Chapter 31: 32: Hostile Homecoming

ARIEL

Natalia paces around the lavish living room like a caged animal, screaming her head off.

“How could you bring her here? After everything that she’s done! And without even telling me!?”

For the last thirty minutes, she’s been furiously talking about me as if I’m not there in the room with her.

Unfortunately, I don’t see her calming down anytime soon.

My dad comfortingly holds his arm around me as my mom avoids eye contact with me.

She can’t be any happier to see me than Natalia is…

Xavier looks like he’s ready to explode, but surprisingly, it’s not at me.

His fierce brown eyes are locked on Natalia.

“I had to do something! My heir is being held by the Hunters! Who better to track them than someone who knows how they operate!?”

“Your ~heir~ is also my ~son~!” she snarls. “And every second that passes with little Xavi missing is a second that he could be…” Her voice trails off, fear overtaking her anger for a moment.

~Xavi…~

It’s strange to think that this is the first time I’m hearing my own nephew’s name.

“That’s ~exactly~ why I went to Ariel!” Xavier shouts. “She can help!”

“Ariel never helps!” Natalia screams, shooting me a nasty look. “She only makes things worse!”

I want to interject but it seems like a bad idea.

I know Natalia. She has to get this out of her system.

“We can’t trust her!” Natalia says, choking back an angry sob. “She tried to kill me! Or did you forget that, Xavier? She attacked me while I was ~pregnant~!”

“She was instinctually defending her claim to her destined mate!” Xavier spat back.

~Oh shit.~

~He went THERE.~

The “D” word is probably not the best thing to be throwing around right now.

Natalia looks like she’s just been shot through the heart.

“You…you broke your bond,” she stammers. “Ariel isn’t your des… She’s not your mate anymore.”

“I know that!” Xavier growls. “I’m just trying to get you to see how irrational you’re being!”

“Of course I’m irrational! I just lost my child!” she screams. “And I don’t want you anywhere near ~her~!”

“I’m the ~fucking~ Alpha! You don’t get to decide what I do or who I associate with!” Xavier’s roar reverberates throughout the room.

Natalia shuts her lips tightly, tears streaming down her face.

My mother looks at me for the first time since I entered the room, giving me a wary glance. Dad’s arm tightens around my shoulders.

As much as I hate Natalia most of the time, I can understand her distrust.

Even Alex has the same fear about Xavier and me being together.

Even though I have no control over it, I ~am~ Xavier’s destined mate.

Or at least I ~was~...

That’s something that Natalia will never forgive nor forget.

And as much as I want to...

I can’t seem to forget it either.

***

Seeing that the argument isn’t about to die down anytime soon, I decide to remove myself.

Besides my dad, I don’t think anyone even notices when I slip out of the room.

As the shouting match continues, I begin to wander the halls of the impressive mansion.

I walk up the main staircase and turn the corner, seeing a row of paintings memorializing past Alphas.

Xavier’s life is all about lineage.

It’s strange to think that if I’d never been taken by the Hunters, my life would center around this lineage as well.

I’d be the one who gave Xavier an heir.

The thought makes me shudder. That’s not the life I ever wanted.

As I pass an open door, I stop in my tracks.

In the middle of the room is a crib.

~This must be Xavi’s room...~

I cautiously enter and peer into the empty crib.

It’s covered in tiny claw marks, and hanging above it is a mobile with adorable little toy wolves of different colors.

My eyes grow misty, and I try to fight back the tears.

I’ve never even met my nephew, but I still feel connected to him.

~To think of what the Hunters want with him...~

I feel a hand suddenly rest on my shoulder.

“When he was taken…” Dad’s voice is strained. I turn around to face him and see that he’s fighting back tears as well. “It... it reminded me of when we lost you.”

Tears start to stream down his face.

“I can’t go through that again,” he murmurs. “It... it nearly broke me the first time.”

“Dad… Now my cheeks are wet with tears.”

I throw my arms around him, and we both let ourselves cry.

About what happened in the past…

About what’s happening now…

“Ariel, please… you have to get him back,” Dad says, his voice cracking.

I hold my father close, and he kisses my forehead.

“I promise,” I say softly.

***

After Natalia’s yelling stops echoing throughout the mansion, Xavier calls me back into his office.

Apparently, she agreed to calm down on the condition that she never has to be in the same room as me.

~Fine by me.~

At least it’ll limit further fighting so we can focus on finding Xavi.

“I’m sorry about before,” he says, sighing and pouring himself a glass of whiskey as I sit across from him. “You know how she gets.”

I nod, staring at him.

His eyes look tired, and his face weary. A couple of days’ worth of stubble covers his jaw.

It’s so weird that Xavier is apologizing for Nat’s behavior.

