Chapter 42: 43: A Stolen Kiss

ARIEL

~Xavier.~

~My ex-destined mate…~

~My SISTER’S mate…~

~Is kissing me!~

~No.~

~This can’t be happening.~

~I can’t do this.~

I pull away.

Or I try to, at least.

It feels like our lips are two magnets drawn together.

I press my hands against his chest and, with all the physical and emotional strength I can muster, push him away from me.

He’s looking at me with a coy smile.

I don’t know what to say.

Kissing Xavier was my teenage fantasy, and to be honest, his lips feel as good as I dreamed they would.

But I don’t want that fantasy anymore. Our window of opportunity to be mates closed long ago.

Something in me thinks that Xavier doesn’t necessarily agree. He licks his lips hungrily and takes another step toward me as I back away.

“Xavier, stop.”

“I know you feel it,” he says. “Our bond isn’t gone. This feels right. Nothing has felt this right for a long time.”

“Xavier, no. You’re just upset. Your son is missing and you’re—you’re—”

“I don’t care why. I just know what I want to do right now. I just—” He draws me toward him again, and I’m practically electrocuted by the spark I feel when he touches my waist.

But I can’t kiss him again, even if my body wants to.

“No,” I say, one more time for good measure.

I swing the door open and stumble inside.

He calls after me. “I’m staying at the Royal Pack Inn tonight. Room 14,” he says. “Come see me if you change your mind. Please change your mind.”

Before he can get another word in, I slam the door shut in his face.

What the ~fuck~ was that?

ANGEL

Sitting on top of the water tower with Dom and Alex, I can’t help but feel like one of the boys.

Each of us has a beer in hand as we all laugh hysterically at Dom’s stupid jokes.

This is a nice respite from the all-consuming mystery of my existence.

For just an afternoon, I can feel normal.

And I really do like the company of these two.

Especially when I’m more than a little tipsy.

“It’s not gonna be so easy to drink in the middle of the day when the pup comes,” Alex says, elbowing Dom.

“Wait—babies can’t drink alcohol?” Dom chortles.

“I’m being serious,” Alex says. “Things are about to change. This is the end of an era.”

“To the end of an era,” Dom says, lifting up his bottle. “And the beginning of a new one.”

We all clink bottles.

“The new era might be starting real soon,” Dom adds.

For some reason, when Dom said that, I felt my skin start to crawl.

“You should ask the doctor to inject you with some drugs too, so you can stay calm during the birth,” Alex says.

“I wish, man. But Helena’s actually gonna try to do the whole thing ~au naturel.~ Damn superwoman.”

Alex is smiling. But I’m not.

This conversation is making me extremely, overwhelmingly nauseous. And I have no idea why.

~Doctor.~

~Pup.~

~Drugs.~

~Inject.~

I shut my eyes to stop the vertigo.

~But when I open them again, I’m not looking over the perimeter of the Royal Pack.~

~Instead, I’m looking at the grimacing face of a hunter.~

~A name flashes through my mind:~

~Soldier…the Silver Soldier.~

~What the—~

~He holds a glistening syringe over me.~

~My eyes are locked on the needle.~

~It’s making me dizzy.~

~The Silver Soldier’s mouth is moving.~

~I can’t hear him.~

~What is he saying?~

~I think he’s talking to me.~

~I narrow in on his lips, trying to interpret the contortions of his mouth.~

~And then, I make out his words.~

~“You’re nearly ready,” he says. “You’re going to do a great job.”~

~Huh?~

~But I don’t have time to question this sentiment anymore because he plunges the needle into my arm.~

I cry out at the top of my lungs—and suddenly I’m back.

I’m on top of the water tower again. Alex has his hand on my shoulder. And I’m shaking, drenched in a cold sweat. “Are you okay, dude?” he asks me.

“Sorry—I—”

“You don’t look so good,” he says.

“Yeah, it’s just—too much to drink on an empty stomach,” I say.

Alex nods. “For sure. Why don’t we all head back. It’s about that time anyway.”

“Okay,” I reply, gathering the empty bottles in my arms.

Alex and Dom continue talking as we make our way toward the palace, but all I can hear are the hunter’s words ringing in my head.

~“You’re nearly ready.”~

~Ready for what?~

ARIEL

After staring at the closed door in shock for a while longer, I finally turn around, desperate to collapse into the warmth of my bed for a shred of comfort.

