ‘a break,’ do you?” Alex says with a laugh.

“Apparently not,” I say, turning and walking out of his office.

***

I enter the arena expecting to find it empty… The daily training session ended hours ago.

But then I hear the sound of grunting coming from a dark corner of the room.

I tiptoe over and find Mateo standing there, fighting a battle to the death with a large black punching bag.

I’ve never seen him in action before, and can’t help but watch in fascination.

The man has unbelievable form.

He’s clearly a highly trained warrior; his punches are hard, fast, and precise.

I find myself wondering who he’s picturing every time he delivers a sharp blow, but based on his story, I think I can make an educated guess.

~Esmeralda.~

“You’re not bad,” I say to him. “Happy to have you on our squad.”

Mateo jumps at the sound of my voice. He clearly didn’t hear me approaching.

“Ariel, hello,” he says, wiping sweat from his scarred brow.

“Is everything all right?” I ask him. “It seems like that punching bag was about to meet an early grave.”

Mateo flashes me a crooked smile.

“You might not believe this,” he says. “But I have a little bit of pent-up anger inside me.”

“That makes two of us,” I say. “But we’re working on a plan to get Isabella back into your arms without putting either of you in harm’s way. Hopefully that will help with the anger a little bit.”

“I do not know how to thank you,” Mateo says, “for all your kindness. I would not have been so gracious if the roles were reversed.”

“I don’t think that’s true,” I say to him. “I actually see a lot of myself in you.”

“I feel the same,” Mateo says. “My father always said that I had to choose between being a warrior and being king. But training was my passion. I understand it is the same for you.”

I nod. “You want to try sparring with something that isn’t full of sand?” I ask him.

“Yes,” he says eagerly. “I have been desperate for a worthy competitor.”

I lead him into the middle of the arena.

A circle on the floor designates the perfect sparring ring.

I look him up and down, analyzing my opponent. He’s twice my size, but I think I have a shot.

“Ready?” I ask. And before I even give him a chance to answer, I swing my right arm into his chest.

He grabs my arm and flips me around, sending me flying into the air.

I manage to land on my feet.

~Damn, he’s good.~

~His instincts are quick.~

Mateo lunges toward me but I duck and roll, emerging on the other side of him.

I grab his arms from behind and twist him around so that he’s facing me again, then I send a sharp kick into his stomach and make contact.

He gasps for air, but recovers in an instant, grabbing my leg and pulling it out from under me.

I land hard on my back with a thud.

He slides over to me and tries to pin me to the floor.

But I manage to wriggle out of his grasp and climb on top of him.

I have the upper hand now. But not for long…

He grabs my shoulders with his massive hands and rolls us over.

He’s on top of me now. I’m trapped.

I know I have the energy to keep fighting.

But there’s another part of me, growing stronger by the second, that is enjoying the feeling of his weight pressing into me.

My eyes find his.

With our bodies locked together like this, our mating pull is more intense than ever.

I know he feels it too.

My fists unravel and I press my palms into his chest.

I feel his heart racing a mile a minute as our limbs and sweat mingle.

“Shit,” I say.

“~Mierda~,” Mateo confirms.

I’m desperate to turn our fighting stance into a passionate embrace.

But I can’t do that.

I would never betray Alex in that way.

Mustering every ounce of strength I have left, I push Mateo off of me.

He falls backward and quickly scoots away from me.

“Thank you,” he says, panting. “I promised myself to Isabella, whether I can have her or not. I would never forgive myself.”

“Me neither,” I say.

But even though Mateo is sitting several feet away now, the mating pull is still tugging at me hard and blinding my judgment.

~I need to get out of here.~

~Now.~

I scramble up and start sprinting away from Mateo.

I run straight to the palace, searching desperately for Alex.

I finally find him walking through the halls with Dom.

Without a word to either of them, I grab his hand and drag him behind me, finally pulling him into our bedroom.

Slamming the door shut, I push him down onto the bed.

“What’s going on, Ariel?” he asks me, totally confused. “What’s the matter?”

“You said there’s no rush to find Isabella. But there is…”

“What do you mean?” he asks.

“My mating bond with Mateo is getting stronger,” I say. “I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to resist him.”