Chapter Twenty - Confession

Shane’s POV.

For a few minutes, the words struck me with confusion but as soon as I could make sense of them, I was calling her name, hoping she’d hear me and stop, while I hurried out of the garden in search of the woman who had stolen my heart, but who also seemed to be hiding a secret from me.

What truth was she talking about? These words revolved in my head as I ran into the house, heading straight for the stairs that led to her bedroom, where I knew she’d be.

“Anna,” my heart slammed hard against my chest as I approached her room door. “Anna…” I called again, before tapping on the door but I got no response.

When I tried again and no response came, the first thoughts that hit me were that she’d run away because of my impatience. I’d been lost in my head and too forward that it may have triggered her flighty attitude. She must have felt threatened and unsafe.

“Fuck!” I cursed, slamming my fist into the nearest wall. The pain reverberated through my arm as my knuckles bruised but it didn’t register in my head. All I wanted was to find her and apologize. At this point, I didn’t even care about the words in her note anymore. I just wanted to make sure I hadn’t scared her away from me.

I rested my head against the door, placing my arms on it as I closed my eyes. My heart was racing and different thoughts were running through my head.

What if she gets captured just like the missing pack members and I never see her again? These thoughts had fear twisting in my guts as my eyes suddenly snapped open and I turned away from the door with the intention of calling a search party to start looking for her, but then suddenly, the sweet familiar scent of fresh Jasmine wafted into my nostrils. I stilled, greedily inhaling it and so did Axel. My racing heart gradually slowed as a sense of calm filled me and I could feel Axel linking with her wolf.

She was close by. She didn’t run away.

I exhaled deeply as this realization sank into me. I sniffed more to find where the scent was coming from and it led me to the door. I rested my head on it again, with my heart slamming hard against my chest, this time not from fear of losing her, but from her presence. It was as though my emotions were in sync with hers and I felt the uncertainty and fear radiating from her.

“Anna…” again, silence greeted me but I was sure she was in the room, and could probably hear me. “Angel, I’m sorry my actions were too forward. I’d never intentionally hurt you,” a lump formed in my throat as the words slipped out of my lips. A wave of shame washed over me and the need to punish myself for putting her under such circumstances had my free palm balling into a fist. “Please, forgive me,”

Silence ensured for a while. The more she remained quiet, the more the gravity of my actions sank into me and the more I mentally beat myself up for indirectly hurting her.

“Anna, please. I just want to make sure you’re fine. Please just a sign and I’ll leave you alone,”

My heart squeezed painfully. The last thing I wanted was to be away from her when she was hurting but it seemed she needed her space. The silence stretched on again and my shoulders sagged in defeat. I turned on my heels to return to my room but her small voice sailed into my ears, making me stop.

“I’m not angry at you, Shane. It’s just…” my heart resumed palpitating as I waited for her next words. “It feels like things are moving too fast and we… we aren’t on the same page. And again, you don’t really know me.”

My heart rate slowed when I realized it wasn’t about the kiss but about her.

“It’s fine, angel. I’ll take it slow and I won't do anything you don’t want, okay? Just let me know when it gets overwhelming and I’ll always be here for you,”

“Thank you, Shane,”

I stood there after that, wondering what must be going through her head at the other end of the door.

“Good night, angel,”

“Good night, Shane,”

I didn’t realize I was waiting for those words until she said them. They eliminated the last of my fears and I returned to my room, still berating myself for scaring her earlier. But maybe I’d been too excited, knowing it wasn’t on me because the days that followed were torture, as she began actively avoiding me.

Even when I tried hard to be in her path, she’d take another just so she wouldn’t bump into me and whenever I went to her bedroom, she was either asleep or not there at all. This had me questioning the truth of her last words, and the note she’d left at the garden.

Was it just about the kiss or was it more about the note? Was she truly hiding something so terrible that she couldn’t stand to open up to me?

As the days passed, it drove me to the point of insanity, with these questions continuously prowling my thoughts. But finally, after almost a week of not seeing her beautiful eyes, I got my chance.

It was the beginning of a new week and a Monday morning, the day she’d be resuming back to school. While I’d been busy with the pack business and also with the new doctor that was tending to my father, I’d made sure to make provisions for her resumption and to clear my busy schedule enough to have the time to drive her to school that morning. I needed everyone to know she was with me and to accord her with the needed respect.

I’d just stepped out of my home office, intending to head to her room when I saw her descending the stairs, already dressed for school in skinny jeans and a hoodie. Axel growled approvingly and it made me smile. I was inwardly happy that she wasn’t wearing anything to show off her curves. They were for my eyes only.

It appeared she wasn’t expecting me to be there because she paused, her eyes widening with her lips parting.

“Hey, baby girl,” a lop-sided grin stretched my lips. “Come on, let’s get you to school,” I beckoned her to climb down but I could see the hesitation in her expression, even as she obeyed.

“Umm… hi…” her voice was barely above a whisper.

Warmth spread through me on hearing it. It was the first time in a week that I was hearing her voice again.

I stretched out a palm to her and she took it without question.

“I’ve missed you,” I pulled her into my arms for an embrace and she equally wrapped her arms around her.

I let my nose slide down to her neck to inhale her scent greedily. When I finally pulled up for air, her cheeks were rosy, but that wasn’t what caught my attention. It was her troubled eyes. It was at the tip of my tongue to question her but I just got her back and I wasn’t ready to lose her again.