But as I approach the stairs, I peek into the living room and see Steve and Louisa curled up on the couch together.

If I go straight to my room, I’ll drown in my own confusion and anxiety.

I need to talk about what just happened, and this is my chance.

As I walk toward them, they wave me over.

“Ariel, sweetie! Come sit!” Louisa motions me toward the chair opposite them.

I’ve been so distracted lately that I haven’t gotten to spend much quality time with Steve and Louisa. And I could use some parental advice right about now.

Like my father, Steve always seems to be able to gauge my mood by my facial expressions. “Are you okay?” he asks as soon as he gets a good look at me.

I shake my head.

“What happened?” Louisa sits forward.

I take a deep breath. I know how ridiculous my next words will sound coming out of my mouth. “Xavier kissed me.”

“WHAT?” Louisa looks floored.

Steve shoots up. “That little—I’ll kick his ass!”

“He left,” I said.

Louisa pulls Steve back down next to her. “Let’s hold off on the ass-kicking for a second. How do you feel?” she asks me.

“Alex is going to freak out.”

“Forget about Alex for a second too. How do ~you~ feel?”

I pause. I haven’t even had a moment to fully process what just happened.

“Xavier is a stuck-up asshole with a gnarly temper. I know that. But—when I’m with him—my body—it longs for him. And I hate myself for it.”

“Hey,” Louisa says, “don’t be so hard on yourself.”

“I’m a bad person.”

Louisa shakes her head vigorously. “No, Ariel. You’re not.”

“Actually, you’re one of the best people I know,” Steve chimes in.

“Feelings come and go,” Louisa says. “There’s no shame in them. But actions make the woman.”

“So…what should I do now?” I ask, though I know the answer.

“Talk to Alex,” she replies.

“What should I tell him?”

“The truth. No more, no less.”

“That’s always worked for us,” Steve agrees.

“I understand what you’re going through,” Louisa continues. “Because you and Alex are not destined mates, there will be a constant feeling that you need to fight for your relationship.”

She puts her hand on Steve’s, and he pulls her closer to him.

“But over time, I’ve realized that it’s a good thing to always fight for your bond. It means that neither of you will ever take it for granted.”

“I know Alex. He loves you,” Steve says. “Tell him what happened, and he will understand.”

“Okay,” I say, “I’m gonna do it now.”

They’re right. I need to get this off my chest before it crushes me.

Before it crushes ~us.~

***

As I weave through the palace halls, I psych myself up.

~You can do this.~

~Alex loves you.~

~You love him.~

~Everything will be fine.~

And now I hear it. Alex’s voice.

And Dom’s. And Angel’s.

I round a corner and see them.

Alex spots me and comes rushing toward me, holding empty beer bottles in both of his hands.

“Ariel!” he calls out.

He puts the bottles down next to my feet and sweeps me off of them, spinning me around. “You’re back! Thank Goddess!” he says, planting a huge kiss on my lips.

I can taste the alcohol on his breath.

Dom whistles behind us. “Looks like you two could use some time alone,” he says, grabbing Angel by the arm. And just like that, they disappear into an adjoining room.

“How’d it go?” Alex asks me. “Did you find anything?”

I shake my head.

“Damn,” he says. “At least you made it back in one beautiful piece.”

He squeezes me into him again.

“Alex…” I say, launching in before I chicken out. “Something happened with Xavier.”

I feel his body tense against mine.

“What?” he asks.

“He kissed me,” I say. “But I—”

Alex takes a step away, releasing his hold on me.

“Alex—wait.” I walk toward him, but he continues to back away.

The light in his eyes is dimmed by a large gray cloud.

I hate that he’s hurting. Even more, I hate that I’m the one hurting him.

“Where is he?” he asks me.

“Don’t worry,” I say, “he’s not here.”

“Ariel,” he says, more sternly this time. “Where is he?”

There’s a darkness in his tone that I’ve never seen.

It’s not just simple jealousy. Or even hurt.

He’s fucking pissed.

“He’s…staying the night at the Royal Pack Inn,” I say.

As soon as those words escape my lips, Alex has taken off in a mad dash, running down the palace halls.

“Alex!” I call out to him, but his pace only quickens further.

~Shit! He’s drunk and ready to kick Xavier’s ass.~

I run after him.