Part 54

(POV - Aiden)

Sitting so close to Aria, her small body trembling almost imperceptibly, Aiden had to curl his fingers into his palms to stop himself from reaching out to touch her. He wasn't sure if she was trembling from fear or anger, or maybe it was a mixture of both.

Maybe he didn't know her at all, and it was something completely different.

But he knew that he wanted to make things right. He had to. He'd done so many awful things that had hurt him, a very big part, had mourned at not having that memory for his own. At not having any of those memories.

He'd drowned in his wolf's urgency, willingly handing control over and letting his wolf do whatever he pleased. He hadn't dreamed that his wolf would ever go so far.

And he felt guilty for wishing he could have at least been able to remember giving her those bruises.

Or giving her the mating bite.

It was the single most important moment in a wolf's life, and it had happened to him in the middle of his rut, after he'd handed the reins over and fallen asleep in the back seat.

He had no recollection of the moment his teeth had broken her skin, no memory of the way his wolf and hers would have joined for a brief, stunning moment when the bond was being sealed. All he had was the emptiness ironically filling him, and the guilt that threatened to suffocate him.

It had only been a few hours since Aria had left his room.

She'd left the second his rut was over, startling and hurting him at the same time. But he was so consumed by the reality of what he'd done to her, of how he'd forced her into his bed, and then claimed her so brutally.

He'd never really felt like a senseless animal before, but when he slowly climbed out of his rut-induced haze and saw what he'd done, he understood that the wolf inside him was truly inhuman.

All he was left with were the memories of Aria that he had secretly nurtured in his heart for years.

He remembered seeing her shift into her wolf form, her slim jaws snapping at the book held high over her head. He had been a young wolf, even though he was a few years older than Aria, but seeing those wolves lunge at her, scaring her, had pushed him forward without his brain giving his body the order to do so.

He'd chased them off and grumbled about how immature they'd been, even going as far as making a mental note to speak to his father about it. He'd known his father would have just brushed it off as 'good natured pack dynamics', but Aiden had seen how close that one wolf had been to severing muscle from bone.

And it was while he shifted, bending down to pick up the tattered book from the grass and handing it back to her, that he felt it.

A tug.

The tiniest pull towards this young wolf with big eyes and rosy cheeks, something he felt more in his chest than in his gut. He recalled handing the book to her and almost jumping out of his skin when her fingers brushed over his.

Familiar, his wolf had rather unhelpfully supplied. You, me, ours.

Aiden, at the time, had no idea what to do with that little gem of knowledge, so he'd carelessly cast it aside and walked back into the forest where he'd been before sniffing the putrid scent of fear.

He'd been on his way to meet Meredith and didn't want to be late. He had planned to put the entire event behind him because it shouldn't have meant more than what it was on the surface. It was only supposed to be about him running a few bullies off when they'd been tormenting a smaller wolf.

That was it.

But he found that wolf plaguing his thoughts more and more. So much that he had been forced to pick up that gem of knowledge his wolf had gifted him and examine it closely.

Whatever it was that kept the little wolf at the front of his mind had to have something to do with that barely-there tug he felt. It wasn't uncomfortable, per se, but it was consistent. It never stopped, it just lingered, as if someone had placed a hook just behind his navel and left a subtle, constant pressure on the line that connected the hook to their fingers. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it definitely wasn't something he could easily ignore.

It scared him. He realized that it was a connection, something he was far too young to fully comprehend. And it scared him that he didn't understand whatever lay sleeping between him and that wolf. He had already begun seeing Meredith long before he'd set eyes on the other wolf.

His fear forced him to treat her as indifferently as he could manage. He figured that if he could just ignore the connection, it would disappear. So he had gone on with his life as naturally as he could. But he was hyper aware of her presence.

Everywhere he stepped, he could feel her nearby, like a homing beacon on a map. He felt it like a magnetic pull, drawing him closer and closer until he found himself seeking her out.

He found her most afternoons in the library, that connection leading him around like he was on a leash. He never went in; he just stood outside for a moment before moving on. It was as if his wolf simply wanted confirmation that she was exactly where he believed she was, and as soon as he was happy, Aiden could continue with his day.

And it was because of this that she ended up speaking to him about training her.

God, he'd wanted to say no. Even five years later, Aiden wondered how things might have been if he had just told her to find another teacher instead of taking her on personally. Hell, it wasn't as if he was a professional anyway.

That connection, however, had other plans. Even though she'd spoken barely a handful of words to him, Aiden had to physically tamp down on the urge to hug her and claim her. So he had agreed, and their lessons turned into one of his favorite parts of the day.

He learned a lot about the Delta's daughter, and Aria surprised him again and again with her ability to learn things in the blink of an eye. He recalled the nerves building in his chest as his feelings grew, and he found himself almost forgetting about his meetings with Meredith after each training session.

Meredith had become suspicious of him after a few too many 'Sorry I'm late' and had asked him why he always smelled like magnolia when he came to see her.

It was a unique scent, especially among wolves, and Aiden couldn't lie to her. So he had told her the truth. Well, an abridged version of it at least.

He told her that he was training a packmate to defend themselves. Nothing more, and nothing less.

She hadn't been completely satisfied with his excuse, but she'd accepted it in the end. She had become clingier, though, rubbing her cheek over his scent gland whenever she got the chance, making sure every inch of him smelled like her before he left. He didn't mind; he was hopelessly in love with Meredith, and everything she did was equally endearing. He loved absolutely everything about her, from the pouts she gave him when he was late to the way she yelled if she was too hungry.

There wasn't another wolf who could hold a candle to his Meredith.

Almost as if she was trying to prove his point, she'd taken him in her arms and kissed him hard, stunning him for a moment with the intensity behind her kiss. Usually, she would have simply removed the clothes that, according to her, 'stank of magnolia'. But on that particular occasion, she had clambered her way into his lap and settled down, her hands resting on his shoulders.

"One day," she murmured into the kiss, her fingers winding their way into his hair. "I want you to mark me."

He agreed easily, doing his best to ignore the conflicting feelings in his heart, refusing to think of Aria when Meredith was sitting in his lap. "One day," he promised.

"When you come home from training," she continued, licking at the corner of his lips teasingly. "And we finally find out that we are mates, I want you to claim me. Immediately."

"Anything you want," Aiden had responded, so lost in the press of her chest against his, mindless with the desire she brought to life in him. He could already feel his length straining against his pants, something she took advantage of.

"And nothing will ever come between us."

"Nothing," he hummed, letting her lips pull him into her bed where they made love for hours before he had to return.