Her Chosen Mate

Part 14

(POV - Aria)

Aria found herself in the library again, curled up in one of the soft recliners with a hardcover resting in her lap. She wasn't really reading the words printed on the pages. For hours, she'd disappeared into her own head, replaying the few times she'd had unfortunate run-ins with Aiden and his new mate.

She hated how she reacted each time, her soul reaching out and yearning to be with him. She had to restrain her longing, the natural urge to rush into his arms and beg him to mark her.

But every time she saw him, his arm was wrapped tightly around Meredith's small shoulders, both of them wearing matching lovesick smiles. It turned Aria's stomach upside down, and every interaction had her almost tripping over her own feet in her desperate need to escape before she did something stupid.

It was so difficult, and she could feel the eyes of her packmates weighing on her back every time she practically sprinted back to the safety of her room.

Aria couldn't help it. Seeing Aiden brought her wolf to the surface, her eyes flashing amber, and her throat rumbled with an unrestrained growl that shuddered through her. Her wolf knew that Aiden belonged to her, and she was furious that some other female had her hands all over him while Aria spun further into darkness.

She shut the book in her lap, closed with a harsh snap and set it on the table beside her. It was late. She didn't need to check her phone to know it was long past midnight. The candles burned low; the lights turned out by the wolf who ran the library, leaving Aria in near darkness. It didn't bother her; her eyes had become well-adjusted to the dark, much like all of her senses had when she reached maturity.

She decided it was probably best if she went back home. She'd had to muffle one too many yawns and knew her dad would give her hell if she stayed out until 3 am again.

It was a little cooler than she expected, but Aria welcomed it, the breeze clearing the fog in her mind and making her more alert.

It also made her very aware of a very familiar scent.

Aria blinked, and in the time it took her to close her eyes and reopen them, Aiden had materialized in front of her, his features shrouded in darkness. She swallowed a gasp, his eyes almost entirely black with something she'd never seen in him before.

Lust.

"W-what are you-?" she breathed, her voice falling silent when he reached forward and wrapped a hand around the back of her neck. Her breath caught in her throat and she fell into submission easily. She could see the weariness in his eyes, the dark circles that betrayed just how much he fought his wolf and the bond every day. Aria recognized it because it was the same exhaustion nipping at her heels every day.

The darkness in his eyes dropped to her lips. His tongue was pink where it peeked out to wet his lips. Aiden breathed in slowly and leaned forward, pressing his lips to Aria's and electricity zipped through her veins, her hands fisting in the soft material of his black T-shirt over his chest.

A soft growl rumbled in his throat, his wolf reaching out in satisfaction and relief, her own almost whining in response. He licked into her mouth like he wanted to devour her, and Aria was so ready to let him do it. Every rational thought turned to smoke in her mind, and her only focus was the taste of the forest on Aiden's lips.