Her Chosen Mate

Part 36

(POV-Dual)

Marcus finally freed himself from his pointless conversation with Griffin, hurrying to find Aria and his own wolves. And when he finally caught their scents, he all but sprinted the rest of the way.

They stood together at the very end of the path, Jaden and Ryder's forms towering over Aria.

When he finally reached them, he found a shaken Aria, anxiously chewing on her fingernails and standing between Jaden and Ryder.

"You're okay," she breathed, gasping when she saw him. She rushed over to him, surprising him by throwing her arms around his waist and hugging him close. He hugged her back easily, his wolf calm now that she was in his arms again.

"The more important question is, are you okay?" he asked, reluctantly pulling away to hold her at arm's length. He looked her over, searching for any signs that she'd been hurt anywhere else. But the only wound she had was the one at her waist, which had been treated and wrapped up expertly by Jaden.

"I'm okay," she murmured, her eyes glassy. "Jaden is really good at treating injuries."

"That's because I had to learn so that Marc didn't die when we were pups," Jaden piped up, pulling a rough, throaty giggle from Aria. "But the damage isn't severe, Marc. Her skin was torn but her muscle hasn't been severed."

"That's a relief," Marcus sighed, rubbing his palms along her upper arms in comfort. "When I saw you bleeding, I thought maybe the wound would have been fatal."

"It's okay, Marc" Jaden said, obviously looking Marcus over to see if there were any injuries he'd sustained in his Beta's absence.

"What happened?" Aria asked. "After you sent me away, what happened? Is Aiden- is he-?"

"He's alive," Marcus assured her, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. His fingertips trailed over the plane of her cheekbone and he wanted to kiss her. "I just... persuaded him to keep his filthy paws to himself unless he wanted to drown in a pool of his own blood. He seemed to get the point."

Aria visibly shook, her fingers tugging on his shirt again. He noticed it was something she did when she was nervous, and it was something he found incredibly endearing.

"We should get going, Alpha," Ryder pointed out, his scent spiking in discomfort. He'd had about enough of this place as Marcus had and wanted to get out.

"Get the car," Marcus instructed, watching as the sentry jogged off toward the parking lot. Jaden cleared his throat.

"I'll shadow him," he told Marcus. "He was a little upset by Aiden's blatant disrespect and probably shouldn't be left alone right now."

"I trust him enough to send him to get the car, Jay," Marcus chuckled. "But sure, go ahead. We'll wait here."

Jaden nodded and stalked off after Ryder, leaving Marcus and Aria alone.

He took a deep breath and turned back to Aria, his palms cradling her face, his eyes boring into hers.

"You asked me to get you out," he said, his wolf squirming at the memory of that aching desperation written all over her face. "And I want to give you the option of coming back to my pack with me."

Aria stared up at him, her eyes glassy, ringed red from crying.

She hadn't expected Marcus to pull her away from a very angry Aiden. She hadn't expected him to defend her so aggressively either, but it made her heart swell that this Alpha at least thought she was worth protecting.

"If it's alright with you, Alpha," she said, dropping her gaze as was expected. "I would love to."

His answering smile was so bright she almost had to shield her eyes from it. Jaden and Ryder returned with the car just then, Jaden in the front seat and Ryder in the driver's seat. Marcus opened the door for her and helped her in, mindful of the wound in her side. He slid in after her and shut the door.