Part 63

(POV - Aria)

Staring at the door, Aria absently rubbed at the hurt in her chest, her brows furrowed.

Was she making the right decision?

Maybe she was being silly, or maybe she was just overreacting, but Marcus' reaction could only mean that it was true, right? He had killed his true mate and didn't want Aria to know. What had caused him to kill her? Was it in a fit of rage? Was she from an enemy pack? What? What could have driven Marcus to kill his true mate?

The Marcus she knew didn't seem capable of something that horrible. But she knew about his reputation in killing an entire rogue pack in a single night. The stories she'd heard had told how he hadn't left a single survivor, and most of the wolves were unrecognizable. He may have been capable of the violence, but she couldn't imagine him willingly murdering his own mate, especially because she'd already experienced what it was like to be cared for by him. He'd never hurt her, never gave her any impression that he might turn volatile at a moment's notice.

But what if...?

"Luna?" came a soft voice from the door. Her head whipped at the sound, finding a familiar wolf standing in her doorway, "Sorry, I mean Aria."

"Yes?" she murmured; her emotions too chaotic to form anything beyond a monosyllabic answer.

"My name is Mercucio," he said, offering a small, shy smile and keeping his head slightly bowed. "I am Marcus' Delta."

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "I wondered what your name was. I always see you with Jaden."

His smile tightened but the warmth in his eyes never dimmed. "It's nice to officially meet you."

"It's good to meet you, too," she said, picking nervously at the skin around her nails. "Uhm, is there something you need?"

He smiled genuinely then, bowing his head.

"I am your guard," he explained. Her brows furrowed.

"My guard?" she parroted. "Aren't there more important things than me? I'm... an outsider."

He simply shook his head. "No, Luna- sorry, Aria. It's an honor to protect you. The highest honor. Jaden gets the honor of shadowing Marcus as the Beta. Although, I'd sooner say it was a chore than an honor."

His gentle smile and his sly comment took her by surprise, and she found herself smiling too. "You seem to know him very well, Mercucio."

His smile turned shy and he ducked his head. "Marcus, Jaden and I have been best friends since we were pups. I think we know each other better than we know ourselves."

Aria wished she knew Marcus that well, and it was like Mercucio had read her mind.

"I know it isn't my place," he began, clasping his hands behind his back, "But, if I might, please can I ask you to be patient with him? He has been through so much in his short life, and his past is more traumatic than any stories you might have heard otherwise."

Aria's eyes narrowed, and she wondered if this was the wolf Marcus had told her about: the spymaster that gathered every bit of information Marcus had. She wondered if Mercucio had heard Aiden's comment and, judging by the tightness around his eyes, Aria would hazard a guess and say he most likely had heard every word.

"I understand," she said, her shoulders stamping slightly, She was so tired, and the mark on her neck throbbed painfully. She winced and rubbed at it, wishing she could sink her nails beneath her own flesh and claw the mark from her skin.

"Don't." Mercucio murmured, his brows furrowed in concern. "We don't know what will happen if you disturb the mark before it heals"

She dropped her hand with a defeated sigh. "I just........ want it to be gone. " Mercucio looked upset. "He'll fix it. know he will." Mercucio's unwavering faith in his Alpha helped set Aria's murad at ease.

"Thank you" she said offering him a small smile.

"I'll be right outside," he answered, pointing his thumb over his shoulder at the spot just beyond the door. "Let me know if you need anything."

She nodded and he slipped silently into the hallway, the door clicking shut and leaving her alone to finish packing.

Once she was done, she stacked her bags on top of her bed and slipped out into the hallway. Mercucio turned and looked at her.

"I'm just going to find my best friend," she explained. He nodded and she left, feeling him trailing a respectful distance behind her. She walked around the top floor of the house, stopping outside April's door and knocking twice.

