005

~~ ARIA ~~

“So how did hearing me moan your name sound?” Thorne smirks.

His words send a shiver down my spine, and gosh, those beautiful eyes of his — I can’t take my eyes off them.

I can literally hear the sound of my own heartbeat.

“What?” I want to sound confident and unaffected by his ridiculous question, but my voice betrays me.

I mean, how can I keep calm when he is naked and his big cock is on display?

“You heard me, Aria. I don’t like to repeat anything I say,” he answers and begins wearing his boxers.

“I… I don’t… care if you moaned my name, Thorne. It doesn’t matter,” I swallow, trying hard to get a grip on myself.

His lips tip upwards as he begins taking slow but deliberate steps towards me.

He isn’t even putting on a shirt.

I should back away, but for reasons I don’t understand, I am not able to.

He closes the gap between us. His scent is intoxicating to the extent that I close my eyes and inhale, savoring the moment.

He looks at me like I am a prized jewel he longs to have. I feel seen and wanted.

Then I feel something stir inside.

My wolf, which has been dormant, stirs within me, making my eyes snap open.

Thorne reaches his hand up and uses his thumb to brush my lips.

I close my eyes when I feel tingles spreading throughout my body.

Fuck… Thorne is going to be the end of me.

However, it is at that moment that I feel the magnetic pull that makes my eyes snap open, and so do his.

“Mate?” We chant in unison.

I am astounded, not even knowing what else to say.

Meanwhile, Thorne’s face hardens. Every trace of his flirtatiousness from earlier vanishes.

Why does his countenance change after we just find out that we are mates?

And why do we find out now after all these years?

All these questions run wild in my head but Thorne’s cold words bring me back to reality.

“Aria Stone, what do you want? Aren’t you supposed to be preparing for your wedding with Magnus?” Thorne asks coldly, while putting on a bathrobe.

I frown. “You know about my marriage?” I ask him.

“Our packs are rivals, Aria. I make it a necessity to know everything that’s going on in my rival’s pack,” he says simply.

I think now that we are mates he will claim me, and ask me not to marry Alpha Magnus.

But he says nothing concerning it, and that is all the answer I need.

My heart sinks in realization, but I force myself to straighten my shoulders.

He doesn’t want me.

Or else, his expression wouldn’t have turned cold when he realizes we are mates.

Suck it up, Aria. Deal with that fact, I say inwardly, and take a deep breath.

“What do you want, Aria?” Thorne asks firmly.

“I want you to stop fighting my brother, please. This war has gone on long enough,” I tell him.

He huffs, his gaze lingering on my boobs a little longer than it should, and I can have sworn I see his eyes darken.

“My council of elders are the ones who spearhead all the retaliation attacks. I have nothing to do with it,” he says curtly.

“But you are the alpha. You can command them to stop the attacks,” I answer.

“Aria, this is more than you think. There is nothing I can do. Your brother caused it. He started the attacks,” Thorne snaps impatiently.

I don’t get it. The whole thing is beginning to make me dizzy just thinking about it.

“Then tell me what started all this. Can’t you see I’m trying to make things right?” I snap in frustration.

Thorne scoffs and chuckles dryly.

“Make things right? You’re just trying to do that now because you don’t want to get married to Magnus,” he retorts.

“That’s not true,” I say firmly, even though I know he is half right.

“Really? Then why didn’t you try to make things right since this war started five years ago? Aria, you left without saying goodbye. You didn’t even try to contact me all these years. You were busy partying with human men and posting it online,” Thorne yells with sad eyes.

I crease my brows. The sadness I see in his eyes makes my heart ache.

Is this why he refuses to acknowledge our mate bond?

Because he is hurt?

He cusses under his breath and runs his hand over his face before he looks at me.

“Your brother is the one who needs your pep talk, not me. So coming here was pointless. You can leave now,” he says, his voice breaking a bit.

Five years ago before I left, Alec collects my real phone, so I have no way of reaching Thorne, and somehow that hurts more than the silence itself.

The human world has nothing to do with the werewolf world, so I can’t even find Thorne’s social media account while I am there.

I am shocked that he is even able to keep tabs on me.

But then again, if he can access my social media, why doesn’t he reach out to me all these years?

“So that’s it?” I scoff in exasperation. “You aren’t going to talk about the fact that we are mates?”

“It’s pointless. You should go get married to Magnus,” he spits coldly while walking upstairs.

And I can’t even bring myself to stop him.

If only he knew how I long for him and wish to hear his voice all these years, he wouldn’t treat me this way.

I want to run to him and hug him from behind, but I am a woman and I need to have self-respect, so I stay where I am.

I am done throwing myself at Thorne.

Coming here turns out to be a waste of time, but that doesn’t mean I am going to let Alec marry me off to some old man.

******

I fail to stop the marriage. Or should I just say, I agree for Alec's sake?

Yeah, I do.

He is the only family I have left, and even though we don't always see eye to eye on things, I still love him.

So I wipe the tears from my eyes as I stare at my reflection in the mirror.

For the first time, the thought settles heavily in my chest.

Alec doesn't send me to the human world just because he wants to start a war. There is something more at play here.

And whatever it is, it costs me five years… and the man I have had feelings for almost all my life.

Maybe if I can find out why I am sent to the human world and why our packs are at war, I would have a chance of avoiding this marriage.

"I'm sorry you have to go through all this. If I had the power I would have called off the marriage," Mrs Hale walks up behind me and places her hands on my shoulders, giving them a comforting pat.

I smile sadly. "You know what happened when I tried to," I tell her and she sighs.

After I try to call off the marriage yesterday, Alpha Magnus sends threat messages asking for his money back and Alec doesn't have it.

I know our pack can't afford to be at war with two packs at the same time. So I give up.

Maybe this is my fate.

"It's time," Alec peeps into the room and announces.

I exhale sharply and nod.

Mrs Hale walks me to the altar where the priestess of the moon goddess waits alongside Alpha Magnus.

How am I going to survive him towering over me when we have sex?

A wedding is supposed to be full of smiles between the bride and groom, but here I am, fighting back tears of sorrow.

I wish Thorne is the one waiting for me at the altar.

My heart would be pounding with ecstasy.

But who am I kidding? Thorne isn't interested.

Alpha Magnus ogles my body with hungry eyes.

The hall is big and filled with people from my pack and his pack.

Then he leans closer, smiling like this wedding is already a done deal.

Like my consent doesn't matter in the first place.

"I can't wait to take off your panties tonight," Alpha Magnus whispers into my ear.

Just the sound of his voice alone makes my skin crawl.

I close my eyes fighting the urge to break his balls.

The priestess of the moon goddess is about to begin the joining ceremony when the hall door is forced open.

"She is mine," Thorne's voice booms through the hall, sending shivers down everyone's spine.

Is this a dream? Or is Thorne really here to claim me?