Chapter 16: 16: Stolen Kiss

ARIEL

If I wasn’t sure about whether Alex is over his past mate before, I sure as hell am now.

The look on his face tells me everything I need to know.

He’s completely captivated by this girl—but not by her beauty—no, by her uncanny resemblance to Olivia.

“Alex, are you okay?” I ask, but he doesn’t even acknowledge me. He’s spellbound.

The girl slowly approaches us, shooting Alex a sugary sweet smile.

“Sorry I’m so late,” she says, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder.

Her striking purple eyes flick to me, sizing me up, but only for a moment before she returns her gaze to Alex. “I’m Lola.”

Alex looks startled, but he manages to find his words. “I’m…Alex…King Alex.”

“Oh, Your Majesty! It’s an honor,” she says, doing a perfect curtsy.

“What pack are you from?” I ask, probably a bit too defensively.

“The Rose Thorn Pack,” she replies with a slight accent. ~Did she have that accent before?~

“You’re from a royal pack?” Alex asks, surprised.

“Yes, my father is third in line to be the alpha,” she says. “We live in a palace very much like this one.”

I’ve heard of the Rose Thorn Pack before, but I don’t know much about it, partially because it’s ~nowhere near~ here.

“That’s not even on our continent,” I blurt out. “How did you even hear about this mating weekend?”

“My friend from the Fortis Pack sent me an invite, since I’m still unmated,” she replies, batting her eyelashes at Alex. “I’m actually quite tired from my journey…”

“Of course, you must be exhausted,” Alex says, taking her hand and leading her toward the gate.

~Why is he suddenly fussing over her? Look-alike or not, she’s still a stranger.~

“Did you come here alone?” I ask suspiciously. “I’d expect a member of the royal family to have an accompanying royal escort.”

“I was escorted to the Fortis Pack and traveled from there on my own,” she replies, a twinge of annoyance in her voice. “My father doesn’t know that I snuck off for a mating weekend.”

“You’ll have to forgive my friend here,” Alex says, his hand now on the small of Lola’s back. “She’s our head of security for the mating weekend, so it’s her job to ask questions.”

Oh, so I’m just your ~friend~ now?

“Oh, you aren’t participating in the event? What a shame,” Lola says, though the expression on her face makes me think she’s quite happy that I won’t be her competition.

“Someone has to protect us girls from those awful rogues,” she says, latching onto Alex’s arm.

~And someone has to protect Alex from gold-digging she-wolves.~

“You must be tired. Why don’t I escort you to your room?” I say, hoping to get her out of sight and out of mind.

“Or if you’re up for it, the palace is about to start a mixer,” Alex interjects, ruining my plan.

“Oh, a cocktail sounds lovely!” Lola says, giggling. “And maybe you can tell me more about the Royal Pack?”

As Alex walks ahead with Lola, completely enthralled by her charms, I find myself glad that we’re heading to a cocktail event.

~I could use a stiff drink…or ten.~

***

Alex has hardly left Lola’s side for the entire event.

Even Maria seems to love her as they clink their martinis together and laugh at some joke that probably only ~royals~ would get.

I’m feeling especially bitter at the moment, and it’s not even because I’m drinking a cheap red wine.

Something about this girl just feels…off. I can’t put my finger on it, but I’m going to figure it out.

Thankfully, I spot an open seat at Dom’s table. I wonder what he thinks of this interloper.

“I just can’t get over it,” Dom says as I walk up. “She looks almost ~exactly~ like Olivia. Right down to the purple eyes.”

“Purple eyes are very rare, aren’t they?” Dom’s mate, Helena, asks.

“~Exceptionally~ rare,” I say, not taking my eyes off Lola.

“Oh, Ari! Meet my mate, Helena!” Dom says excitedly.

“Hi!” she says with a little squeal. “Oh my Goddess, you’re the most gorgeous warrior I’ve ever seen. You have such natural beauty!”

~Okay, I officially like Helena.~

“Thank you, I love your style. It’s so chic,” I say, admiring her outfit and allowing myself to stop thinking about Lola and Alex for a moment. “You and Dom seem to be getting on just fine.”

“I can’t believe the Goddess sent me this gem,” Dom says, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Well, you’d better treat her like a precious gem, or this warrior will come and kick your ass,” I say, playfully punching him in the arm.

Helena giggles and gives me a friendly smile.

When my gaze returns to Alex, I’m startled to see that he’s staring right at me. His eyes look lost, and I understand the feeling.

It’s only a brief moment, but it feels like an eternity, and the distance between us in this banquet hall feels like a thousand miles.

