Chapter 4: The Mate Bond

Aria.

I didn't go to school the next day or the day after that.

I sat in my room, staring at the runes that appear and disappear on my skin like some twisted magic trick. Sometimes they glow bright silver. Sometimes they fade until I can barely see them. But they're always there, reminding me that my life is no longer normal.

Mom thinks I have the flu so I let her believe it.

On Wednesday, a knock came to my bedroom door.

"Aria, honey? You have a visitor," Mom called.

My stomach immediately dropped. I have never had any visitor before. Please don't let it be Jace. I'm not ready to face him yet.

"Who is it?" I asked.

"A boy from school. Says his name is Tyler?"

Tyler? What does Tyler want with me?

I dragged myself downstairs, still in my pajamas and oversized hoodie. Tyler is standing in our living room, looking uncomfortable and out of place among Mom's antique furniture.

"Hey," he says when he saw me.

"What do you want?" I don't have the energy to be polite.

"Jace sent me." He replied, his voice trembling.

Of course he did.

"Tell him I'm sick." I said.

"He knows you're not sick, Aria. He can feel it."

"Feel what?"

Tyler shifts nervously. "Look, I don't understand all this supernatural stuff, okay? But he said you'd know what I meant. He said to tell you that running won't change what you are."

The runes under my skin pulse at his words.

"I'm not running," I lied.

"Then come back to school. He's going crazy without you there."

"Good," I snapped. "Maybe now he knows how it feels."

Tyler looked surprised by my anger. "He never meant to hurt you, you know. The stuff that happened before... that wasn't really him."

"What do you mean?"

"That's not my story to tell. Just... talk to him, okay? Please?" Tyler let out a deep sigh, before making his way to the exit.

After he left, I sat on my front porch steps, staring at nothing, and just then my phone buzzed. It was a text from an unknown number.

'Meet me at Riverside Park. Tonight. 9 PM. We need to talk. -J'

I wanted to ignore the message, maybe pretend I never saw it. Instead, I found myself anticipating on meeting him.

Later at night, I headed to the park. The Riverside Park was empty. I found Jace sitting on a bench by the pond, staring out at the dark water like he left something in it.

"You came," he said without turning around.

"I shouldn't have." I replied sarcastically.

"But you did." He finally looked at me, and his eyes looked different. It looked sad. "Sit with me?"

Every instinct tells me to run, but I sat anyway. What was the worse that could happen? We were far enough apart from each other, but I can still feel the heat radiating from his body.

"Tyler said something strange to me," I said.

"I can feel everything about you now. Your emotions. Your pain. When you're scared or angry or sad." He turns to face me fully. "It's called a mate bond."

"Mates." The word tastes strange in my mouth. "Like animals."

"Like wolves," he corrects. "I'm a werewolf, Aria. So are most of the guys on my hockey team."

I should have laughed and called him crazy. Instead, I just nod. After everything that's happened, it makes sense in a twisted way.

"And you think I'm your... mate?" I said, trying to hide how ridiculous that must have sounded.

"I don't think so. I know it. The moment I saw you in that library, everything changed. My wolf recognized you instantly."

"But you were horrible to me." I said.

"I know and I'm sorry. More sorry than you'll ever know." Having Tyler apologize sounded strange to my ear.

"Then why did you do it?"

He's quiet for so long I think he won't answer. When he finally speaks, his voice is barely a whisper.

"Because I was ordered to."

"Ordered by who?"

"My father. The Alpha of the Storm Pack. I'm his heir, Aria. Someday I'll lead one of the most powerful werewolf clans in North America."

"So?"

"So when I found my mate, he expected her to be a wolf. Strong, fierce, from a good bloodline. Not a quiet human girl who spends her time reading books."

The words sting, even though I know he doesn't mean them to hurt.

"He told me to reject you. Publicly. Make you hate me so you'd stay away." Jace's hands clench into fists. "He said if I didn't, he'd make sure you disappeared permanently."

My blood runs cold. "He threatened to kill me?"

"Worse. He threatened to make you forget you ever existed. There are ways... supernatural ways to erase someone completely."

"But I'm not just human, am I?" I hold up my arm, letting the runes glow faintly in the moonlight. "You said I have some kind of bloodline."

Jace's eyes widen when he sees the markings. "When did those appear?"

"Two nights ago. After I had these dreams about wolves and fire and ancient stones."

He reaches toward my arm, then stops himself. "May I?"

I nod, and he gently takes my wrist in his hands. The moment our skin touches, electricity shoots through me. But this time it doesn't hurt. This time it feels like coming alive.

"These aren't just any runes," he breathes. "These are the marks of the First Blood."

"The what?"

"The original supernatural bloodline. The one all others came from. Aria, you're not just some random human. You're descended from the Ancients, the beings who created werewolves, vampires, witches, everything." He replied.

I stare at him. "That's impossible."

"Your bloodline is older than mine. More powerful. More dangerous." He looks up at me, and there's something like awe in his eyes. "You could destroy my entire pack without breaking a sweat."

"I don't want to destroy anyone."

"I know. That's what makes you perfect."

We sat in silence, his hands still wrapped around my wrist. The runes pulse gently, responding to his touch.

"What happens now?" I asked.

"Now you have a choice. You can walk away from all of this. From me. I'll make sure my pack never bothers you again."

"And the other choice?"

His eyes meet mine, and I see centuries of longing there. "You accept what you are. What we are. Together."

I want to say yes. Every cell in my body is screaming at me to say yes. But fear holds me back.

"I need time to think."

"How much time?"

"I don't know."

He nods, even though I can see it hurts him. "Take all the time you need. But Aria?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't disappear on me. Please. I can't lose you again."

I don't promise him anything. I can't.

I walk home in a daze, my mind spinning with everything he told me. Werewolves. Ancient bloodlines. A mate bond that connects us whether I want it or not.

When I get to my room, I pack a bag. Just the essentials, clothes, money, my fake ID from when I wanted to look older to buy books at the adult section.

I leave a note for Mom saying I need some time away. That I'm safe and I'll call soon.

Then I walk out of the only life I've ever known. I didn't look back.