Chapter 23 - Arianna
I slide into bed beside Noah, not wanting to leave his side after what happened tonight.
It took a few seconds for danger to wrap its claws around my son, and I can't let it happen again. I’m still kicking myself for these gifts that aren't useful if I’m not having my visions in time to act before the danger comes.
Now that the damage is done, Noah hasn't said a word since we found him and brought him back to Tyler's place, and it's because of the trauma he faced tonight.
I'll have to give him my undivided attention and time, and that's why I didn't argue with Tyler when he brought us back to his house and insisted we stay the night.
Truthfully, Noah needs both his parents around.
I'm just about to close my eyes when a faint knock sounds on the door. Glancing at Noah to check that he's still asleep, I carefully climb out of bed and tiptoe to the door.
“Is he asleep?” Tyler whispers, and I step out into the hallway, gently closing the door behind me but leaving it open just a crack for Tyler to peek in.
“Yeah, he's asleep now,” I confirm in a whisper. “I'm just worried about him. He hasn't said a word.”
Biting my bottom lip nervously, I can see the worry flash across Tyler's face. “He'll be fine, Arianna. What happened was bound to be a traumatic experience for him. He just needs time and patience. But he will heal from this. He's an alpha's son, after all.”
I gasp when Tyler says this, lifting my eyes to find him staring at me observantly. The moment our eyes meet, he hesitates and averts his gaze, running an awkward hand through his hair.
There's a part of me that wants to fling myself into his arms and thank him for rescuing Noah, and also apologize for keeping Noah a secret to begin with. But I hold myself back, mentally fighting my urges because I know there's no way Tyler can forgive me for lying to him.
Just as I can't forgive him for hurting me in the past. How can I, when he's never apologized for it?
“Er—my parents are coming back tomorrow,” he says as he clears his throat. “I'll have to report the incident to them, as well as the pack. They can't be left in the dark.”
Gulping, I nod tersely. “Does that mean…they're gonna find out about the witch stuff?”
Tyler frowns as he meets my eyes again, pausing to take in my anxious expression.
“You don't want them knowing you're a witch?”
I shake my head slowly. “I don't—I can't—”
As I hesitate, Tyler grabs my arms and stares deeply into my eyes, the magnetic energy of our mate bond making it nearly impossible to remain anxious when he's right here, touching me, breathing on my face, his warmth soothing me.
“You have no reason to fear what anyone thinks, Arianna. Being a witch isn't a bad thing.”
“It makes me…different,” I whimper, and Tyler strokes his thumbs in circles on my arm.
“It makes you special, Arianna,” he assures me with a breathless tone that makes me certain he's feeling what I'm feeling.
Blinking at him as I digest what he said, hope is reignited in my chest.
I'm hopeful, but still wary, and it's that wariness that has me pulling away and drawing my arms away from his touch.
He hasn't said a word about anything else, and I'm too afraid to mention something about Noah, or even our mate bond, not wanting to become disappointed again.
Tyler clears his throat again and steps back. “I know you're worried about Noah, but everything's gonna be okay, I promise.”
Nodding tentatively, I stare at Tyler, wondering what he means by that. Is he ready to acknowledge Noah as his son in front of the pack? In front of his parents?
“Why don't you go to bed?” he suggests, changing the subject as if he read my mind. “It's been a long night, and we both could use the rest.”
I nod tentatively, disappointed that he hasn't brought up the elephant in the room, but still assured in the fact that he's brought us to his house, where we're safer than on the outskirts of town at my place.
The rogue has been dealt with, and that's all I ever wanted. For Noah to be safe.
Then why does something still feel like it's missing?
It's that feeling that tugs at my heartstrings as Tyler walks away and disappears into his bedroom, leaving behind an aching void that's noticeable.
I sigh as I drag my feet to the guest bedroom Noah is sleeping in, feeling the heaviness set in as I climb into bed.
I've never felt more like a guest in Tyler's house, like an intruder who shouldn't be here. I'm just his son's mother, and nothing more.
Even though I wish things could have been different, and I would be special enough to mean more to him.
I close my eyes and allow sleep to wash over me, for the first time in weeks, unafraid of the nightmares that have been dealt with by Tyler.
Our hero, who sleeps on the other end of the hallway, doesn't want me. I fight the urge to astral travel into his bedroom, deciding that I should just accept that I'll never be good enough to be his mate.
***
“Everyone's been talking about what happened last night,” Brynta whispers in my ear as she leans in. “I'm so glad Noah's safe.”
“Settle down, everyone,” Brutus speaks into the mic at the front of the hall, where we've gathered for a pack meeting.
I notice Tyler's parents are seated on the stage, back from their trip, along with members of the council who've gathered for today's meeting.
I know it's an important one, since the threat that's been looming over the Moonshine Pack has finally been dealt with, and Tyler has a duty to his pack to inform them of last night's events.
Shifting uncomfortably in my seat on the bench at the back, a flicker of dread passes through me. Is this the part when Tyler exposes me as a witch to the pack? Is that the reason for this meeting?
