Chapter 13

Aria

I leave Xander’s office and head for one of the training rooms at the back of the gym. It’s far enough away from the main area of the gym that no one would be able to see Noah and I. I want to see him and make sure he’s okay, but I don’t want everyone watching us. Maybe im just paranoid, but after that call from Buck, I’m nervous. Those assholes went to the police! Even if they did have cops in their pockets, it could catch someone else’s attention too.

Especially after the new mayor went on TV saying that he had all these plans to clean up the city. Translation: he wants to get all the people who aren’t Alphas in line. Because to them, if anyone steps out of what they think is how the order of things is meant to be, they have to be a criminal.

My phone chimes in my pocket. I take it out and bite back a smile when I see Noah’s name.

Noah: We’re leaving now. Be there soon.

My smile falls. We?

Me: Who else is coming?

Noah: Roman is driving me

Okay. He seemed the least annoying out of the group.

Me: Okay. Is he dropping you off or staying?

Noah: Just dropping me off. He’ll come get me later. I don’t like to drive, so they usually drive me everywhere.

Me: Tell him not to worry. I can take you home!

Noah: Are you sure?

Me: I think I can handle giving you a ride home

Noah: Okay! Thanks!

Me: No problem. See you soon

I decide to do a small workout while I wait. In the corner is a yoga mat and a few small weights. I grab one and lay it out on the ground facing the wall mirror, and take off my hoodie. I’m wearing yoga pants and a sports bra underneath, and when I remove the hoodie, I once again come face to face with the damage of last night. Somehow, all the bruises look worse today…darker. Seeing them in a bathroom mirror was one thing, but in this huge mirror, I'm able to get a good look at the bruises everywhere else. There are some pretty big ones near my right side and ribs, a few on the backs of my arms, along with several long cuts. Nothing serious, but noticeable.

It looks bad, but I don’t want it to get in the way of my life. I’m in pain for sure, but the few tabs of pain meds I took this morning is keeping most of the pain muted. I wanted to get through this workout without feeling the pain. I’ll deal with that when I’m alone.

Once the mat is laid out, I roll my shoulders and my neck. I wince and tense up when I feel a pain in my neck. A few deep breaths, and I push past the pain and move down to the floor. I move into a few different stretches to help loosen me up, then move into a few yoga poses. Along with my usual training, I have been trying yoga to help keep my body loose. My size makes me seem like an easy target, but being smaller also makes me fast. That speed is one of the reasons I made it out of that fight with just a few bruises and scrapes.

I close my eyes and breathe deeply as I move from one move to another and only open them when I catch his scent. My head turns to the door, and I see Noah standing in the doorway. His eyes are slightly wide, and his lips are parted a little, which makes me laugh. I’m sure the position I'm in looks a bit weird, so I don’t blame him.

“Hey!” I move to stand up and fully face him. “That was fast.”

He seems like he’s in a trance for a second, but blinks a couple of times and focuses on my face.

“Uh, yeah. I-uh don’t…” He stutters.

I can’t help but smile when his cheeks bloom a little pink. He’s wearing a hoodie too, but I can see bruises peeking out. We make quite a pair.

“Noah, call me. Okay?” I hear a deep voice say from outside the door.

Soon, Roman steps into view, and his eyes move immediately to me. I have an urge to cover up, feeling a little self-conscious, but I rest my hands on my hips instead.

“Good morning.” He says.

“Hi,” I say a little too sharply.

I’m being rude and I know it, but I don’t trust the guy.

“I’ll head out then. I’m headed to the clinic, but I should be back by dinner.” He tells Noah.

“Okay,” Noah says with a nod.

Roman rests a hand on his friend’s shoulder and squeezes it before he turns and leaves. Noah and I stay silent, just staring at each other for a minute. I take that time to look at each of his wounds. He looks okay, but his scent is off. It has a sour smell to it. Like citrus.

“How are you?” I ask, taking a step closer to him.

I don’t want to startle him, so I move slowly.

“F-fine. You?”

“I’m alright. Do you want to sit down?” I ask, pointing to a chair sitting in the corner of the room.

“Sure.” He follows me to the chair and sits, but I sit back down on my yoga mat.

Truthfully, I need to put a little distance between us. His scent is getting stronger, and the smell of his anxiety is making me want to storm out of here and cause a whole lot more pain to those assholes. They got off easy. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. If I decide not to take my medication anymore, I need to learn not to act on my emotions. Which is really hard right now.

I watch him, though. He fidgets and moves around like he’s not sure what to do. When he moves a certain way, but I see his face scrunch up slightly.

“How are you really? Don’t lie.” I say a little more firmly than I mean to.

His eyes snap to me, and I watch him swallow. “I didn’t lie.”

I stand and walk toward him, but stop a couple of feet away. “I can see you’re in pain, Noah, and I can tell when you’re lying.”

“How?” He asks as he watches me.

“You’re scent. It changes, but also you wear your emotions all over your face.” I smile a little when his face turns a little pink again.

“Oh.”

“Noah. Tell me.”

He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “I’m in pain and…”

“And what?” I step closer and tilt my head to look at his face better.

When he looks up at me, his eyes are glossy, and the sight of it makes my heart break.

“I couldn't sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw them…felt them.” His voice cracks, and I can’t hold back anymore.

I close the distance between us and wrap my arms around his neck.