Chapter 175 175

Chapter 175 175

Arielle's POV

He reached over, his hand finding mine. "You don't need to overthink it," he said, his voice soft. "We're mates. And I..." He paused, his eyes meeting mine. "I fancy you, Arielle. I love you."

I looked at him, speechless for a moment. Then I cleared my throat, the words coming out reluctantly. "You... don't have to say that. Seriously. You already had me last night, and we can just forget all that happened."

His brows lifted, and he brought the car to a halt. His gaze locked with mine. "What?”

I sighed, the weight of the words pressing down on me. "Yes. Isn't it better to go back to how things used to be? I can't stand you; you're irritated by me—like nothing happened." I paused, my voice dropping. "Instead of forcing commitment."

"Forcing commitment?" His gaze deepened, something dark and unreadable flickering in his eyes.

I nodded, forcing myself to meet his gaze. "We both can assume we messed up. You couldn't hold back and kissed me. My emotions heightened after getting my wolf, and we had sex. So that's it. We can call it a one-night stand and forget about it."

His jaw tightened. "Are you being serious?"

"Yes." I swallowed. "What do you expect from me? You want me having to drag you away from other bitches who want to crawl into your bed?"

He looked at me, his eyes steady, unwavering. "There won't be anyone other than you."

I wanted to believe him. I wanted to badly. But the fear lingered, whispering doubts I couldn't silence. We were bonded now, forever tied by the mate bond, but what if it wasn't enough? What if he got tired of me?

"What about Beverly Bevis?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. "I think she likes you, and—"

He cut me off. "Did you see her yesterday in college?"

I tried to recall, and realized she hadn't shown up to take her subject. "No. She could have called in sick."

"No." He shook his head. "She's back to her original pack. Where she came from."

My lips parted in surprise.

He continued, his voice flat. "I sent her away from this city. I knew she'd be a real problem for you. Her resignation will be announced today."

I blinked, stunned. "Really?"

"Really." He looked at me, his eyes softening. "I love you, Arielle. I know this is sudden, and I know you're scared. But I'm not going anywhere. I've been waiting for you, whether I knew it or not. And now that I have you, I'm not letting you go."

I looked down at my hands, my voice trembling. "I'm scared because this is sudden. I never thought of it. I never thought I'd have a mate, let alone you. I mean, you're the Alpha of Dead Moon. You could have anyone. Why would you want me?"

He reached over, his hand finding mine, his fingers intertwining with mine. "Because you're the one the goddess chose for me. Because you're the only one who makes me feel alive. Because when I look at you, I see my future."

I looked up at him, searching his eyes for any hint of doubt. I found none.

"But what if it doesn't work out?" I asked, my voice small. "What if we end up hating each other?"

He squeezed my hand. "Then we'll figure it out. But I refuse to let fear dictate our future. We're mates, Arielle. That means we fight for each other. We don't give up."

I nodded slowly, a small smile tugging at my lips. "I'll tell Mandy about us. But not now. She doesn't need to know now. She'll be upset, and I can't handle that right now."

He sighed, his thumb tracing circles on the back of my hand. "You didn't commit a crime, Arielle. You fell in love. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that."

I shook my head. "I feel like I betrayed our friendship. Because even before last night, I was... sort of..."

He smiled, completing my sentence. "Lusting over me."

My jaw dropped. "How did you—"

He shrugged, his smile widening. "You think I never noticed? The way your eyes lingered on me? The way your breath caught when I got too close? I noticed, little wolf."

I laughed, the sound surprised and relieved. "You're impossible."

He leaned over and pecked my lips. "Hey, relax. Okay? We will figure this out together."

I looked at him, taken aback by his cool, comforting attitude. "Why are you being so comfortable now? Until last night, I don't think you would have dared to be this soothing."

He shrugged. "You're right. And until last night, you wouldn't have dared to be this vulnerable." His hand came to my cheek, caressing it tenderly.