Chapter 14: 14: Thief in the Night

ARIEL

I feel tension already rising in my stomach.

I gasp as Alex places a light kiss in the middle of my sex, sending tingles up my body.

I squirm with pleasure. I’ve never felt anything like this in my whole life.

I see stars as his tongue glides up and down my folds before swirling around my clit.

I’m practically in heaven.

“You taste so good,” I hear Alex whisper from between my thighs.

~Taste.~

~My son’s taste is far more refined.~ Maria’s words echo in my head.

I remember her steely glare when we returned from the hospital.

She was looking at me with contempt.

I am just a warrior, not from an alpha or beta family, or even from the Royal Pack.

I am worth nothing.

I like Alex, but would I be able to deal with someone like her, who would constantly be dragging me down, reminding me that Alex could do so much better?

Alex is ‘better’ than me—above me. We don’t fit together.

~But then, why is here with me in his bedroom, half-undressed?~

I feel Alex’s tongue enter me, but now I am too busy thinking about his motives to be aroused.

~Am I just an easy hookup for Alex? A quick tumble until he finds the real thing?~

~I don’t care if he’s my alpha and king, I’m not going to be a simple plaything to be discarded afterward.~

I push Alex off me and get to my feet, hurriedly pulling my panties up and adjusting my clothes.

“What’s wrong?” he asks, looking confused and concerned.

“I’m sorry, Alex, but I can’t do this,” I say as I turn on my heel and run into the corridor.

“Ariel, wait!”

I can’t look back because if I do…

I might make a mistake. I might actually fall for the alpha who I’ll never have a chance with.

ALEX

I punch my pillow for the thousandth time, cursing under my breath.

Ariel afflicts my every waking thought—and even my dreams.

Sometimes I’ll try to think of Olivia, but she’ll only fade away, replaced by Ariel.

When I’m around Ariel, I feel guilty.

I feel pissed off.

I feel torn between my past and my present.

But I also feel…

~Happy.~

Ariel makes me feel things that I haven’t felt in a long time. And maybe it’s okay to feel those things again.

I know Olivia wouldn’t want me to mope around, depressed, for the rest of my life, but that still doesn’t make it any easier.

I might be less confused about the whole thing if Ariel was actually ~talking~ to me at the moment.

Instead, she’s not answering any of my texts or calls since she ran out of my room a couple of nights ago.

~Did I push her too fast? Make her uncomfortable?~

~Hell, I might’ve even made myself uncomfortable.~

I haven’t even so much as kissed another woman since Olivia passed, so I can’t act like what happened with Ariel didn’t scare the living piss out of me.

But I need to talk about it with her or I’m going to go ~crazy.~

If she won’t respond to me by the normal means, I’ll have to pull the Alpha card.

Alex

Ariel, I have a special mission for you.

Alex

I think you’re the right warrior for the job.

Ariel

…what is it?

Alex

I have to go into town and pick up my tuxedo from the tailor.

Alex

I’d like you to escort me as my pack guard.

Ariel

Oh my Goddess…

Ariel

Are you serious, Alex?

Ariel

You know I can see right through this

Alex

I have no idea what you’re talking about.

Alex

I’d just feel safer if my best warrior accompanied me into town.

Ariel

You’re full of it.

Ariel

But I guess an order is an order 🙄

Ariel

I’ll meet you at the gate

When I get to the gate, I’m surprised to see Ariel straddling her motorcycle.

“I was going to have a car take us,” I say, looking at the bike with uncertainty. “Or maybe we should just walk?”

“Nope, hop on,” she says, grinning. “You asked me to take you into town, I’m gonna take you into town.”

As I reluctantly get on the bike with Ariel, I feel a bit emasculated.

But that feeling quickly fades as she revs up the engine and I grab hold of her hips.

~I could actually get used to this.~

The drive into town is disappointingly short.

I have to discreetly adjust my pants as Ariel cuts the engine and I jump off the bike.

The combination of the rumbling engine and Ariel’s soft hips gave me a major hard-on.

“Okay, I’ll stand guard while you pick up your dry cleaning,” Ariel says sarcastically as she taps her foot.

“We both know that’s not why I asked you to come with me,” I say, giving her a look. “You wouldn’t answer any of my texts. We need to talk about what happened.”

Ariel’s eyes shift to the ground uncomfortably. ~Fuck, maybe I did go too far.~

“Ariel, I have to apologize if you felt any kind of pressure or if I made you feel—”

“Alex, that’s not it. I got caught up in the heat of the moment too,” she responds, her sunflower eyes wilting a bit as she looks at me sadly.

“Then…what is it? Why did you run out?” I ask.

“I just... I’m not in a good place right now. If you’re really ready to move on from your past, that’s great and you deserve someone who can make you feel whole again.”

She continues. “But after the hunters, and everything with my old pack, I feel like I’m broken into a million pieces. I don’t know if I’ll ever recover from my past.”

I step forward to comfort Ariel, but her phone begins buzzing and she looks at her messages.

Initially she smiles, but almost instantly, tears well up in her eyes and she puts it away.

