Part 82

(POV - Aria)

It had been days since Aria had stormed out of their room, and days since she'd seen Marcus.

Thankfully, Inara had insisted Aria stay in her room, ensuring that Marcus knew she was safe and wouldn't confront her until she was ready to see him again.

It was the second night spent away from him, where she found herself huddled on Inara's bed beside the she-wolf, who had been exceptionally protective. She had brought Aria everything she needed, from food to one of Marcus's shirts (stolen from his room while he was out patrolling), and had even insisted that Aria take her bed.

"How was he today?" Aria asked hesitantly. She rested her cheek on a raised knee, watching Inara clean one of her precious throwing knives. Inara winced.

"Not great," she said truthfully. "He doesn't do well being ignored, but that's just because he's a spoiled Alpha."

Aria smiled weakly at Inara's attempt to get her to smile. She'd grown very close to Inara, and Inara had in turn confided in Aria, telling her about her terrible past.

It turned out that she and Marc were not the only ones plagued by awful pasts tied to mates.

Inara's mate was a vampire who had murdered her sister, and while she'd spared Aria the gory details, it was enough to let Aria know that Inara had likely given up on the idea of finding a mate ever again.

She'd wanted to ask about Jonah and the possible connection that blossomed between the high sentry and the pack doctor, but she didn't want to pry or make Inara uncomfortable.

"I can't help but feel like I'm punishing him a little too harshly," Aria sighed, chewing on the inside of her bottom lip. Inara snorted and tossed the knife onto the bed, pointing the rag in her hand at Aria.

"He had no right to pull that primitive Alpha bullshit on you," she said sternly, her eyes uncharacteristically hard. "If you let him off easy this time, he'll just do it again. No, he needs to learn a lesson and I am happy to make sure he gets the hint."

Aria chuckled, eyeing Inara closely.

"I think you're a little too happy, Ina," Aria noted, reaching over to lift the knife carefully, admiring the bejeweled handle.

"Can you blame me?" she chortled. "I'm surrounded by males with massive egos day in and day out, I 'live' to put them in their place."

Aria supposed she couldn't blame Inara, but that didn't stop the guilt from eating away at her through the night and into the following day.

She'd spent her nights in Inara's room, and her days hidden away in the pack library, avoiding every instance of Marcus, Jaden, and Mercucio. She knew that Marc knew where she was, but he'd respected her need for space, which was something she was grateful for; she'd known that she'd give in the second he spoke to her. And she was grateful for the time she needed to move past the anger and the humiliation of having him assert dominance like she was a common, misbehaving pup.

She found herself in the library again, on the third day of her anti-Marc crusade, a book comfortable and familiar in her lap.

It was a novel she hadn't read yet, something she wasn't used to. A crime thriller that had titillated her interest with its bold main character and wild plot twists that had her hooked from the first line.

She was three-quarters done with the book, quietly paging through the novel in the silence of the library.

Not many wolves came by, which was something Aria had never been more grateful for, leaving her in peace.

But her conversation with Inara from the night before stole her focus, and she wondered if she was perhaps being too harsh on Marcus. He hadn't reacted on instinct, meaning there was definitely a reason he'd forced her to drop the topic, but she didn't like that either. She didn't like being lied to, even if it was for her own good. She'd always end up hurt anyway.

Maybe Inara was right and she should hold fast to her cold shoulder until he came around and understood why she was so upset. But that didn't sit right with her either. She knew that communication was the most important thing in a relationship apart from trust, and she was dying to just speak to Marcus and sort the whole mess out once and for all.

And she missed him.

So much.

Absently, she placed a hand on her lower stomach, losing herself in her thoughts.

It was only when a strikingly familiar scent appeared that she jolted from her thoughts and looked around.

"I'm here," Marcus said gruffly, walking around one of the last bookshelves, his arms crossed. He'd sensed her looking for him and sighed when her eyes landed on his figure.

