Chapter 44: 45: An Indecent Proposal

ARIEL

I lie in bed and stare at the ceiling for what feels like hours.

I rack my brain, trying to think of what I could do to put myself back into the good graces of the Moon Goddess.

There’s only one thing that is glaringly obvious to me…

Every time I spend an extended amount of time with Xavier, I hear nothing from Selene.

Complete radio silence.

Another thing that I know is that I love Alex in every way—mind, body, and soul.

There’s just one small piece of me that wants Xavier—the part that can’t deny our mating bond.

Even if it’s broken, it hasn’t disappeared. Not completely.

I need to learn how to regain control of that part of me. If I can master it, starve it until it disappears, then I can get a fucking grip and be in the driver’s seat of my life.

Discipline over that part of myself will set me free.

Meditating on that thought, I drift off to sleep.

***

When I awake sometime later, I reach onto the bedside table to look at my phone.

There are a bunch of unread texts, but not from Alex as I had hoped.

Instead, I see that Dom tried to get in touch with me five hours ago.

Dom

the baby is coming!!

Dom

get 2 the hospital now!

Dom

this idiot is gonna be a dad!!!!!! 😱😍😱😍

~Oh my Goddess.~

I scramble out of bed as fast as I can, shoving my bed head into a messy bun. Moments later, I’m shoving my phone into my pocket, grabbing a jacket, and rushing out the door.

***

Around the corner from the hospital, I stop at a newsstand and pick up a copy of today’s Royal Pack Times—a souvenir for Dom and Helena.

I had planned to buy them a better gift, but, being away so much lately, it slipped my mind.

I pay for the paper and then rush toward the doors of the hospital.

But I stop in my tracks when I see Dom and Alex standing outside smoking cigars…

Dom is wearing a huge smile. Alex too. I’m glad to see his smile again, even if it’s not directed at me.

Dom waves me over.

“Well?” I ask.

“She’s here. Her name is Camelia. She’s perfect.”

“How’s Helena?” I ask.

“Incredible.”

I pull Dom in for a hug.

“I’m so happy for you guys,” I say.

“I’m gonna go back and check on Helena. Come up in a few and see Camelia. I can’t wait for you to meet her.”

“Me too,” I say with a grin.

“We’ll be in in a minute,” Alex says.

Dom looks between me and Alex. The glint in his eye makes me think that Alex filled him in on what happened today.

He nods at us and then skips into the hospital.

I lean my back against the wall next to Alex.

He sucks cigar smoke into his mouth and then, after a moment, he passes it to me. It feels like he’s handing me an olive branch.

“Thanks,” I say.

I take a puff, and when I exhale, words start rushing out of my mouth.

“Alex, I’m really sorry. I should have waited for a better time to tell you. And I should have been more honest with you about what I’ve been feeling.” I’m rambling but I’ve got to get it all out in the open.

“I haven’t been setting the best boundaries with Xavier,” I continue. “We were getting too close and...and I had a tiny relapse—before you say anything, I’m totally fine now—but part of me still feels that mating bond.”

I’m not even stopping to breathe as I speak. “I didn’t mean for anything to happen. ~He~ kissed ~me.~ But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel it.”

I put my hand on his chest and feel his heart pumping fast.

“I just need you to know that I’m fighting that feeling,” I say. “I don’t want Xavier. I choose you, Alex. All I want—”

He interrupts my rant with a long, tender kiss.

“~I’m~ sorry, Ariel,” he says when he leans away from me. “I shouldn’t have reacted like I did. It was impulsive and violent and ugly. It wasn’t fair to you. I won’t do that again. I will get my emotions under control and—”

Now I silence him with another kiss.

“I just love you so much,” he says, our lips still touching. “The thought of losing you drives me insane. The thought of someone else kissing you—”

“You won’t lose me,” I say. “I promise. Don’t worry about him anymore.”

“I won’t,” he says. “I trust you. I still kinda want to kill him. But I trust you.”

I smile as our lips lock again.

“So what do we do now?” I ask him.

“We have a pup to meet,” he says.