“Ariel, what’s wrong?”

She abruptly hops on her bike and revs up the engine.

“Ariel, where are you—”

“I’m sorry I keep running away, Alex. But I really need to be alone,” she says, right before she speeds away, leaving a cloud of dust in her wake.

~Oh, Ariel... I wish I could help you heal, the way that you help heal others. You don’t even know how much you’ve helped me.~

ARIEL

I don’t know why I’m being so vulnerable with Alex, but as I recount all my fears and self-doubt to him, I sense that he actually understands what I’m going through.

As he steps forward and reaches out, I long for him to hold me the way that he did the other night, but—

~Bzzzzz-Bzzzzz.~

I pull out my phone and smile when I see a message from my father.

Dad

ARIEL GREAT NEWS!!!

Dad

👶👶👶

Dad

The baby is here!!!

Dad

🎊🎊🎊

Dad

You’re an auntie now!

As I slide my phone back into my pocket, I feel like I’m going to be sick. What’s supposed to be a joyous occasion is bringing me nothing but pain.

“Ariel, what’s wrong?” Alex asks, concerned.

~I have to go. I have to get out of here.~

I hop on my bike and immediately rev up the engine. I know I’m shirking my duties, but I just can’t face Alex right now.

“Ariel, where are you—”

“I’m sorry I keep running away, Alex. But I really need to be alone,” I say, tears spilling down my cheeks.

~Alone.~

~Maybe that’s my true destiny.~

***

The whistling of the kettle pierces the silence of the room as Louisa takes it off the stove and pours me a cup of hot tea.

“This will hit the spot. It’s my special blend,” Louisa says warmly, setting the tea in front of me.

My eyes are red from crying. I ~never~ get this emotional, but something about Xavier and Natalia just flips a switch.

It’s like I’m hardwired to feel something for him, even though there aren’t any real feelings there.

Louisa sits down and rubs my back, comforting me. “I know it’s hard, sweetheart. You lost a destined mate. But I promise you that eventually you’ll realize that you’re better off without him.”

I know she’s right. I have no love for Xavier, but what if I never find another mate?

“Steven and I weren’t destined mates,” Louisa says suddenly. I’m so taken aback that I nearly spill my tea all over my lap.

“But you two are ~perfect~ together,” I say, picking my mouth up off the floor.

“I think so too,” she says, smiling. “But not because of destiny. It’s because we worked at our relationship and grew together as partners.”

Louisa continues. “Even if I did find my so-called destined mate, I wouldn’t trade Steven for the world.”

“That’s beautiful,” I say, feeling a little more at ease. “I hope I find that too.”

“You will, Ariel. I’m sure of it. Who knows, maybe you’ll find someone at the mating weekend?”

“Maybe if I was allowed to actually participate,” I say sadly.

“That Maria is a real…” Louisa leans in close and whispers, “A real ~bitch~.”

It’s the first time I’ve ever heard Louisa swear and I can’t help but burst into laughter.

“Oh my Goddess, I love you, Louisa. You’re the best.” ~You’re like the mother I’ve always wished I had.~

***

As I get ready for bed, brushing my long dark hair in front of the vanity mirror, Alex once again enters my mind.

I hope I didn’t freak him out earlier when I got on my bike and sped off.

I just didn’t want to explain to him, of all people, why I was getting upset about that prick Xavier.

I really think I might feel something for Alex and I don’t want to mess it up, but navigating a relationship as complicated as this, with two even more complicated people, is challenging.

~Clack.~

A sound at my window suddenly draws my attention.

~Clack. Clack.~

Is someone throwing rocks? I throw open the window and dodge out of the way as a pebble comes sailing through.

I poke my head out to see Alex, looking up at me from the yard below.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I hiss through my teeth. “You’ll wake everyone up!”

“I’m coming up!” he shouts, completely ignoring my plea for him to stay quiet.

I cringe as Alex digs his claws into the side of the house and starts climbing.

Oh my Goddess, how am I going to explain this property damage to Steve?

Alex tumbles through the window and lands on the floor in a heap, grinning up at me.

“Hey there, gorgeous,” he says, grabbing my hand and pulling me onto the floor next to him. “I figured if you were going to keep running away, I’d just have to run to you.”

Somehow Alex always knows just the right thing to say.

Instead of reprimanding him or telling him he has to leave, I just curl up next to him and place my head on his chest.

He’s warm and kind…not to mention those amazing lips. When we first kissed, it felt like the rest of the world melted away.

In that moment, he wasn’t the king and I wasn’t a lowly warrior, broken beyond repair. We were the only two people who mattered.

I lift my head and stare into his gorgeous emerald eyes. We are so close.

~Should I... kiss him? Or would that send the wrong message? Would he kiss me back?~

“Ariel,” he whispers. “I just wanted to say—”

I place a finger to his lips.

My gaze moves between his eyes and his mouth before I let my finger slowly slide down to his jaw and then collarbone.

I want those lips back on mine. I ~need~ them back on mine. ~But can I trust him? Does he want a relationship?~

Alex leans in, and I close my eyes.