Her Chosen Mate

Part 41

(POV-Aria)

Marcus stood at the door of his bedroom, watching Aria pack the few belongings she had before changing into a new shirt. She could feel his eyes boring into the back of her neck as she moved around, and she wanted to apologize and yell at him and cry and walk out. She couldn't decide which emotion was stronger, but she was sure it was the shame warming her cheeks and neck. She'd always known her insecurities were silly, having only gotten worse because of Aiden's blatant and final rejection. It hadn't helped when he'd used her outside the library just to 'scratch an itch'. The memory still made her feel dirty. even though she'd been so elated when he'd finally taken her.

She hadn't felt the same with Marcus. Being with him felt right, like it was what her heart really wanted even though she still felt her disbelief for love keenly. She wouldn't say she loved him. She no longer believed that love existed outside of family and friends.

But it was the closest thing she'd felt to it in so long.

And now, as she tugged off her old, dirty shirt and threw it into her bag and reached for a clean one, she realized that she was going to have to let this go as well.

Maybe she was destined to be alone.

Maybe she was supposed to live out her life as a rejected mate, nothing more. Could she ever find any kind of happiness that way? Surely April would find her own true mate soon, and hanging around a rejected wolf would probably just depress them both. And Aria wanted her best friend to be happy. She didn't ever want to be the reason that April was sad.

She hadn't wanted to leave this way. She had hoped that she'd leave to visit her parents and April, believing she'd be allowed to come back. But this felt too final, and it carved a hole in her aching chest.

She tried not to think about the scent that lingered in the room; both their scents twined and mixed together. The scent brought memories of the time they'd spent together too. It felt like it had happened a lifetime ago, stolen from another wolf's dreams. There was no way that those memories could have belonged to her and yet still caused her pain. It had been mere hours ago that they'd rolled around in his sheets before he'd sent her spiraling into the depths of pleasure again in the shower. And yet, as she zipped up her bag and threw it over her shoulder, she felt a heavier weight settling in her chest, one that made her wonder if she'd ever be allowed to come back.

If she'd ever be allowed to see Marcus again.

Once she had finished packing, she turned and lowered her gaze to the ground, unsure if she was allowed to look into his eyes anymore.

"Thank you," she said softly, brokenly. "For your hospitality this week. I'm sorry I came back with you, I shouldn't have overstepped your boundaries. It was a mistake to think I could be intimate with someone without developing feelings for that person. I'm sorry."

Marcus said nothing for a moment, and Aria could only see the hands curled into fists at his sides.

"It was a mistake, yes," he agreed, and Aria was so grateful she'd been looking at the ground when he said those words, because she could feel her face twist in a muted agony that made her want to bite into her lip to stop from choking out a soft cry. She tried to mask the hurt, but it was hard because she really did care for Marcus, and leaving broke her heart.

But to realize that, once again, her feelings had been entirely one-sided had been the final straw.

She could only stand aside and wait while Marcus angrily called for Jaden to inform him that Aria was ready to go.

"Jaden," Marcus bellowed, the sudden shout making her jump and flinch. She hadn't meant to, but she felt the ends of her nerves fraying with every passing moment. A part of her just wanted to loop her arms around his waist and bury her face between his shoulder blades, but the rest of her body recoiled in a new fear she hadn't felt from him before. Desperate to keep it a secret from Marcus, she rushed to mask her scent before he noticed it.