Part 65

(POV - Aria)

Aria could do nothing to hide the shock from her face.

Marcus watched her closely, and she barely noticed when Jaden and Mercucio tactfully made themselves scarce, leaving her and Marcus standing alone outside the packhouse.

Marcus took a long, tired breath before he spoke, and Aria clung to every single word he spoke.

"About five years ago," he said, looking nervous. "I was indirectly responsible for the death of my mate."

"How?" she whispered, hating the pain that flitted across his features and pinched his dark brows together.

"I would prefer to show you in person," he explained, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Once you return to my pack with me, I will explain everything, I promise. I know I should have explained a long time ago, but I didn't think it would ever be something I could live with. But you changed that for me."

Her lips parted and she looked up at him, staring deep into his eyes to see if she could find the hint of a lie.

But there was only raw, painful honesty shining in his grey eyes, and she felt the doubts and worries that had been plaguing her melt into nothingness. Her worries seemed so silly now, standing in front of him and watching his usually stoic face crumble beneath the weight of the emotions he was forced to carry all by himself.

She wanted to help.

"Is that okay with you?" he asked her, brushing the back of his hand across her cheek. She nodded, lacing her fingers through his.

"That's okay with me," she said, leaning into his touch. "I want to help. I don't want to see you suffer, Marc. I agree that you should have told me a long time ago, but I also understand that trauma isn't something you can use the rational side of your brain on. I know it takes time, and I'm just happy that you think I'm worthy enough to hear your story."

His frown deepened and he pressed his forehead to hers, his eyes scrunching closed.

"Please stop," he said, his voice hiking up the end into a whine. Her eyes widened but she didn't move.

"Stop what, Marc?"

"Being perfect," he grumbled, inhaling her scent as deeply as he could. "It makes me want to throw you over my shoulder and sprint headlong into the forest until we're back in my territory."

"I'm ready to go," she said, pressing a kiss to the outside of his hand. But he frowned and glanced away.

"We might not be able to leave just yet," he murmured.

"What do you mean?" she asked. "All my things are packed. I'm ready to go."

He sighed, long and exhausted. "Aiden has challenged me for you."

"He's done what now?" she blinked, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"He issued an official challenge against me," Marcus repeated, and she laughed a little hysterically.

"Please tell me you're kidding, Marc," she said, tugging on his hand. "Please tell me Aiden isn't that stupid."

"I wish I could," he sighed again, glancing back at the packhouse. "But he's adamant that he wants you to stay here with him. He seems to be convinced that, if he wins, you'll stay here without putting up a fight."

"You seem to think you have a chance of losing," she joked weakly. The very real possibility that Aiden might go berserk and hurt Marcus or worse, kill him, had Aria pulling her Alpha into her arms.

She realized that the fear settling in her chest wasn't for the life of her true mate, but that of her chosen. Marcus. She worried that he would be hurt, all because she hadn't been strong enough to fight Aiden off.

"Little one." Marcus scolded gently, easily catching the way she curled in on herself with guilt and self-loathing. "No. Come here, please."

She stepped into the circle of his arms, his warmth surrounding her and blocking everything else out.

She loved being in his arms. It felt as though the world fell away and left just the two of them behind, alone in their own space where no one and nothing could harm them.

"None of this is your fault," he said firmly, pressing his lips to her ear. "You are allowed to make your own decisions and not feel guilty about the actions of others. You don't have control over how other people will react or how they might feel. You only focus on what is best for you, okay?"

She nodded miserably, hating that she'd somehow managed to drag Marcus into a mess that he didn't have to be a part of, let alone face another, unstable Alpha in combat all because that Alpha refused to take no for an answer.

She swallowed the urge to apologize, knowing the mm Marcus would very likely just scold her for it anyway.

"I don't like this," she said. "Why can't we just leave? This is just Aiden trying to make sure that he makes things as difficult as possible."

"I wish we could." Marcus admitted, the pinch in his brows giving away his frustration. "But this is something we both have to endure if we want to leave without causing a senseless war."

"I know," she mumbled, her frown more of a pout now than anything else. She was tired and just wanted to go back to what would become her new pack. She wanted to breathe that clean, mountain air and fall back among the sheets of Marcus' bed where she'd never felt more cared for.

She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling a little too unwilling to let Marcus go, and breathed his scent in.

"Okay," she said, pulling back and looking up at him. "Then let's get you down to the arena so we can get this over and done with. I want to go home."

Her heart fluttered at the way he stared at her, his lips parted slightly like he couldn't believe she was real.

He shook his and pressed forward, capturing her lips and immediately sighing into her mouth.

It felt like coming home, and he welcomed her eagerly, his mouth open and readily swallowing the soft sounds she made. Kissing him wasn't something she thought she'd ever get used to, but she loved the idea of trying.

All too soon, he pulled away, his hands gentle on her cheeks.

"Don't worry, baby," he whispered. butterflies taking flight in Aria's stomach. "I will kill for you."

Aria stole another kiss before leading him away from the packhouse and towards the arena, where a large number of onlookers had already begun to gather. Marcus walked tall beside her, his hand confidently wrapped around hers, and she was so grateful for his quiet confidence.

The wolves in her pack had somehow managed to seat Jaden and Mercucio beside their own Beta and Delta, both pairs looking extremely uncomfortable that the seating arrangement. If it had been any other situation, she might have found it just a little bit funny.

But she spotted Aiden pacing along the edge of the arena grounds, still human but entirely at the mercy of his wolf. His teeth were bared, eyes as thin as slits as he glared at their intertwined hands and the way Marcus bent to kiss her one last time before she joined Jaden and Mercucio.

Nothing had changed since the day Aiden had returned from his training to face his father. Aria still absolutely despised violence. To her, it was senseless, a part of their ancient history that she thought should have eradicated a long time ago.

But she understood the need for it. Alpha challenges ensured that the leader of a pack was always the strongest. It was also a part of their biology that couldn't be changed unless it was trained out of generations.

So Aria sat between Jaden and Mercucio, the latter offering her a kind and welcoming smile, and held her breath, waiting for the fight to begin.