~Goddess, I just pray that we’ll find our way back to each other…~

***

I’m feeling superbly shitty the next day, from both Alex’s distant behavior and a few too many cocktails.

~I wonder if this healing ability can cure a hangover...~

Today, everyone is supposed to pair up with another person and go on a picnic together, which means security detail is going to be a nightmare.

The forest separates the pack from the border and that’s exactly where most couples will choose to have a romantic, secluded picnic.

I’m already feeling nauseous, but my stomach starts churning even worse when I see Maria waltz into view with Lola on her arm. That can only mean…

Sure enough, Alex isn’t far behind, carrying a loaded picnic basket.

I know he has to choose someone for this event, but why in Goddess’s name does it have to be her?

Lola doesn’t just rub me the wrong way because she’s vying for Alex’s attention, there’s something about her that just seems fake—like she’s putting on a front, trying to be who she thinks Alex wants her to be.

I notice Alex glance in my direction, but my vision is suddenly obscured by a screaming banshee.

“ARIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEELLL!”

A pair of slender arms swings around my neck, as my best friend Amy jumps on me from out of nowhere.

“Oh my Goddess, Amy! What the hell are you doing here?” I ask, hugging her back.

“I’m here for the mating weekend! And to see my favorite bitch, duh,” she says, pumping her fists.

“Xavier was a real dick about letting me come,” she continues, “but James helped convince him. Plus I offered to babysit for his kid.”

She takes a step back and looks me up and down.

“Wow, ~nice~ armor. You’re ~totally~ gonna get all the boys dressed like that,” she says sarcastically.

“I’m working,” I say, sighing. “The whole weekend.”

“Ugh, gross,” she replies. “I was hoping we’d break some hearts together this weekend.”

As I look at the ground, tears well up in my eyes. Amy immediately turns down her energy and gives my hand a comforting squeeze.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say it’s your heart that’s broken,” Amy says, lifting up my chin. “Come on, baby girl, tell me what’s going on. Is it Alex?”

I nod, wiping away my tears. “Dammit, I don’t want to cry.”

“It’s okay to have emotions, Ari.”

“I know, it’s just…Amy, I’ve been tortured by hunters and this somehow feels worse.”

Amy sighs and puts her arm around me. “That’s called love, Ari.”

~Love!?~

“You’ve said a lot of crazy things over the years, Amy, but that probably tops them all. I’m not in ~love~ with him. I just…like him…a lot.”

She shoots me a skeptical look, but her eyes quickly glide over to a muscle-bound hunk who is checking out his reflection in a butter knife.

~Just Amy’s type.~

“Okay, we’re going to continue this conversation later, but right now I need this pretty pinhead to take me on a picnic,” she says, as she runs over to him. “This isn’t over!”

I start giggling, but my smile is wiped clean off my face when I turn around and Maria is just inches away from me.

~Goddess, how long has she been there?~

“Hello, Ariel, darling,” she says with her condescending tone. “You look so ~sharp~ in that armor.”

~Yeah, my sword is sharp too, bitch.~

“Can I help you with something?” I ask through clenched teeth.

“Yes, well…it’s probably nothing but…I overheard someone talking about how they caught some strange scents coming from the west border,” she says, furrowing her threaded eyebrows like she’s worried.

“The west border is just ~so~ secluded,” she continues, “I worry that if a couple were to go out there and rogues attacked…”

As annoying as it is that Maria is coming to me with this, I can’t ignore it. This sounds like a genuine security risk.

“Fine, I’ll go check it out,” I say.

“Splendid,” she replies as her lips curl into a smile.

***

I’m fairly deep in the woods and so far I haven’t caught any strange scents. I haven’t even seen any couples having their picnics out here.

~Maria is probably just fucking with me. I should’ve known.~

As I go a bit further, my nose suddenly picks up a scent, but not a strange one—a familiar one.

I push through some bushes and find myself at the edge of a clearing and in the middle of that clearing is Alex, having his picnic with Lola.

They’re laughing and reclining on the ground looking way too cozy for my liking.

I don’t actually want to see this, but for some reason, I can’t look away.

Alex’s back is to me, but Lola stops laughing when she sees me watching them.

~Shit, is she going to call me out and embarrass me?~

Instead, she sneers at me, then puckers her plump lips.

Lola aggressively grabs Alex by the collar and plants a kiss on him.

I feel like the ground has been pulled out from underneath me.

My heart is falling, falling, falling...and there’s no end in sight.

And the worst part is...

Alex is kissing her back.