Chapter 17 Not a chance
Lucian
I jerked awake, my heart hammering wildly against my ribs. The dream still clung to me and I blinked hard to shake it off.
The sheets under my fist were tangled like the fight I lost in my dream. Would I ever stop having dreams about those fateful moments?
This is one of the reasons why I didn't want to sleep with Aria. I might wake her up with my bad dreams.
So, I just waited until she had fallen into a deep slumber before slipping away.
I gave her ten minutes, but she fell asleep before the time was up. I mean, it was normal, though. Today was such a long day. It was very normal for her to feel very tired and exhausted.
Which was why I was very skeptical when she was up very fast the other time. I mean she’s just a tiny, powerless human.
I slipped out of bed and ended up downstairs, at the bar. I don't think I'll be able to sleep again tonight.
“The dreams again?” Ben asked suddenly, as I took one of the wines and proceeded to serve myself.
“Yes,” I responded.
“I thought it had stopped. Now, it's back again,” he noted.
I groaned inwardly and gulped down the whole content of the cup at once. There were days I couldn't sleep because of the nightmare, but I got past it.
But it started again after I discovered Aria. I've been having numerous dreams since then as if my intrusion was reminding me of my mother.
I was supposed to be very careful so Aria wouldn't do what my mother did.
Though I've been keeping it a secret from Ben. He has always stayed at the packhouse, I made sure of it while I stayed at the mansion. So, he didn't find out.
But with the recent incident, that changed.
“So, it's true. Selene did tell me your dreams have started recurring. Why have you hidden it from me?”
“It's not such a big deal, Ben. It's a reminder, nothing more.”
“A reminder? Are you saying it's just a mere coincidence that this dream restarted after you found your mate? Aria is the problem here.”
“He's right, brother,” Selene added quickly.
I looked up at her. She hesitated by the door as if contemplating whether to enter or not.
“I heard she's from the Morwel Pack,” she scoffed and finally stepped inside. “What if she's a spy? What if she was sent by Kael?”
“That's not true,” I argued.
“How?”
“I had someone monitor her for a whole of three years. Aria is plain,” I explained.
Wasn't that one of the reasons why I had Susan monitor her every move? I made sure she reported even the slightest thing to me.
If truly Kael sent Aria, I would have seen the signs. For three years, Karl never sent for Aria or even showed up at her place.
There's no doubt that Aria was truly sent out of his packhouse with her mother. In fact, after Aria lost her mother three years ago, things haven't been easy for her.
If Karl was truly connected, he would have shown up for her.
“But that doesn't mean she's not going to betray you eventually,” Ben uttered.
I glared at him. “Watch your tongue, Man.”
“Ben is telling the truth. I don't trust your human mate at all.”
“As I said, you don't have to. I will handle it all,” I assured them.
Selene groaned again, then moved closer and took the cup from me.
“What will you do then if she ends up betraying you?”
I regarded Selene for a moment, before I looked at Ben. “Is that what you all think?”
“She's human and there's every tendency she might plan to, one day.”
I shook my head briefly. “No, she won't because I will make sure it never happens. Aria will have no choice but to stick with me. Betrayal? Not even a chance.”
“But_” Selene started again but I shut her up quickly.
“I'm done with this conversation,” I muttered in a voice that left no room for more conversations and stepped out of the house.
Stepping out of the pack house, I arched my back and started to shift. Then, I made a run into the woods.
My mother betrayed my father ten years ago and I suffered for it for five years. My father was killed and it was left for me to bring back the pack.
I toiled for five years just to take back some of our possessions from the Morwel Pack. This was why I trained even harder to become what I achieved today.
Maybe I had gone extreme, but my wolf has suddenly gone even stronger, so sometimes, it takes every ounce of me to control it.
I became so strong that I was able to collect back all of our possessions from the Morwel Pack and maybe more because even now, the Morwel Pack can't even attack us.
In fact, they are scared of us.
They are scared but I'm not. The only reason why I'm not attacking them again is because of the humans. But if they try to move any freaking way towards Aria, I will slay the last of them.
The painful part about my mother's betrayal was leaving my sister to die. If someone like that, my father's mate can betray him and abandon her children, how many more mates out there.
This is the reason why Aria will never know why she's really here. The only thing I need from her is submission. She will stay here, under my command, be my mate, and bear me my heir.
Even at that, she wouldn't have the freedom, the freedom to betray and backstab me as my mother had done to my father.
I stopped running suddenly but my wolf still wanted to go on. I let out a loud howl before I took another race towards nowhere in particular.
My hard work was what made people fear me now, including all the wolves in the neighbourhood.
Yes, I wouldn't want to compromise the pack but I don't think I can be with anyone else aside from my mate.
It is either my mate or I will have to stay single for life.
Aria is mine and she belongs only to me.