Her Chosen Mate

Part 47

(POV-Aria)

They neared her pack lands and Aria began to feel the nerves crawling into her stomach and turning to lead.

Jaden remained calm at the wheel, his face betraying no signs of anxiety.

"Jaden," she called softly, the silence in the car hurting her ears. He hummed in answer, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Please could you drop me off about a mile out?"

"A mile?" he repeated, looking confused. "Marc wants me to make sure you get there safely, kid. That means he expects me to drive you to the front door."

"No, that's not safe for you," she argued. "I know my pack's lands well enough to get back without any trouble. Please, Jaden, I don't want to give Aiden a reason to come after your pack."

"You mean 'our pack"." he teased. "I get it. I'll stop exactly a mile out, no more than that."

"Thank you," she said, breathing a sigh of relief. "And don't jinx things, you never know what Marcus might decide."

She didn't expect him to burst out laughing at the suggestion that Marcus might not feel the same way in three days' time.

"God, you're hilarious," he said when he'd managed to calm down. He dabbed the corners of his eyes with the sleeve of his hoodie. "Do you really think that Marc, that Marc, would be that confident in something he wasn't sure of?"

Truthfully, no. There was no part of Marcus' personality that would lead Aria to believe he'd ever be cavalier about anything as serious as a relationship with Aria.

"I thought as much," he chuckled, turning his attention back to the road. They were getting close to her pack lands. "I wasn't kidding when I told you he was an idiot. I have seen the way he's sunk into himself when you're not around."

"I still can't really picture him being mopey over someone like you."

"Aria, come on." Jaden laughed. "You need to forget about that asshat who made a huge mistake. Anyone would be lucky to find their true mate and he fucked up, okay? Remember that."

She wanted to ask him about his own mate again, to find out what he had been about to say before Marcus had interrupted him. But she sensed that it might not be something he wanted to talk about and left the topic alone.

"Thanks. Jaden."

"Thank me when I come to pick you up in three days' time, yeah?"

She smiled to herself. "Okay."

They stopped exactly a mile away from her pack's borders and she took a deep breath, her hand hesitating on the door handle.

"You don't have to go back," Jaden said quietly. Aria shook her head, glancing over her shoulder at him. His messy blond hair fell into his eyes, tousled from running his hands through it while he waited for Aria and Marcus to sort their drama out. "You could come back with me, back to Marc where it's safe. He wasn't wrong when he said you could still figure stuff out apart there."

"I'd have to come back either way to sever the bond," she said in defeat.

"But we could come back with you to protect you."

"I'm a big girl. Jaden," she said with an easy smile. "I can protect myself. Just... make sure Marc doesn't barge in before I call him?"

Jaden nodded with an understanding smile. "I'll do my best, but you know what he's like."

With one last look at Jaden, she nodded and got out of the car, shutting the door behind her and sending him a wave. He waved back and waited until she'd shifted before driving off. She almost went after him, but she stopped herself.