***

Hands intertwined, Alex and I walk through the halls of the hospital and up the stairs toward the maternity ward.

We arrive at Helena’s room and are about to enter when I stop short.

“Wait,” I say, pointing through the window to the room. “Look how sweet they are.”

We pause and stare through the window.

Helena and Dom stare lovingly into a bundle of blankets. Dom kisses the top of Helena’s head and rubs her arms.

I can’t believe how much Dom has grown since I met him. He looks almost like a proper family man now.

“It’s a miracle,” I whisper.

“It really is,” Alex agrees.

I knock gently on the door, and Dom motions for us to come inside.

I tiptoe over to the bed and lay my eyes on their daughter for the first time.

“You guys, she’s beautiful.”

“Do you want to hold her?” Helena asks.

I nod and reach out my hands. She places Camelia in my arms, and I pull her into my chest.

I can’t remember the last time I held a baby. I don’t remember them being so freaking tiny.

I stare at the precious little creature and, for a moment, feel myself getting choked up because something suddenly occurs to me.

I never got to hold my nephew before he was kidnapped. I wasn’t invited to the hospital when he was born. I don’t even know what he looks like.

Realizing this, I hold Camelia tighter.

“What do you think of this image?” Dom asks Alex, elbowing his side. “Get used to it. You two are next. We can raise our pups together.”

“One thing at a time,” Alex says. “Can I hold her?” he asks me.

I delicately transfer Camelia into Alex’s arms.

There is something undeniably sexy about seeing Alex carefully cradle this baby.

As I watch him rock her back and forth, my heart leaps with confidence, knowing that I have chosen the right partner.

***

I ride my bike home an hour later with a big smile on my face and the taste of Alex’s kisses on my lips.

When we were saying goodbye at the hospital, I asked if I could come home with him. I wanted him to rock me in his arms too.

But he said that he needs a little more time alone to decompress. And then we can resume our usual sleepovers.

Honestly, I was disappointed. I’m lusting for his touch.

But I also appreciate that he is being intentional with his emotions and not just taking me back to his place again while the pain of yesterday is still plaguing him.

Besides, it’s probably a good thing. I need to get some rest for tomorrow.

I shift my train of thought back to the most pressing matter at hand.

Finding Xavi.

Seeing Camelia today reminded me of how fragile and helpless a baby really is. I need to find my nephew as soon as possible.

I pray for his tiny form, hoping beyond hope that he is not suffering the same awful abuse Angel and I endured.

Tomorrow, I will resume the investigation alone, without Xavier.

I approach Steve and Louisa’s door and, to my complete and utter shock, the very person I am thinking of is standing there waiting for me.

~Xavier!?~

I blink but it’s not a mirage. Xavier is really standing on the porch, in the same spot where we shared that shameful kiss.

I can’t believe his audacity.

He’s disobeying Alex’s orders by remaining in the Royal Pack. He could be imprisoned for this. Or worse.

“What—what are you doing here!?” I ask him, unable to hide my surprise. “Alex told you to leave and not come back.”

“I know,” he says, “but there’s something urgent I need to talk to you about.”

“Do you have another lead on Xavi?”

“No, nothing like that,” he says, shaking his head dejectedly.

“Then what?” I ask him.

“Can I come in?” he asks, looking anxiously behind him. He obviously knows that he’ll be in trouble if someone catches him on the premises.

“No, Xavier,” I say. “Just tell me what’s going on and then return to your pack.”

“Our pack,” he says, grabbing my hand.

~What?~

I recoil from his touch.

“Ariel, please, just hear me out. We should be together.”

~WHAT?~

“Xavier, I’m with Alex. And you’re mated to my sister. I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but I’m not going to be a part of it.”

“This isn’t a game, Ariel! This is my life! And yours. We’re destined mates. It’s what Fate wants for us. And I can’t stop thinking about kissing you.”

He leans toward me again, but I dodge his lips.

“Ariel, please. Be my mate.”

~Did he just say—?~

“I choose you. I know this is what’s right. Run away with me. Tonight.”

~Oh my Goddess!~

~Why does this shit keep happening!?~