Chapter 29: 29: Healing

ARIEL

Alex just said the five words I’ve always wanted to hear.

But as he asked me to be his mate, I realized that it’s not actually the words themselves that matter.

It’s the way they are said.

And from Alex’s voice and the look in his eyes, I finally believe that he has let go of his past and is ready to be with me.

“Mate,” I confirm, and as the word escapes my mouth, his pillowy lips crash into mine.

“I love you so much, Ariel,” he tells me, kissing his way up my nose and onto my fluttering eyelids.

“I love you too, Alex.”

It’s true.

I am in love with this man.

I think I might have loved him at first sight. Before any of this ever happened. Before I even knew that he was king.

~Oh my Goddess…~

“But wait,” I say, suddenly pushing him off me.

“What’s the matter?”

“You’re the king!”

“Yeah…”

“So if I become your mate, that would make me—”

“My queen,” he says, running his fingers through my hair. “My beautiful queen.”

My body freezes as the reality of that insane fact sinks in for the first time.

I was so consumed with ~him~ that I forgot about all of the responsibilities involved in actually being ~with~ him—in being the queen of the werewolves.

~Holy shit!~

The thought alone scares the life out of me.

~I’m not sure that I can…~

“Shhhh…” His breath is soft against my ear.

He must be able to tell that my mind is spinning.

“Don’t worry about any of that now. We don’t need to make it official until you’re sure that you’re ready.”

“Really?”

“Of course,” he says.

“But what will everyone in the kingdom think?”

“Who gives a fuck what they think?” he says. “All that matters is me and you, Ariel. Just me and you.”

He kisses me gently on the forehead, and I feel all my worries about the future start to slip away.

***

^TWO WEEKS LATER^

The silk sheets caress my bare skin as I stretch, trying to catch the warmth of the sunlight that’s peeking through the large bay window.

As I stretch out my arms, I narrowly miss hitting Alex across the head.

He snores softly, his head fusing with his pillow.

His muscular chest heaves in and out with each shallow breath.

I can’t help but smile to myself.

I like waking up next to Alex. It gives me a sense of comfort that I haven’t felt in…well…~ever~.

Just weeks ago, I was feral and unbalanced, stuck in my wolf form, unable to control the pain inside me.

But Alex brought me back from the edge. In a sense, ~he~ healed ~me~.

But despite my progress, I still have a lot of issues to deal with… Intimacy and affection don’t come easy to me. Not after everything that happened with the Hunters.

So, even though I like waking up next to Alex, I haven’t moved into the palace.

~Which is why I should probably get out of here before he wakes up!~

I quietly slip out of bed, careful not to disturb him. As I stealthily wrap the sheet around my naked body, I leave Alex uncovered. My eyes widen at his morning stiffness.

His manhood is giving me quite the ~salute~. Blushing, I quickly turn away and immediately stub my toe on the bedpost.

“Son of a—” I quickly throw my hand over my mouth, but I’m too late.

Alex stirs awake and shoots me a playful grin as his eyes drink in my body, only loosely covered by the silk sheet.

“Well, good morning,” he says, propping himself up on his elbow. “Where are you running off to?”

“Um, I was just about to head back to Steve and Louisa’s,” I reply, flustered. “I told Louisa I’d help her with the, uh, gardening and…”

“Ariel,” Alex says reproachfully. “You’ve left before I wake up almost every morning this week. Would it really be so terrible to stay for a coffee or something?”

I bite my lip, not wanting to make a big deal of it. Of course that sounds appealing, but…

“I’m beginning to feel used,” he says jokingly. “You only want me till the morning.”

“You know that’s not it,” I say, walking back toward the bed. “You agreed that we should ease into this.”

Alex grabs my hand and pulls me next to him, my sheet floating wispily to the floor. As our naked bodies press against each other, my heart begins to race.

“I have no problem ~easing~ into it,” he says, his manhood throbbing against my leg.

