Chapter 5

Aria’s POV

The air in the car was suffocating. It was warm, dry, and smelled entirely of him.

Pine and spice. It was everywhere. It filled my nose and coated my tongue.

Damon was leaning over the center console.

His hand was inches from my neck and his eyes looked pitch black.

"Rain," he said again. The word was a growl. "You smell like rain."

My heart hammered against my ribs.

The heater was blasting, but I felt cold with fear.

The water from my hair was dripping onto my collar, soaking the scarf.

If he touched it, if he moved the fabric even an inch, he would see the mark, he would know.

"I told you," I said, my voice shaking. "It’s my shampoo. Vanilla and… rain mist."

"I don't believe you," Damon whispered.

His hand moved closer. His fingers brushed the wet wool of the scarf.

The sparks were instant.

A jolt of electricity shot through my neck and down my spine. My wolf woke up instantly, scratching at the back of my mind, wanting to get out, wanting to rub against him.

I gasped and slammed my back against the passenger door.

"Don't," I choked out.

Damon froze. His hand hovered in the air. He blinked, and for a second, the black in his eyes receded.

He looked confused and he looked at his own hand like it had betrayed him.

"Why are you afraid?" He asked, his voice was lower now, rougher. "I'm not going to hurt you, Aria."

"You're acting crazy," I retorted. "You're sniffing me. You're blocking me in."

"My wolf," Damon muttered. He rubbed his face with his hand, looking frustrated. "He thinks… he thinks you have something on you. A scent… from the woods."

"I wasn't in the woods," I lied. The lie tasted bitter on my tongue. "I was in the pack house."

Damon stared at me. He was studying my face, searching for a crack in my story.

His gaze dropped to my neck again. To the wet scarf.

"Take it off," he said.

My stomach dropped. "What?"

"The scarf," Damon commanded. "It's soaking wet. You'll get sick, so take it off."

"I'm cold," I answered quickly. "I need it."

"I will turn up the heat. Take it off, Aria."

He wasn't asking anymore. He was the Alpha. It was an order.

I couldn't take it off. The paste was gone and the bite was right there. It was red and angry and undeniable.

If he saw it, he would know I was the one in the woods. He would know I was the mate who ran.

I had to make him stop. I had to make him not want to look.

I had to hurt him.

"I can't take it off," I whispered.

"Why?" Damon demanded as he leaned in again. "Is it a bruise? Did someone hurt you?"

His voice turned protective.

"No," I said. I looked him dead in the eye. "It's a mark."

Damon went still. "A mark?"

"A love bite," I lied. "From Kade."

The air left the car and Damon pulled back as if I had slapped him. The concern on his face vanished, replaced by a look of pure disgust.

"Kade," he repeated. The name sounded like a disease.

"Yes," I said, digging my fingernails into my palms to keep from crying. "We… we saw each other before I went to the river. We made up and he marked me. I'm hiding it because I didn't want Mira to know yet ‘cause she would be mad."

It was a terrible lie, but it was the only one that would make him back off.

Damon’s jaw clenched so hard I thought his teeth would crack. His hands gripped the steering wheel, the leather creaking under the pressure.

"You went back to him," Damon said. It wasn't a question. It was a judgment. "After he cheated on you with the help."

"He loves me," I whispered, looking out the window. "People make mistakes."

"You are a fool," Damon growled.

He started the car, the engine roaring to life.

He slammed the gear into drive and drove away from the curb, tires screeching on the wet pavement.

He drove fast… too fast, making the rain lash against the windshield, blurring the world outside.

Inside, the silence was heavy. I could feel his anger because it was radiating off him in waves.

"He doesn't deserve you," Damon spoke suddenly. He didn't look at me. He kept his eyes on the road.

"That's not your business," I replied softly.

"Everything in this pack is my business," he snapped. "Especially when my brother is treating women like toys. If he marked you, why isn't he here? Why are you walking in the rain?"

"He was busy," I answered.

"Busy," Damon scoffed. "If you were mine…"

He stopped. The words hung in the air.

My heart skipped a beat. "If I were yours?"

Damon tightened his grip on the wheel. "If you were mine, you wouldn't be walking in the rain. And you wouldn't be hiding my mark with a scarf."

He didn't say anything else.

Ten minutes later, he pulled up to the apartment complex. He didn't unlock the doors immediately. He sat there, the engine idling.

"Don't lie to me again, Aria," he said.

I looked at him. "I'm not lying."

"Your heart tells a different story," he muttered. "Get out."

The locks clicked.

I opened the door and scrambled out into the rain. I didn't say even say thank you. I slammed the door and ran for the building entrance.

I didn't look back, but I could feel his eyes on me because I knew that he was watching.

I fumbled with my keys, my hands shaking. I got the main door open and practically fell into the lobby.

I leaned against the wall, gasping for breath. "You're late."

I jumped, dropping my keys.

Kade was sitting on the stairs leading up to my floor and he was picking at his fingernails, looking bored.

"Kade," I breathed. "What are you doing here?"

He stood up and walked down the steps. He looked me over, his nose wrinkling.

"You smell like him,"

"He gave me a ride," I said, bending down to pick up my keys. "It was raining."

Kade stepped on my hand. Not hard enough to break bone, but hard enough to hurt.

"Ow!" I yanked my hand back.

"Don't lie to me," Kade said pleasantly. "I saw the car. I saw you sitting in there with him for a long time. What were you doing?"

"Nothing," I retorted , standing up and clutching my hand. "Talking."

"Talking," Kade laughed. "About what? Me?" He stepped closer, backing me against the mailboxes.

"Did you tell him?" Kade whispered. "About us? About the bond breaking?"

"No," I said quickly. "I didn't tell him anything."

Kade stared at me. His hazel eyes were cold.

"Good. Because if you do… if you try to ruin my reputation with my brother… I will make sure everyone knows you're crazy. I'll tell them you're unstable. No one will hire you and you’ll be a rogue within a week."

"Get away from me," I spat.

"Not yet." Kade grinned, then he reached out and tugged on the end of my scarf. "Let's see this neck. You've been hiding it all day."

"No!" I shoved his hand away.

"Why?" Kade's eyes narrowed. "Unless… unless there's something there you don't want me to see."

He lunged for me.

I dodged, ducking under his arm. I ran for the stairs.

"Aria!" he yelled.

I didn't stop. I ran up the three flights of stairs, my lungs burning. I got to my door, jammed the key in, and threw myself inside.

I locked the deadbolt just as a heavy fist pounded on the wood.

"Open the door, Aria!" Kade shouted.

"Go away!" I screamed. "Or I'm calling the guards!"

There was a pause, then a low chuckle.

"Fine," Kade said through the door. "Have it your way, but remember, babe. You're mine. You always come back."

I heard his footsteps retreating down the hall.

I slid down the door until I hit the floor then I pulled my knees to my chest.

My hand went to my neck. The scarf was now loose and I felt trapped.

Damon suspected something and Kade was hunting me, not wanting to let go.

And the mark on my neck was throbbing, aching for the man who had just driven away.

"I can't do this," I whispered to the empty room, but I had to.