Her Chosen Mate

Part 59

DOUBLE UPDATES!!!

(POV - Aria)

For a beat, neither Aria nor Meredith moved a muscle, the silence in the aftermath of that roar unsettling. They both breathed hard, eyes fixed on one another while they waited for any other sounds. There was a muffled commotion, and Aria swore she recognized the new scent in the house.

Aria and Meredith raced out, knocking into one another in their rush to get downstairs to see what the hell was going on. The air rattled in Aria's lungs, Meredith's shallow, panicked breathing close behind her.

The overwhelming scent of fear and rage had blanketed the packhouse, muffling any other familiar scent that Aria could pick up. They reached the foot of the stairs and rounded into the main common room, both of them screeching to a halt at what awaited them.

Marcus.

Marcus was there, his scent suddenly so obvious that Aria couldn't believe she hadn't picked up on it before. He was seething, his lips pulled back over his teeth in a vicious snarl. He growled up at Aiden, who swung from his neck, held up in the air by just one of Marcus' hands wrapped tightly around his throat.

The reality of the situation hit Aria square in the face, her elation at seeing Marcus taking a back seat as she rushed forward, her hand steadying on Marcus' waist while Meredith stayed rooted in place.

"Please" Meredith screeched, her hands covering her mouth. "Let him go, don't do this!"

Marcus didn't move an inch, he didn't even acknowledge that she'd said anything. Taking a small breath, Aria pressed her palm to his ribs, feeling the wild hammering of his heart under her palm. "Marc," she murmured softly, fingers flexing in his muscle. "Marcus, look at me, please."

At the sound of her voice, Marcus' hand went limp, sending Aiden crashing to a heap on the ground. He coughed, his hand massaging his neck. Meredith ran to his side, but Aria didn't care. She only had eyes for Marcus, who had slowly turned to face her, the pain in his eyes enough to send her stumbling backwards.

He'd smelled it; Aiden's claim on her. Her scent was nothing but Aiden and his violent claim, the mark on her neck feeling obscene, like something she should hide.

She took a step back, tears filling her eyes. He followed her every move, stepping forward when she stepped back. His eyes slid in and out of focus, nostrils flaring, and his lip curling in displeasure. For a long. terrifying moment, his eyes lingered on the exposed mark on her neck, and she fought the sudden urge to clamp her hand over it. To hide it and pretend it never happened.

"Marc," she mumbled wetly, tears blurring her vision. But she saw the hurt in his eyes clear enough, and it cut like a knife.

He said nothing, walking closer and closer until she backed into a wall, the wolves in the room deadly quiet, almost too scared to even breathe. The wall pressed to her back, her breath shuddered in her lungs and he stopped just a few inches from her.

"Little one," he murmured, the pain lacing his voice making it hard for Aria not to burst into tears herself. "Is this... is this your final decision?"

Her breath caught in her throat, and she blinked up at him, eyes wide.

What was her final decision?

She thought back, turning each memory of Aiden over in her mind, every moment she'd shared with him.

From the very first, when he'd stepped in and run those bullies off. To the moments they shared while he was training her. She remembered how he had begun to smile, albeit a little reluctantly, around her. She'd known back then that her feelings were a little more serious than a crush. And she'd nurtured those feelings for the years Aiden had been away training to be the next Alpha. She hadn't known about Meredith. She hadn't imagined that he had been disappearing everyday to see her. He hadn't said anything, not that he would have. He had always been aloof and mysterious, keeping his thoughts and emotions close to his chest, never letting anyone know what was really going on in his head.