Chapter 29

Belle POV:

Several black SUVs pull into the driveway. I watch as everyone gets out of the SUV. Alpha Sebastian and Luna Alanis are in the first SUV, but Aria is not with them. I keep watching almost beside myself, waiting to see him. Finally, he gets out of the black SUV. His long dark hair blows in the wind as I push the door open and run to him.

"Aria!" I scream as I run for him.

"Belle!" He screams and runs toward me. I wrap my arms around him.

"Happy Birthday!" I say as I hug him. He feels amazing. I have always loved him, but I have never acted on it or said anything. For one, I am older than him, and for two, I cannot read his mind. I have no idea how he feels about me, but I plan to tell him exactly how I feel about him today.

I turn to speak to Luna Alanis and Alpha Sebastian, but they have already gone into our cabin. "Are you ready for your birthday party?" I ask him.

He smiles at me. He seems different. I have not seen him in almost a month. It has been torture not to see him, but Alpha Sebastian has spent a lot of time prepping Aria for the announcement tonight. Aria will not become Alpha tonight. Tonight, we celebrate his birthday, and Alpha Sebastian announces that he is stepping down soon and that Aria will take over the pack. I am so happy for him.

"Is something wrong?" I ask him. Aria has not answered me since I asked him if he is ready for his birthday.

"No, nothing is wrong. I am very nervous about tonight, and I need to talk to you about something," Aria says.

I begin to smile so big that I cannot stop it, but Aria is not smiling. He looks sad. "What is it, Aria?" I ask him.

"Well, the thing is Belle," he begins.

"Aria, help me," a female voice calls from the SUV.

"Sure, Lakota," Aria says.

Aria goes over to the SUV and opens the door. A beautiful she-wolf steps out of the SUV. "You must be Belle," Lakota says.

She reaches out to hug me, but I step back. "How could you?" I scream at Aria. I turn to run toward the woods. I run as fast as I can to get as far away from him and her as possible. I jump into the air as high as possible, and when I hit the ground, I have shifted into my wolf. My paws dig into the soil, and I run for the stream.

"BELLE!" I hear someone calling to me, but I ignore them. I keep running. To hell with Aria and his birthday. We are supposed to be together. I have put my entire life on hold for him. I stayed here, and I could have dated so many times, but no, I waited on him. He shows up at my house with some other wolf.

I knead my paws into the dirt and then scream out. I howl so loud that I am sure everyone can hear me. "Come home!" My mother calls to me in our mind link. I do not answer her. I am heartbroken.

I step into the stream and look down at my wolf reflecting back at me in the water. WHY! I howl. My heart is breaking. I hear someone running into the woods. It is not Aria, and I know how he sounds when he runs. We have run together and played together so many times.

I look over to see my father. "Why are you here?" I ask him. He runs down to the stream.

"You know this is the first place I saw your mother. I was here, and she was on the other side of the water. She was the most beautiful wolf I had ever seen in my life. I fell in love with her instantly. She was a slave, and I was the son of the Alpha, but she saved me," my father says.

I look at him. I have heard the story so many times about how they met and how they fell in love. "What does any of that have to do with the fact I am losing my mind right now?" I ask him.

I lean over on my father and cry. "He broke my heart," I say, crying.

"You and your mother are so much alike and so different. You both jump to the biggest conclusion and never let anyone explain anything ever," My father says.

I shake my head as a thousand possibilities run through my head. "He came here with another girl. I wanted to tell him how much I care for him and always have cared for him. I…I… Oh damn! I love him, daddy," I say, crying harder as I lean into my father.

My father listens to me. I am sure my mother is going crazy right now with worry. My father is always the easier of the two to talk to about anything. He will listen, and my mother, she does not listen. She just wants to fix it for me. "Well, maybe instead of running away, you should tell him," my father says.

"I cannot go back there now. I will just stay here until everyone leaves. Save me some food, or have Katherine sneak me something down here," I say.

My father begins laughing. "You have to face this head-on, Belle. You are the future Alpha of this pack, and you will sometimes have to hold your head up when it is very hard. I am sorry you are broken right now, but Alpha Sebastian and his family are our guests, and as future Alpha, you should be at the party," my father says.

I know he is right, and I'm not too fond of it. I hate that I have to go be friendly as the future Alpha. I really want to plant Aria and his girlfriend into that birthday cake I helped bake for him. "Fine, but I am not singing happy birthday to him or smiling at him," I say.

"Add that you will not do anything witchy or imperial like or elite like or mean to that statement," my father says.

"Fine, I will be nice," I say.

"I do not believe you," my father says.

I glance over at my father. "Have I ever lied to you?" I ask him.

"Well, how about the time you…" he begins, but I put my paw up to stop him.

"Never mind. It is fine. I will be kind, but accidents happen," I say.

"BELLE!" My father growls at me.

"I will be home in a few minutes. I just need a few more minutes to collect myself, and then I will come home and reapply my makeup and make myself beautiful again," I say.

"Okay. Belle. Do not take too much longer. Your mother will send out a search party," My father says.

"Love you, Daddy," I say as he begins sprinting back to the cabin. I have to pull myself together.

After a few moments, I turn around to begin my run back to the house. That is when I see her. She is here for me…The Weeping Wolf