"Hello," she said quietly, her fingers curling around the open book. She offered a sweet smile before turning back to her book, pretending to read. He was agitated, she could smell it on him. He'd had enough of the distance she'd put between them, and he was there to settle things.

Just as she'd hoped.

He growled softly, stalking forward and sitting on the sofa opposite hers.

"Aria," he said, his voice harsh with the edge of frustration. "I'm sorry, I can't keep letting you avoid me like this. We need to talk."

She hummed, squinting at the words that blurred on the pages in front of her. She really wanted to act indifferent, but being this close to him after days apart was proving to be more difficult than she imagined.

"I'm listening," she said nonchalantly, flipping a page even though she hadn't read a single word of it. He grunted in an obvious attempt at swallowing a biting remark, and she was a little impressed that he was doing so well.

Until his hand appeared in front of her eyes and snatched the book out of her hold.

"Hey! I wasn't done," she exclaimed, holding her hand out indignantly. "Give it back."

"No," he growled, snapping it shut and tucking it behind him. "We need to talk. I'm not letting something stupid ruin what we have; we're sorting this out right now whether you like it or not."

"No," she bit out, surprising him. "I won't listen to what you have to say until I'm done with my book."

"Aria, don't push me," he sighed, rubbing his face with both his palms. "I can't deal with you sleeping in another wolf's bed while I lie there in fucking agony—"

She'd silenced his rant with a soft kiss, his wrist held gently in her hand. She pulled away once he'd stopped babbling and smiled at him.

"I'm not mad," she said, brushing his hair from his face. She used her free hand to snake behind his back and fish her book out while he was distracted. "Not anymore."

"Then, can we—"

"Nope," she giggled, flopping back into her seat again, waving her book in front of him. "I was serious when I said I wanted to finish this. I'll see you when I'm done."

He blinked, looking bewildered with his jaw slack. His mouth opened and closed, his brow furrowing as he understood. "What the f—"

"Goodbye, Marc," she said, cutting him off and blowing him a cheeky kiss. "I'll see you later."

He must have sat on that sofa for another minute before he got to his feet and stomped off, grumbling under his breath about how troublesome she was and how she'd regret it later. She only giggled and went back to her book, finally able to concentrate on the characters she'd fallen in love with.

It was hours later when she shut the book and stretched, getting up to place the book back on the shelf she'd found it. The sun barely peaked above the horizon, the breeze chilly and biting as it passed through the open windows of the library.

She yawned and left, remembering to grab her jacket off the sofa before stepping out.

She walked right into Marcus's arms, her surprised squeak swallowed by his fervent lips. He didn't say anything, just dragged her back to their room, shutting and locking the door behind them. He turned back to her, eyes alight and warm, and gathered her up in his arms again.

"I've never hated my own scent as much as I did these last few days," he noted, carrying her to their bed and carefully pulling her clothes off her body, before shedding his own and slipping beneath the covers with her. He held her close, his lips pressed to her forehead lovingly as he whispered softly, "I'm sorry, love. I shouldn't have been so stupid."

She hummed into his chest, her eyes closing in content.

"Can you forgive me, baby?"

She sighed into him, kissing the warm skin below his collarbones. She really couldn't find it in her heart to stay mad at him, and it wasn't his apology that swayed her.

It was his insistence that they talk because he didn't want something small to be the reason they didn't sleep in the same bed again.

"Of course, I forgive you," she said, tightening her arms around his waist. "You pissed me off, but that doesn't mean I'm going to kick you out."

She felt the tension in his body bleed out as she spoke, and he purred softly, both of them falling asleep quickly after their nights spent apart.

The next morning, Aria woke up to Marcus's tongue dipping into her folds, gasps hiccupping from her chest as he made love to her, apologizing again and again while his tongue, his fingers, and his cock drew orgasm after orgasm from her shivering body.

Once they were both spent, he nuzzled her cheek. "Preparations are almost done, my love. Our mating run will be held soon."

Her heart fluttered in excitement, and she grabbed his face, pulling him into a dizzying kiss.