Part 84

(POV - Aria)

When she woke, she was still curled up in his arms, her body aching from the position and a good fuck.

"You up?" he asked, his voice gravelly with exhaustion. She nodded, wondering if he'd stayed awake the entire time waiting for her to come to. He kissed her temple and squeezed her tight before letting go. "Let's get you cleaned up."

She let him help her to her feet, feeling a little wobbly and unsteady. He looked up at her from his seat, a sudden frown tugging at his mouth.

"Why were you sneaking around my office?"

She clammed up, her panic chasing away any lingering fatigue in an instant. She should tell the truth. There was no use lying once she'd already been caught.

"I wanted to find out why you were lying to me about April," she explained, lowering her eyes in shame.

"Why do you think I'm lying to you about April?"

She didn't look up.

"I know when you're lying, Marc," she said softly. "You don't lie often, so picking it up is easy. I just want to know why you're hiding things from me."

He huffed out a growl and got to his feet, startling her. She stumbled back in surprise, watching him carefully.

"I thought we were past this, Aria," he said angrily. "We dealt with this days ago."

"No," she refused, walking towards him and grabbing his elbow. "We're not past anything if it concerns my best friend."

His eyes shuttered and she recognized the cold exterior that shielded his true feelings from her, and before she could beg him to stop, to come back, he snapped.

"Follow me," he spat, sounding nothing like the wolf who had murmured in her ear just moments ago. Reluctantly, she followed him, her cheeks ablaze as he led her through the packhouse and out into the yard. She wondered if any of the wolves around them had heard her scream for Marcus while he was fucking her against the window in his office, but she quickly pushed the thought aside when she realized where he was leading her.

The medical rooms came into view and he shouldered the door open.

"Alpha, sir," Jonah greeted, leaping to his feet out of respect. "Oh, Aria, I mean, Luna, it's good to see you."

"Save it," Marcus snarled, shoving past Jonah and into the back. Aria followed him, shooting an apologetic glance at Jonah as she passed. He offered her a small smile and watched her go.

Marcus opened a series of complicated locks, each seemingly more extreme than the last, until the door finally swung open, revealing a hulking mass chained to the ground.

"April?" she whispered, her heart cracking into a thousand little pieces. The only thing that had remained familiar to Aria was her best friend's scent, even if it was mottled by fear.

The wolf before her thrashed against the chains holding her in place, unrecognizable despite Aria having trained with her for years. She watched as April fought to push herself into a corner, desperately terrified, not realizing that she was safe.

Aria fell to her knees, a pained sob escaping her lips as reality came crashing down around her.

"April?" she cried, wanting to crawl toward the wolf but knowing she'd get hurt. "It's okay, April. It's me, Aria, your best friend."

But April made no sign that she'd even heard Aria, let alone understood the words she'd spoken. She only growled and snapped at her bonds, her impossibly thin legs pulling wildly at the chains.

"How could you hide her from me?" Aria screamed, enraged that he hadn't only lied to her for days, but he'd hidden her best friend away from her, letting her believe that April was still in danger. "Why didn't you tell me?"

A growl ripped through the air and Marcus snarled. "I was protecting her from that crazed abusive mate of hers," he yelled, startling Aria. "And keeping you from seeing her in the worst possible way. I didn't want you to see her like this, knowing that there is nothing you could do to save her, damn it!"

He stormed out before she could get another word in, leaving her on her knees in front of her injured best friend, who couldn't even recognize her.

Her chest heaved, nausea roiling in her stomach. She placed both her hands flat on the cold floor, trying to steady herself as much as she could, gulping down air like it was water. There was a hand on her back suddenly, another gripping her hand and helping her to her feet.

It wasn't the pair of hands she'd hoped for, but she allowed them anyway, her body feeling as though it was shutting down.

"Here we go," Jonah said, his familiar voice soft beside her. He helped her walk back into the main rooms and set her down on a soft sofa. "I'll be right back," he promised, before disappearing.

She heard the locks on April's door being fitted back into place, the metallic clicking just a dull echo in the roaring of her ears. He was back in an instant, holding out a glass of water that she took gratefully.

"Slowly," he warned, his hand covering the glass just as she brought it up to her lips. "It's sugar water. It helps with the shock, but you have to take small sips, okay?"

She nodded wordlessly and did as he said, taking a small sip of the sweet water. Aria was no doctor and didn't know why the hell people always offered sweet drinks for shock, but she wasn't going to complain. The small task of holding the glass without letting its contents spill was enough to keep her mind preoccupied for a moment while she collected her bearings.

Jonah waited until she'd had half the glass before speaking, his voice quiet but reassuring.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, pottering around his office in search of something. She hummed, her throat a little rough with emotion.

"How long has she been here?"

Jonah turned around to face her, expressionless.

"A day or two," he answered, taking a deep breath before he explained further. "The Alpha had been planning to rescue her for a while, and he'd sent Jaden on a few scouting missions. They brought her back in a far worse condition, so the only bit of good news I can offer is that she is healing. Physically."

"What other kinds of injuries did she sustain?" Aria asked hesitantly, not entirely sure if she wanted to know the answer.

"Suffering such abuse at the hands of your true mate is unthinkable," Jonah said, looking as stricken as Aria felt. "It could leave mental scarring worse than that suffered when losing a mate."

"Oh, God," Aria cried, setting the glass down on his desk and burying her face in her hands. "I should have done something sooner."

"That's a great way to drive yourself insane," Jonah warned, reaching for her glass and handing it back to her so that she could finish it. She took a sip, the tears clinging to her lashes.

"Is there anything I can do to help her?" Aria begged. "Anything at all?"

Jonah's brows pinched in thought and he considered her question.

"With therapy," he explained, glancing off to the side. "Wolves are usually tricky creatures, but there might be something that could help her."

"Anything," Aria emphasized.

"You could talk to her," he said.

"Talk to her the way you used to, see if you can pull her out of the darkness until she at least recognizes a friendly face. It isn't doing her any good staying in her wolf form when she feels threatened and terrified."

"Just talk to her?" she asked. He nodded.

"I don't know if the Alpha will be okay with it, but it might be the only chance to bring her back."

"Fuck him," Aria huffed, swiping at a stray tear that burned a trail down her cheek. "He kept this from me, knowing that I needed to help. I don't care if he likes it or not."

Despite the fear evident in his clear eyes, Jonah smiled a little.

"At least you're feeling better," he noted. "Have there been any new developments since your last visit?"

She shook her head, shame coloring her face as she recalled that she still hadn't broken the news to Marcus.

"He doesn't know yet," Jonah guessed, interpreting her frown correctly. "Are you worried that he might react badly?"

"I don't know what to expect, Jonah," Aria admitted, her fingers tugging at a loose thread on her sleeve. "Given his history, he'd be well within his rights to be afraid of having a child. And I honestly have no idea how to tell him."

Jonah pursed his lips, looking unsure of how to help. She felt bad; it really wasn't his problem, and she'd caused enough trouble already.

"I'm sorry," she chuckled, hands on her knees. "I know that you have more important things to attend to. I'll get out of your way."

"No, Luna," he said sincerely. "You are the most important thing, and your wellbeing is always my priority. I hope you can trust me to take care of you."

She smiled at him, so grateful for whichever of her ancestors were smiling upon her. There could have been no better pack for her than Marcus's, and despite the rocky road, she didn't want to be anywhere else.

She just needed to tread lightly with April to make sure she came back to Aria as unscathed as possible.