"April?" she called, When she got no answer, she tried the handle only to find that it was locked. With a frown, she took a step back, trying to keep her thoughts from turning to darker places. She chewed on her bottom lip and decided to seek her parents out instead to say goodbye.

Their house was a little way down the path that led around the back of the packhouse. Mercucio had stayed a little closer now that they were outside, but he was still far back enough that it wasn't invasive, and she appreciated it so much.

Walking up to her childhood home. a small lump formed in her throat, and before she could even knock, the door swung open.

It was her dad, his eyes misty.

"Aria," he said, immediately pulling her into a tight hug. She sniffled in his arms, vaguely aware of her mom joining them soon afterwards. "I'm so happy for you."

"How did you know?" she mumbled from her father's embrace, feeling him chuckle.

"You should know that Deltas know everything," he chuckled. "Just ask your new guard, he knows what I'm talking about."

Aria giggled wetly and wiped her tears away.

"We're so happy you found someone who will take care of you the way you deserve, sweetheart," her mom said, brushing a few strands of hair from Aria's face.

"Thank you, mom," she murmured, her father handing her into her mother's open arms. "Will you tell April I said goodbye? I can't find her."

"Oh, honey," Aria's mom said. "April found her own true mate on the night of the banquet. She left with him and hasn't been back since."

"What?" Aria asked, stunned. "Why wouldn't she tell me?"

"You know her, she's probably having too much fun being mated." her mom joked. Aria laughed along hollowly, wondering why April would keep it a secret even after Aria had called her. "So, will you be leaving the pack for good?"

Aria nodded. Her mom sniffled sadly but waved her away.

"You bagged yourself a wonderful mate, sweetheart," she said, bolding onto Aria's father and looking up at him dreamily. "I'm so happy you can finally be free of the pain you felt here.

But even after they'd said their goodbyes, and Aria had promised to visit as often as she could, she couldn't shake the sense that April was definitely not okay.

On her way back up to the packhouse, she pulled her phone out and dialed April's number, running up the stairs to the main entrance.

"Aria?" April answered, her voice quiet.

I can't believe you didn't tell me you'd found your true mate." Aria accused, feeling little hurt that April would keep it from her at all.

"Aria, he's not a good wolf," she sobbed, and Aria could tell she was trying to keep her voice as quiet as possible, like she was afraid of being caught.

Aria froze and Mercucio was by her side in an instant, his eyes locked on hers.

"April," Aria said, fear settling deep in her bones. "April, where are you? What the hell is going on?"

"I met him on the night of the banquet, and he was s-so charming." she cried, her voice breaking. "I left the pack with him and I thought he was great but he- Aria, he ab-abuses females. He's done nothing but attack me for almost two weeks. I hid my phone away from him so that I could get help but I'm so scared, Aria."

"April," she said, cupping her hand over the receiver to make sure April heard her. "Listen to me, I swear I'm going to get you out, okay? If you can, send me your location and I'll come get you-"

"No, Aria, you can't come here!" April half shrieked, panic stretching her voice thin. "He'll kill you, you don't understand!"

"I don't care," Aria almost snarled. "I'm not going to leave you there to be assaulted! I'll come and get you, I swear-hello? April?"

The line had gone dead and Aria swore under her breath, typing out a quick text to April before looking up and almost walking right into Marcus.

"Marc!" she gasped, the hand that wasn't clutching her phone reaching out and pressing to his chest. "Please, we have to save April, she's in trouble."

But Marcus only stared coldly at her, not saying anything. She frowned.

"Marc, please, her mate is 'hurting her!"

He turned his head and glanced away, the muscle in his jaw jumping in agitation.

"That's not something we can fix," he said emotionlessly. "There are circumstances that can't be helped, and your best friend being mated with a wolf who isn't great is one such circumstance."

"How can you say that?" she breathed, taking a step away from him, her hand falling from his chest. His jaw clenched. "How can you be such a prick about this?"

"Because that's just who I am," he snapped, making her flinch at the sudden change in his tone.