Her Chosen Mate

Part 32

(POV - Aria)

Her lungs squeezed around the air trapped inside them, slipping between the guests at the banquet. She could feel the beginnings of a panic attack scratching at the inside of her throat, threatening to double her over in anxiety alone.

She had spotted Marcus stalking towards her, and she knew that if he found her, there would be no stopping Aiden this time. She feared what he might do to Marcus, and what might happen to the innocent guests in attendance. She didn't want to be the cause of harm and fear, and she knew that Aiden would not be easily restrained. Her father had told her how close Aiden had come to ripping out her mother's throat. If it hadn't been for her father, she would have had to bury her mother because of the bond that Aiden had rejected.

What a stupid, irresponsible reason for almost killing someone precious to Aria. She hadn't forgiven him for it yet. Even though she knew it hadn't been his own actions, but that of his wolf, driven insane by Aria's heat, she couldn't forgive him.

She'd been somewhat relieved when he avoided her, even though it hurt her deeply. But with Marcus' scent growing and getting closer, she knew she needed to disappear.

And disappear fast.

Her wolf, however, disagreed wholeheartedly. She fought against Aria, wanting to twist and turn back, to feel the unique touch that had settled her so quickly, so resolutely, that even her wolf had temporarily forgotten her own true mate.

Even though she'd never spent a rut with another male, she'd never expected to be as... intimate as it had been with Marcus. She could see the feral, primal urge to tear into her body burning bright in his eyes when he looked at her. Yet he'd been attentive, always pulling back, so he didn't hurt her. He had taken care of her. A few times he'd woken her to make sure she ate some of the food that had been slid through the slot in the door, and drink water. He'd even half-carried her to the restroom when her legs had given out, so exhausted and shaky that she couldn't stand on her own, let alone walk.

He'd reinforced his rule about their arrangement being purely sex, with no strings attached, and she'd been convinced that she could handle it.

But she'd spent almost every waking hour in the last few weeks thinking about him. To the point that April had managed to pry more and more information out of her, more than Aria had ever thought she'd be comfortable sharing.

And his scent had brought all of those memories rushing back to the surface. It made her stumble as the arousal flooded her tummy. She prayed that it wouldn't alter her scent enough to make any of the males in attendance notice.

Her situation just grew more precarious, and she shoved the intrusive thoughts from her mind as much as she could. Her dress felt too tight, and it clung to her legs as she tried to outrun Marcus without letting anyone else notice her urgency. She knew that going outside would only mean she and Marcus might be followed, but staying inside was far more dangerous.

Changing tactics, she glanced around. She was trying to locate the nearest exit that didn't lead out onto a balcony.

There, on the far end of the banquet hall, next to the grand staircase. The large double doors had been swung open and guests milled in and out. That was her exit.

She threw a nervous glance over her shoulder and spotted Marcus' broad back, his long hair pulled back into a knot at the back of his head. The lighting in the banquet hall threw his sharp features into contrast, his jaw clenched and ticking in agitation. She knew he was irritated because he couldn't find her. She could scent it on him, how his scent swelled with distaste the longer she evaded him. She'd made it to the opposite end of the hall. She hid among the wallflowers and hoped the scent of the Alphas around would mask her enough to hide her for a little while.