Before I can stop myself, I’m straddling Alex and running my fingers through his golden-blond hair. My lips meet his, and the spark that it creates surges through my veins.

I might want to take this slow, but my ~body~ has other ideas. Alex’s hands grip my hips as I begin to gyrate them. I feel my wolf in the back of my mind, nudging me to submit to my urges.

Sex is just animal instinct after all.

~We already did it last night, so why not do it again?~

Except sex with Alex isn’t just animalistic… It’s so much deeper than that. So I need to maintain the boundaries that I put in place.

~No matter how badly I want to feel him inside me right now…~

As I pull away from his embrace, I hear my wolf whimper.

“Is everything okay?” Alex asks, looking at me with concern.

“It’s nothing that you’re doing wrong. I promise,” I say, clasping his hand.

Alex smiles at me affectionately and pecks me on the cheek. “There’s no rush. Healing takes time. I’m here for you in whatever capacity you need me to be.”

My heart swells ten times its normal size as I look into Alex’s earnest eyes.

~Thank the Goddess that I have someone like him in my life.~

***

I hurry through the hallways of the palace, keeping my head down.

It’s common knowledge among the other pack warriors that Alex and I have a ~thing~. But that doesn’t make it any less awkward when they see me leaving his chambers in the early hours of the morning.

I know that some of them whisper about it… And a few even throw shady glances my way during training exercises. But there’s one person in particular who gives me endless shit about it.

And as I anxiously round the corner, I find myself face-to-face with him.

“Well, well, ~well~,” Dom chides, giving me a smug look. “Someone is doing the walk of shame. ~Again~.”

This little exchange has basically become our morning routine.

“Please don’t tell anyone. I can’t handle the scandal,” I say, my tone dripping with sarcasm.

“What would your mother say?” he asks in mock indignation.

“Trust me, I couldn’t possibly disappoint her any more than I already have,” I reply half-jokingly, but also…it’s the sad truth.

I haven’t even spoken to my mother in months. Or my sister for that matter.

“How’s Helena doing?” I ask, trying to get my mind off my family. “She looks like she’s about to burst. And so do you.”

I playfully poke Dom in the gut.

“Hey, I might be a dad soon, but I haven’t gone full dad bod yet…have I?”

“I’m just saying that you might not want to skip any more sparring sessions,” I reply with a grin.

“I take offense to your body shaming,” he says, giving me a little side-eye.

“But seriously”—Dom slings his arm around my shoulder—“I’m happy that I’m seeing you smile every morning. You and Alex have come a long way.”

“Thanks,” I say, leaning into him and sighing. “Things are really good right now. I just don’t want to fuck them up.”

“You won’t,” he replies, giving my shoulder an encouraging squeeze. “Just leave that to Alex.”

I laugh as I elbow him in the ribs. “Hey, don’t jinx us!”

But despite my worries, for the first time in a long time…

I feel genuinely good about what the future holds.

***

When I get home to Steve and Louisa’s, I expect the smell of sizzling bacon and fresh eggs, but instead, another scent hits me as I walk through the door.

It’s a familiar scent, but for some reason I can’t place it. Like a scent that I used to know well but have somehow forgotten… I clutch the edge of the table, starting to feel a bit dizzy.

“Steve! Louisa! Are you here?” I call out, but nobody answers.

I stumble up the stairs toward my room as the scent gets stronger.

My bedroom door is slightly ajar, and the strange scent is wafting out.

Slowly, I push inside my room.

I throw my hand over my mouth as I see an unexpected visitor sitting on my bed.

Now I remember the scent.

~Firewood and clover.~

And now I know why I’d forgotten it.

My ex-destined mate.

~Xavier.~

I’m hit by a tidal wave of emotion.

I don’t know whether to draw my claws or cry.

But right now, Xavier doesn’t look like the arrogant alpha who exiled me from my pack.

Instead he looks completely…

~Broken.~

He stares at me intently, his eyes pleading, and my heart begins to race.

“Ariel… I need your help.”