It’s even weirder that he’s being civil toward me at all.

Despite our strange and uncertain situation, I at least know one thing for sure.

The Xavier who sits across from me right now is a different person than the cocky asshole who broke our bond with no hesitation.

“Do you have a chart of everywhere you’ve already searched?” I ask, changing the subject and throwing myself into the investigation.

Xavier lays out a large map across the desk. “Yes. Here’s where the trail went cold,” he says, pointing to a wooded area.

“Let’s start there tomorrow,” I say. “If we split your warriors into teams of two and sweep across the forest in a line, we should be able to cover the most ground.”

He nods. “Good idea. I’ll call the pack warriors; we’ll start immediately.”

I glance out the window. The sun has already set, and dusk is setting in.

“I hate to say it, but all that arguing killed the daylight we had. We need to be as thorough as possible, and it’s too easy to miss something in the dark. We should go first thing tomorrow.”

I can see impatience and anger rise up in his face.

The thought of another night without Xavi weighs heavily on him.

“We’ll find him,” I say gently. “I promise.”

He looks at me, softening. The hardness in his face melts away.

“Okay,” he says softly. “I trust you.”

***

I stare up at the dark ceiling, unable to sleep. My mind is too restless.

It feels so strange to be back in the Crescent Moon Pack.

~To be back in my childhood house.~

I never thought I’d even be allowed in here again.

And even though it feels a bit uncomfortable…

~It still really does feel like home.~

Because my mom repurposed my bedroom into a nursery for Xavi, my dad made my bed on the big leather couch in the garage.

~My dad’s man cave.~

I don’t mind. I’ve spent so many nights here—falling asleep after watching cheesy movies with my dad.

The sheer weight of how much I’ve missed this place hits me all at once, and I feel myself start to tear up.

~DING!~

I peer over to look at my bright phone, and a smile cuts through the nostalgia.

It’s a text from Alex.

Alex

Hey stranger 😏

Ariel

Hiii

Alex

How was ur day?

Ariel

Eh, fine…

Ariel

Natalia screamed at me

Ariel

my mom barely looked at me

Ariel

and I’m stuck with my ex-mate

Ariel

Nothing beats coming home😑

Alex

I miss you like crazy already

Ariel

I miss you too Alex❤️

Alex

This king-sized bed is just wayyyy too empty now…

Ariel

😂😂😂

Alex

Seriously. I’m dying to feel your skin against mine

ARIEL

Just reading those words, I can almost feel Alex’s warm skin pulling me closer.

His fingers leaving trails of pleasure as they work down my body.

His soft kisses on my neck.

This probably isn’t the time or the place but…

~I can’t help myself.~

After this crazy day, I ~need~ a release.

I feel my hand go under the covers, and I let out a soft moan as my fingers find their way in between my legs.

Ariel

I want u so badly right now…

Alex

I wanna be inside you

Alex

I want to start slow, teasing you

Alex

Slow enough that you can feel…

Alex

Every

Alex

Single

Alex

Inch

Ariel

Fuck🤤

Alex

Then I keep going

Alex

Faster and faster

Alex

Grinding you against me

Alex

Holding it till I can’t anymore

ARIEL

I moan, dropping my phone, rubbing the flood of wetness between my legs, unbearably close to climax.

My eyes shut, I imagine grabbing Alex’s chest as he groans and makes his final thrusts, and we both climax together, a gushing overflow of pleasure overtaking my body.

I hold still, aware of the quivers running through my body until they slowly subside.

Feeling myself come back to reality, I pick up my phone again.

Ariel

Wow

Ariel

You were right here with me

Alex

You were right here too

Ariel

All I wanna do is hold u right now

Alex

Find your nephew quick and get your ass back over here

Alex

I’m waiting for you baby

Ariel

I love you 😘

Alex

I love you too. goodnight🌙🌻

I sigh, putting my phone down.

~That was exactly what I needed.~

My eyelids feel suddenly heavy, and my body completely relaxed.

I wish more than anything that I could fall asleep in Alex’s arms, but it’ll have to wait for now.

~I’ve got a big day tomorrow.~

Grabbing a big pillow and imagining that I’m snuggling up next to Alex in postcoital bliss, I close my eyes and drift off.

***

~Somewhere, right in between the place where dream meets reality, I hear a voice softly calling my name.~

~“Ariel.”~

~At first, I wonder if it’s Alex whispering in my ear.~

~But it’s not Alex’s voice.~

~It’s Selene.~

~It’s been so long since I’ve heard her voice, I almost didn’t recognize it.~

~“My sister, Fate, is not done with you yet, Ariel.”~

~“There are others who have been taken by the Hunters,”~ Selene’s voice says. ~“Others like you…”~