“Come on, let’s get you to school so you won’t be late,” I tugged on her arm but she didn’t move.

“C-can’t one of the sentinels drive me to school? I don’t want…”

“Never.” Axel growled in agreement.

“W-what?”

“You’re mine to take care of, Angel. So please, let me do it. Will you?”

Her eyes shone with her uncertainty and indecisiveness but I knew if she disagreed there was nothing I could do. I’d have a sentinel drive her while following behind but it’d also tear my heart apart. Luckily for me, she nodded in agreement.

“Thank you,” I winked at her before lacing my fingers to hers as I led her out of the house towards my car. We got in and I pulled out of the gates, heading towards her school.

The atmosphere in the car was tense as I kept stealing glances at her but she was trying so hard to avoid meeting my gaze. At one point, I couldn’t take it anymore. It was bothering me and getting on my nerves that she was hiding something that was creating a rift between us. It wasn’t the right time, but the conversation was due. Hence, I pulled beside the nearest curb and killed the engine. Her gaze suddenly snapped to mine with questioning eyes, bearing a hint of fear.

“Anna…” I reached for her palm, placing it on my lap, while I tugged at her chin until her eyes were on mine. “I don’t like the walls you’re building up against me. And I’ve seen your note. Please tell me what you’re hiding,”

Her lips trembled and I noticed the sudden strain in her expression as her eyes became glassy with unshed tears.

“Angel…” I quickly unfastened her seatbelt and pulled her into my arms. “Please, don’t cry. I promise, I’ll keep your secret safe but if you’re not comfortable, you don’t have to tell me,”

“I want to but I don’t know how you’ll take it,” she said, blinking frantically to get rid of her tears.

As much as I wanted her to forget it, her words had me worrying about what she could possibly be hiding.

“What is it?”

She gulped but eventually spoke, with her eyes staring at the space between our bodies. I wanted her to look into my eyes but I let her be because I knew she needed to feel comfortable enough to open up.

“My real name is not Anna Logan. My real name is Aria Campbell, and I’m from the Darksouls pack,”

“Wha-what?” a frown marred my face, making my brows pinch together.

“Please let me finish,” she pleaded, placing a palm flat on my chest. I nodded curtly, waiting for her to finish. “I… My dad forced me to change my name after my mom died. H-he made me watch when he killed her and he forced me to bury her behind our home in Dark Souls pack. Thereafter, we ran here and changed our names. Every information I gave in school is fake,”

As she spoke, I recalled the time Chase had told me her home address in school was different from where we’d found her. At that time, I wanted to look more into her but the sight I’d walked into at her home had quickly discarded those thoughts.

“Is that the secret you’ve been hiding?”

She nodded, taking her palm off my chest while attempting to get off my legs but I quickly grabbed her arms, pulling her to me and looping her arms around my neck. I rested my head on hers, staring into her glassy eyes with confusion and fear swirling in them.

“It’s not enough to make me hate you, Aria,” I tested her real name, loving the sound of it. “And I don’t really care about your name. I’d call you whatever pet name that comes to my head, baby girl,” I breathed against her lips, and I heard her almost silent gasp, making her lips part but I didn’t dare to cover the tiny distance between us and taste her lips like I was dying to do. “And again, I knew you lied about your home address but I didn’t think your name was also a lie,”

“I’m sorry,” she muttered, glancing down but I tipped her chin until her gaze met my intense one.

“It’s okay, angel. But promise me you’d never lie to me again. I need to know everything about you and when you distance yourself from me because you’re keeping a secret, it fucking drives me insane,” I enunciated each word just to make her understand me.

She nodded.

“No, I want to hear you say it,”

“I won’t keep secrets anymore,”

“Good,” I kissed her temple before letting her return to her seat. “Now put a smile on that beautiful face, Aria,” I winked at her and just like that, a heart-melting smile spread across her lips, with her once glassy eyes twinkling with life.

I turned on the ignition and we continued our drive to her school without a hitch. As soon as we arrived at the school premises, she was in a hurry to run out but I caught her before she could dash out of the car.

“Not so fast, love,”

“B-but you’re the alpha. I can’t be seen with you. It’ll spread rumors and…”

“Say one more word of why you can’t be seen with me and I’d pull you out of the car and kiss you before everyone,”

That quickly shut her up and I smirked.

“That’s what I thought. Now sit your ass down while I get the door for you,”

She was so obedient that I couldn’t stop laughing when I finally opened the door for her. She rolled her eyes at me but I leaned in to kiss her temple before grabbing her wrist and leading her into the building.

I could feel and see the eyes on us as we headed towards the principal’s office but I didn’t care. I wanted all of them to know that she was mine and they better accord her the same respect they give to me.

All the while, Aria’s eyes remained glued to the floor with her body pressing into mine as though she wanted to become one with me. My girl was so shy that it was adorable and it had me grinning from ear to ear.

As soon as we got into the principal's office, she released a deep breath and I chuckled.

“Alpha Shane, and…” Principal Barnette’s eyes traveled to our joined hands, and I saw the moment realization dawned on him. “Miss Logan…”

“Campbell,” I corrected him and he frowned in confusion. I leaned down to Aria’s level and bit her ear. “Seems like you’ve got a bit of explanations to do, baby,”