Chapter 38 CHAPTER 038
Ari POV:
I stared at him, wondering if I heard right. Harry had always seemed confident in himself. Too confident to be in deep thoughts or worry about anything else other than the state of the pack. His admission threw me out of my own brooding state.
"What have you been thinking about?"
He met my gaze, and for once, the humor in his eyes dimmed. "You," he said softly. My chest constricted and suddenly, I became aware of the little space between us. "When you first came to this pack, everyone accused you of being an enemy. But I knew you weren't. I defended you even though all I knew about you was your name. Where are you from? Why were you trying to kill yourself?"
I tore my gaze away, looking at the empty space between the flowers as I chose my words carefully.
"I come from a pack that's very far away from here."
"Where exactly?"
I scoffed, a humorless sound that was barely audible. "If I told you, who is to say you won't tell your Alpha? And you know it won't take your Alpha any second to decide to attack. I wouldn't want that for my pack, even though they hurt me."
"But they bullied you. They even sent you out of the pack for being wolfless."
"No. No, I... I wasn't wolfless from birth." My fingers dug into the fabric of my pants. "After I stupidly sacrificed my womb and wolf for the Alpha, I became cast away. Shadowfang had rules that omega females weren't permitted to train or allowed to hold weapons. But my father was Beta, so I thought..." A bitter laugh escaped me. "I thought exceptions could be made for me."
Harry stayed silent, his shoulder warm against mine as the branches trembled in the breeze.
"Ryle, who was my mate, was having an affair with my own sister. When I confronted him, he humiliated me and banished me from the pack."
Harry's hand found mine in a tight grip. "Ari..."
"The worst part?" My tears fell freely now, splashing onto our tangled fingers. "When Stone found me half-dead in the river, I thought the Moon Goddess had answered my prayers. But he's just another Alpha who thinks my body belongs to him."
Harry's thumb brushed my cheekbone, smearing the liquid across my skin. His touch was reverent, as if I might shatter.
"You're wrong," he murmured. When I tried to pull away, he caught my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. "Stone's a bastard, but he didn't drag you back here to own you. That wolf of his—" His throat worked. "Whatever bond you two have, it's messing with his head worse than yours."
I let Harry’s words settle in my mind like cold water on burning skin. "Thank you," I whispered, though I wasn’t sure what I was thanking him for.
Was it his kindness, his honesty, or just the fact that he hadn’t left me alone in the garden to circle around my thoughts ignorantly. He squeezed my hand once before standing, brushing flower petals from his trousers with an exaggerated flourish that made me smile.
By the time I dragged myself to Stone’s chambers, which was now our chambers, the sun had set.
The scent of whiskey hit me before I even crossed the entrance. Stone sat slumped in a high-backed chair, the golden liquid swirling in his glass catching the light from the fireplace next to the sofa. His gaze snapped to me immediately he noticed I was around, but he didn’t speak.
"I didn’t ask Perri to kill you," I blurted, my voice cracking. I didn't know why I felt the need to explain, but I did.
Stone’s knuckles cracked around the glass. "Then what, exactly, did you ask her for?"
"Freedom." The admission tore out of me desperately. "Not just from you, but from this." I flicked my hands around the room, where it felt like I was being caged. "I don’t want to be someone’s pet. Or be limited to someone's life."
He set the glass down slowly. "You think that’s what this is?"
"Yes. No. I don’t know." My nails bit into my palms. "But I won’t let another Alpha decide what I’m worth."
Stone stood abruptly, closing the distance between us in three strides. His breath was warm against my cheek, smelling of whiskey and husky with anger. "You’re wrong," he growled, and it reminds me of Harry and his words instantly. "The surgery isn’t happening. And that is not because I own you. But because I won’t let you throw yourself away again." His fingers brushed the mark on my neck, featherlight. "Even if you hate me for it."
I shoved his hand away, my pulse hammering against my ribs. "You don’t get to decide that," I snapped. "You don’t get to act like you care when all you’ve done is humiliate me, use me..."
"Then tell me what you want!" His roar rattled the crystal decanter on the side table. "Because I’ve given you space, I’ve given you time, and still you look at me like I’m the monster who dragged you here!"
"Maybe because you are!" The words tore from me, raw and bleeding. "You touched me in the woods and told me you owned me, and then left me there like I was nothing! Just like Ryle, just like everyone else!" My voice cracked. "I don’t want to be another Alpha’s plaything—"
Stone’s hand shot out, gripping my jaw with bruising force. For a heartbeat, I thought he’d strike me. Instead, his mouth crashed against mine, swallowing my gasp. The taste of whiskey burned my tongue, his fingers tangled in my hair, dragging me closer until our bodies collided. I shoved against his chest, but his grip tightened, his other arm banding around my waist to crush me against him.
Some traitorous part of me melted. The kiss deepened, his tongue sweeping against mine in a demand I couldn’t refuse. My nails dug into his shoulders, clinging instead of pushing away. A whimper escaped me and Stone groaned against my lips, his teeth grazing my bottom lip in a bite that sent heat pooling low in my belly.
The door creaked open, and we broke apart, panting. Sierra stood frozen in the doorway, her perfect face slack with shock. Her gaze darted between us, lingering on Stone’s swollen mouth, my flushed cheeks. Then her eyes darkened.