Part 74

(POV - Aria)

Aria sat at the massive kitchen table in the communal kitchen, her feet swinging from the stupidly large chair.

She'd just watched Marcus disappear out the front door, the back of his neck flushed red from her departing comment.

"Come back soon," she'd said coyly, her teeth catching on his bottom lip. "It feels empty without you around, Alpha."

He'd almost choked on the sip of water in his mouth, glaring at her reproachfully. He stepped closer, slipping into the space between her knees. A warm hand ran down the length of her spine, cupping her ass and squeezing firmly. He spoke into her ear, his voice raising the hairs on her neck.

"You'll regret teasing me, little one," he murmured, a teasing lilt to his low voice. "When I come back and fill that empty space you're complaining about."

"I can't wait," she giggled, leaning into his touch with a soft hum. His tongue poked into his cheek and he looked as though he was seriously reconsidering his plans for the day, but he grunted and reluctantly removed his hand and turned around.

"Bye, Alpha," she said, going back to her freshly dried deer. He paused and looked back at her, his eyes trailing up her bare legs, over the curve of her ass and up to her face. He smirked.

"Bye, love," he murmured with a soft grin, before walking out. She smiled to herself, eyes lingering on his broad back.

Marcus had been dedicating more of his time to pack duties, something Aria was grateful for, because it meant he felt comfortable enough to be an Alpha. She missed him when he wasn't around, but in the last few days since he had told her about his past with Helena, he'd been more of the wolf she knew he was than ever before.

He had woken up early every morning, gently nuzzling her awake so that he could make love to her before carrying her into the shower and washing both of their bodies down. He'd been so different, like a weight had been lifted off his chest.

His entire demeanor had shifted, along with his wolf's, who had been more relaxed and so much more at ease. He was smiling more, and Aria had taken great pleasure in using every opportunity to make him laugh. It was a sound that she and her wolf had clung to, a sound that could change her entire mood in an instant.

She kicked her legs out in thought, the socks on her feet just a little dirty, and chewed on a piece of deer meat.

She thought about how much her life had changed in the span of just a few months, more so over the last few days alone, during which she and Marcus had grown so close. She couldn't really remember what it felt like to not have him there by her side at every turn. And he had admitted to her after a long night that he really couldn't fathom life without her.

She briefly wondered how her parents were doing. She should probably call them soon, find out how everything was going with the rest of the pack. Maybe, hopefully, Aiden had gotten better. She wondered how he was doing, if he had recovered enough after his fight with Marcus.

Even after everything that he had put her through, even though she had rejected him and accepted Marcus, she couldn't help but hope that he was doing okay.

Her thoughts strayed to April, whom she hadn't spoken to in what felt like months. Aria hadn't had contact with her best friend since she'd first left the pack, after she'd heard April's quiet cries and begged Marcus to save her. She had hoped that April would call again because she didn't want to get her best friend in trouble.

What if her crazed mate didn't want anyone to know, or maybe didn't want April talking to anyone else? Aria couldn't risk putting her best friend in more danger than she was currently in.

So she'd waited, praying that April would call to let her know she was okay. But Aria's phone had remained achingly silent, the quiet empty but so heavy. She labored over it, wondering what the hell she could do. She had already promised Marcus that she wouldn't go looking for April, and in hindsight, Aria knew that wanting to go after her was reckless and dangerous. She'd probably end up putting April at risk before she even got her out.

It still irked her that she was unable to do anything to help her best friend. It was thanks to April that she'd even met Marcus in the first place. She wanted to share all the wonderful things that she'd been able to experience thanks to April dragging her out to a sex club of all places.

Maybe she needed to speak to Marcus again. Perhaps they could plan something together with Jaden and Mercucio, and find out where April was being held at least.

She noticed subtle movement from the corner of her eye and caught the end of Inara's long warrior-style braid rounding the corner, obviously heading up to her room.

Aria hopped off the stool and followed after the female sentry.

She knew that Inara had been trying to avoid her ever since their first meeting. Because of that, she couldn't trust her, despite Marcus assuring her that there was nothing between him and Inara. Aria couldn't bring herself to trust what he said. She could sense there was something more between them, something deeper.

And after memorizing her schedule, thanks to days of staking the she-wolf out, Aria had wanted to confront her but always missed her, arriving too late or in the wrong place entirely.

She dashed up the stairs, trying not to make too much noise in case Inara slipped into her room and pretended she was asleep. She knew that Inara would be heading to her room to rest up before her shift on sentry duty. It was also Inara's turn to head up the main patrol, so she'd need as much rest as possible.

"Inara," she called, making the sentry pause with her hand on the latch of her door.

"Hello Aria," she said, turning around with a sincere smile and bowing her head slightly. "How are you?"

Aria narrowed her eyes, trying to seek out any deceit in the other wolf's calm, placid features.

"I'm good, thank you," she replied. "I still get lost when looking for mugs in the kitchen, but I think I'll be okay."

Inara's smile widened, her eyes shining.

"Everyone here would be honored to help you if you ever needed it," Inara said, inclining her head with a grin. "As our Luna, we only want you to be happy here, especially after you brought our Alpha out of the darkness."

Aria blinked in surprise at that.

She'd honestly forgotten that she was their Luna, since Marcus hadn't really made the announcement after they'd been mated. It was also usually something that only happened after mating ceremonies, once the Alpha and Luna had become official during their mating run.

But they hadn't even talked about a mating run, let alone the ceremony that would follow. Their mating had been as spontaneous as their relationship, spawning from an intense sense of affection and trust rather than the typical existing mating bond.

She and Marcus had turned on the idea of true mates and worked hard to forge their own mating bond outside the realm of what was expected of wolves.

Aria had set her mind on working through the packhouse, to learn the whereabouts of everything and learn the names and faces of her new packmates. And even once Marcus had gone back to his pack duties as their Alpha, she'd been so focused on her new home that she'd completely forgotten that she was, technically their Luna.

"He may have forgotten to announce it," Inara said, pulling Aria out of her thoughts. "But I, and the rest of the pack, already acknowledge you as our Luna. And we're devoted to you as we are to Marcus."

Aria was speechless.

She had expected Inara to be mean and possessive over Marcus, especially considering the very obvious connection the two of them still shared. She wanted to ask about them, she wanted to know how deep that relationship went because it ate away at her, as much as she didn't want to think about it. It weighed on her mind constantly.

It might have been her insecurities after having been rejected so often by her own true mate, in fact, she was almost positive it was. Aria had always been the quiet one in their pack, despite being the daughter of their Delta, whose strength rivalled that of their former Alpha. She'd always kept to herself, more interested in her books than the pack dynamics. And it wasn't until April found her and dragged her out of her shell that Aria really started to come into her own.

And Marcus had done that and more.

So it felt natural that Aria would be wary of a possible rival who might take that away from her. Silly, she knew, considering Marcus had marked her and dedicated the rest of his life to their future.

She just felt so shitty for being the typical jealous girlfriend, when she had wanted to trust Inara the way she trusted Jaden and Mercucio.

Besides, Marcus had done nothing but sing her praises and assured her time and again that Aria had nothing to fear. Because he belonged to her and no one else.

As she was his.