Chapter 11

Aria

I am barely able to sleep. The sound of Noah in distress was making me startle awake, looking for him. Once I got home, I showered and washed away as much of the night off me, but there was still the slight sweet smell of Noah. It made my heart race smelling him, but I ignored it. When I was about to go to sleep, I looked at my pills and for the first time hesitated taking them. If I had taken them last night, I probably wouldn’t have been able to help him. My strength would have been limited, and my reactions would have been sluggish.

So I did something stupid. I didn’t take the medication, and as I start to wake up, I wonder if I made a mistake. Noah’s scent is so strong. I haven’t washed my clothes from last night yet, and his scent is all over them. When he sent me his address, it took all my restraint not to run over to him then and there. The idea of him being hurt and alone made me furious. Sure, he had his friends, but they were Betas. They couldn’t help him like I can.

This morning I have a training session with Xander that I can’t miss, though. I have never missed a session since the moment he signed me up. Those lessons were what helped me fight off those Alphas, so I need to go. I climb out of bed and pull on some workout clothes. The bruises on my body are visible, but I don’t want to hide them. I earned these, and I’m proud of making it through a dangerous situation. I’ll wear these injuries and hold my head high. Once upon a time, I’d have been ashamed of them, but not anymore.

The drive to Xander’s gym is short, and when I get there, he’s at the door waiting for me. His eyes roam over me as I walk up to him, and as soon as I'm close enough, he pulls me into a hug.

“Holy shit, babe. I’m so proud of you.” His deep voice rumbles next to my ear, making me shiver a little.

Xander is hot. There is no way around it. His strong arms feel amazing around me, even with the injuries. So yeah, I hug him back. I’m a woman after all!

“Thanks. It was all thanks to you. I wouldn’t have been able to kick those guys' asses if it wasn’t for you.” I say with a weak laugh.

He pulls back just enough to look down at me, but doesn’t let go. “It wasn’t because of me. It was your own strength that got you through. Maybe you should rest today.”

I shake my head and step out of his hold. “No. I need to be ready for when those assholes come back.”

His brow furrows. “What do you mean?”

“They were…I took care of them, but there is no way Axel isn’t going to retaliate.”

“But won’t the others take care of them?” He slides his arm around me and leads me to where his office is.

“Like I’m going to let them have all the fun.” I scoff, and he laughs a little.

I sense how worried he is. Even after everything, he still worries about me getting hurt, and I get that. He’s not the only one worried about me, and I have to understand that. Buck is going to try to keep me away, too, but this is my fight now too.

“Well, I’m not going to go all out today. You’re body has been through a lot.” I give him a look, but he shakes his head. “Don’t fight me on this. I’m the boss here.”

“Fine.” I roll my eyes but give up fighting.

We head into his office, and I drop down in a chair across from his desk.

“So how is Daniel taking everything. Has he been calling you like crazy to check up on you?” He smirks at the thought of Daniel hounding me because of how worried he is.

He would be right. “Yeah, he wanted to give me a ride here so I wasn’t alone, but I told him to stop being a mother hen.”

Xander bursts into laughter. “Don’t worry, he’ll track you down soon.”

He’s right.

“You should have seen the Omega’s pack. They were all Betas. I'd never seen that before.” I admit.

“What? An all Beta pack? I’ve never heard of that either. Usually, we don’t bother with that, since it isn’t possible to be a pack without an Alpha.” Xander runs a hand over his shaved head.

“Yeah. I’m going to see the Omega again today.” I don’t look at him when I say it.

I know what he’s going to say.

“Aria-“

“Don’t. It doesn’t mean anything, okay? I’m not building a pack. I’m worried about him, that’s all.”

He gives me a soft look. “It’s okay if you want a pack, Aria, it’s normal.”

“I don’t! They would be able to find me. All they would have to do is look at the records, and it would lead them right to me.” I remind him.

“But it would be too late. They wouldn’t be able to take you.”

I shake my head. “They’d kill anyone I bonded with if it meant breaking me.”

“Aria-“

“No, Xander. It's not happening!”

He looks at me for a while but nods.

I know him. He won’t let this go. As much as I deny it, I know. By the way he looks at me and acts around me, I know he wants to be bonded to me. I try to ignore it and deny it every single time, but I can see it…sense it, but I can’t be the Alpha he needs. I can’t be an Alpha to anyone. I’ve seen the danger of being in a pack, and all I know is the dark side of it. I’ll never want that for anyone.

His phone rings, startling me out of my thoughts.

“Xander.”

A smile appears on his face. “Yeah, she’s here.”

I roll my eyes.

“That’s not necessary. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of her myself.” He doesn’t sound annoyed by the accusation.

More like amused.

“Tell him to fuck off,” I grumble.

Xander chuckles. “You heard her…Alright. Calm your tits.”

He hangs up and cringes. “He’s on his way.”

Of course he is.

“He’s worried. Can you blame him?”

It’s my phone next that interrupts us. I pull it out and see Buck’s name.

“Hey, pop!”

“Hey, kid. Look, I don’t want to alarm you, but we've got a problem.” His words have an edge to them that makes me nervous.

“What happened?” I ask, sitting a little straighter.

“Axel happened. The idiot called the police. Apparently, he wants to press charges. He’s got some friends on the force, and they showed up here asking questions. I didn’t tell them shit, but I wanted to give you a heads up. They might come looking for you.”

Shit.

“What do I do?” I ask him.

“Don’t say anything, kid…is on his way.”

“Thanks, Pop.”