Chapter 36: 37: Road to Recovery

ARIEL

“Alex, wait!” I shout as I chase him through the pouring rain.

He doesn’t turn back or acknowledge me. He just keeps trudging through the muddy streets.

I can only imagine how bad it must’ve looked to see me pinning down my ex-destined mate, but it wasn’t even remotely sexual.

If anything, it was therapeutic to beat the shit out of him.

I finally catch up to Alex and grab him by the arm, but he brushes me off.

“Alex, listen to me!” I shout.

He whips around, and his fangs are bared.

“I ~knew~ it was a bad idea for you to be around him!” he growls. “You’re destined fucking mates!”

“~Ex~-destined mates!” I say, pushing my wet hair out of my face. “And he means nothing to me!”

“Ariel, our destined mates always mean something to us. It’s how we’re wired,” Alex replies gruffly.

“Even if you don’t feel that pull now,” he continues, “it doesn’t mean you won’t in the future. And it doesn’t mean that he isn’t already feeling it.”

“He’s the one who broke our bond!” I shout, trying to get him to see reason. “Why would he want anything to do with me?”

“Because he made a fucking mistake!” Alex shouts back. “He’d be the biggest fool in the world if he couldn’t see that!”

I’m stunned into silence.

I didn’t realize Alex felt this way about me working with Xavier.

“That may have been a harmless sparring match to you, but I guarantee it wasn’t to him,” he says, looking hurt.

I wrap my arms around Alex’s wet body as the rain continues to beat against us.

I lift my chin and gaze into his radiant green eyes. “Alex, I want to make something crystal clear…”

“What?” he asks hesitantly.

“Fuck destiny. Fuck fate. Fuck all of that. It’s ~you~ and ~me.~ We write our own story.”

I feel my feet lift off the ground as Alex picks me up by my waist and spins me around, my legs slicing through the falling rain.

He passionately presses his lips against mine.

I don’t care that I’m supposed to be drawn to my “destined” mate.

~This~ is the man I want to be with.

I feel tears spilling down my cheeks, but they mix in with the raindrops.

Alex means everything to me, even if it’s hard for me to convey that sometimes.

I’m still very much a work in progress.

He grabs me by the hand and leads me over to a café awning, where we find shelter from the rain.

I laugh as I look at our reflection in the glass window.

Two drenched werewolves.

I feel my inner wolf shaking out her fur in annoyance, but I’m glad I had this moment with Alex.

As I huddle close to him for warmth, he strokes my hair.

“Ariel…can I ask you something?”

“Of course,” I reply, placing my head on his chest.

“What did my mother say to you?”

~Oh right, there’s still that…~

I pull away and look at him seriously. He deserves the truth about how I’m feeling.

“She…wants me to convince you to have a mating ceremony right away,” I say, resting my hand on his wet T-shirt. “But Alex… I don’t know if…”

“Ariel, believe me when I say that I have nothing to do with this,” he says, placing his hand on mine. “I know it’s too soon for that. I don’t want you to feel any pressure.”

I nod, feeling grateful for his patience.

“We’re both still working through the traumas of our past,” he says. “The last thing we need to do is rush into something this important before we’re ready.”

I feel as though a weight is lifted off of me. Alex has relieved the pressure that I’ve been feeling about our relationship.

“Thank you for understanding,” I say, kissing him on the cheek.

“I just wish my mother understood,” he replies, growling. “You’d think she’d have learned by now.”

“Don’t be too hard on her. I think she just wants to see you happy,” I say, surprised that I’m giving Maria the benefit of the doubt.

“As long as you’re happy…” he says, pulling me close. “Then so am I.”

***

I feel like it’s best to steer clear of Xavier for the rest of the night, so I head back to Steve and Louisa’s instead.

I invite Helena over for some company, and Louisa fixes the three of us some hot tea.

“Steve doesn’t want to join the girls for tea?” I ask Louisa, giggling a bit.

“I think he’d rather brave the storm and patrol,” she replies, laughing.

“Not Dom. He’ll eat all the pastries, drink all the tea, and insert himself into every conversation,” Helena says, shaking her head. “I had to practically beat him away with a stick as I was leaving.”

Helena is ~exceedingly~ pregnant and looks like she could burst at any second. Since we werewolves carry for less than half the time of humans, she actually might.

I’m glad I have these women in my life, and right now, I’m in desperate need of their perspective.

“Is it bad that I don’t feel ready to officially get mated to Alex?” I ask abruptly before taking a sip of tea, hiding behind my cup.

Helena and Louisa look at each other and then at me.

“Ariel, why would you think that’s bad?” Helena asks.

“Well because…just look at you and Dom. You had your mating ceremony just weeks after finding out you were mates. And now you’re about to have a pup! Am I holding Alex back?”

Helena sets her tea down and gives me a stern look.

She might be all “flower child vibes,” but right now, she’s about to let me have it.

“First of all, Dom and I haven’t gone through what you and Alex have,” she says.

“You were kidnapped and tortured for two years, and Alex lost his destined mate for Goddess’ sake. It’s not a race, Ariel. Not everyone should move as fast as Dom and I did.”

I nod, feeling slightly better, but I still have my doubts. “What if Alex is ready before me, though?”

“Then he’ll wait for you, dear,” Louisa says comfortingly. “He loves you. He’s not going to pressure you into something you’re not ready for.”

“And if he does, he’ll have us to answer to,” Helena huffs into her hot tea. “You may have your warrior squad to look out for, but you have your girl squad looking out for you.”

I laugh, and it feels good to let go of my worries for a moment.

I know they’re right. But it’s not just Alex that I’m worried about…

It’s all fine and good for him to say that he’s willing to wait for me, but I don’t have a deadline for when I’ll get over my trauma.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that.

I’m frustrated that I still don’t feel normal after what the hunters did to me.

How long will it take to recover?

Sometimes I wonder…

~Will I ever feel normal?~

ALEX

I still can’t believe the nerve of my mother.

Trying to pressure Ariel into a mating ceremony after all she’s been through.

I can’t act like it hasn’t been on my mind as well, but I’d never try to manipulate her into getting mated before she’s ready.

Ariel is the strongest person I know, but at the same time, she’s very fragile.

She’s been broken and is only just starting to heal.

I understand that better than anyone.

It’s why I allowed her to bring a stranger into the pack.

In all honesty, helping him through his pain may very well help her deal with her own.

Ariel is so adept at healing others, but when it comes to herself, it’s a long and difficult road.

But the road to recovery always is…

No matter how bumpy that road gets, I’ll be right by Ariel’s side.

And my mother needs to know that she can’t push Ariel around or get in the middle of our relationship anymore.

I ask for my mother to meet me alone because I don’t want my dad to have to hear this.

She knocks softly and enters my chambers, looking anxious.

“I spoke to Ariel,” I say immediately.

“Alex, I…”

“Don’t,” I say, raising my hand. “You tried to scheme and manipulate, just like you always do.”

She looks hurt by my words, but I have to be harsh so she learns her lesson.

“Ariel and I can make our own decisions when it comes to our relationship. And if she isn’t ready to get mated, then neither am I. You just need to accept that.”

“Alex, none of this is what you think!” she says frantically, on the verge of tears.

“Then what is it?” I ask coldly. “Because it seems to me like you’re back to your old tri—”

“He’s dying, Alex!” she blurts out, tears now streaming down her face. “Your father is dying!”

My whole body seizes up, and I feel sick to my stomach.

“I…I just wanted your father to see you happy and mated before he passes on,” she says, getting choked up. “I’m… I’m sorry. But…”

She looks at me, tears welling up in her eyes, but she blinks them away.

“He may not even last the year.”