Or has he already informed his parents and the council about my true identity, and how I might attract more danger to the pack because I'm a witch?
That's probably why he wasn't at home this morning. He did leave a note on the fridge that he was going to meet with his parents, but I haven’t seen him all day.
It almost felt like he was avoiding us. I mean, he didn't even wait for Noah to wake up.
I'd been disappointed when I woke up this morning—not so much because Tyler wasn't there, but because, for the first time in weeks, I had a peaceful night's sleep.
I should have been grateful, but what I didn't expect was to have a sweet dream that would wake me up with tears of longing, tears of regret, and deep pining for something that would never happen.
In it, Tyler, Noah, and I were in the forest, a blanket spread out on the grass as the flowers bloomed around us, and happiness bloomed between us. We'd been sharing laughter, Tyler and Noah tossed a ball between them, and Noah had called Tyler “Daddy.”
Sulking as I think of my son, I can only hope that Tyler does the right thing by him.
But what was more disheartening, waking up only to realize it was a dream, was knowing that things would never be that way between the three of us.
Tyler could never take that leap with me as his true mate, and I must make peace with that if I want to save my heart from being broken.
Brynta leans in again. “Now that Alpha Alfred and Luna Ingrid are back, there's been whispers that Alpha Tyler is set to take a mate.”
I gasp, turning to her slowly as my face pales. “A m—mate?”
Brynta nods. “It was bound to happen at some point. There's been pressure on Alpha Tyler ever since he was inaugurated as the leader. He's not supposed to be leading without a mate, anyway.” She shrugs. “I wonder what took him so long.”
As Tyler takes to the mic, a cold shiver passes through me, my heart sinking at the news.
His parents must have pressured him into taking a mate, and of course, he'll pick one from the high-ranking she-wolves in the pack. Rolling my eyes, I cross my arms and sink back into the bench, not wanting to wallow in another bout of heartbreak.
Have I not been through enough already?
“Moonshine Pack members…” Tyler begins, his raspy voice sounding foreign to my ears that want to drown out any remembrance of him.
“I am aware that most of you have already heard about the incident that took place last night. A member of this pack, a child, was abducted by a rogue werewolf last night. He has been rescued and is safe now.”
Tyler pauses as a stir erupts through the pack.
When there's silence again, he continues, “As you already know, the black ops missions are implemented to ensure the safety of the werewolf packs across the States against trouble like the rogue wolves. We fight a range of threats out there, ensuring the safety of all. Unfortunately, some rogues got away after we fought them, and they cropped up again, seeking revenge for what happened to their friends out there.”
Tyler glances at his father, who nods for him to continue.
“The rogue didn't grab a child at random,” Tyler goes on, his eyes finding mine at the back of the hall, and my heart stops.
“He grabbed my child. My son. Noah.”
The hall breaks out with shocked gasps as eyes turn to me. News travels quickly, and everyone knows that I'm Noah's mother.
Of course, the connection will be made.
Like a deer caught in the headlights, my eyes widen at Tyler, my cheeks filling with heat.
“I know this comes as a surprise to my pack members, but I do not wish to keep any secrets from you guys,” Tyler chuckles, his lips playing with a smirk. “Noah is the son I had before leaving for black ops, and his mother, Arianna Hart, is my true mate.”
My whole body vibrates as I sit on the bench, desperately wanting to hide myself away, curl into a ball, and never show my face again.
What is he doing?
Is he crazy?
“I will soon announce the date of the official mating ceremony between Arianna and me. She will be this pack's luna.”
I think my soul might just leave my body with how shocked I am, unable to move, hardly able to breathe, staring at Tyler in disbelief.
He has the audacity to smirk from the stage, his eyes twinkling with mischief as he stares back. He's about to walk away from the mic, but he shakes his head as if he forgot something.
“Oh, and another thing.” He taps the mic for silence.
“It has been discovered that Arianna is a descendant of a powerful witch from a coven that is considered an ally of Moonshine, and she has the ability to foresee future threats.” He glances over his shoulder and nods at his parents.
“We should all give her a round of applause for bringing our attention to the rogues, and for giving me the great honor of calling her my true, fated mate.”
“Oh, my Goddess!” Brynta squeals beside me as she claps her hands along with everyone else.
All I want to do is sink away from all the attention, and I mentally crawl into a space in the far recesses of my mind.
Tyler just put me under the spotlight of his pack, and I was blindsided. I didn't see this coming, and I have no idea what to make of it.
As my heart pounds, I blur out my hearing, only turning slowly to Brynta, who still appears pleasantly surprised by the news.
“C—can you do me a favor?” I ask Brynta, my fists curling with determination. “Can you pick Noah up from daycare? I'll be home in a bit.”
“Sure,” Brynta says, frowning when she notices my expression hardening. “I take it you're as shocked as everyone in this room.”
“You have no idea,” I lament as I turn my eyes to Tyler, noticing how calm he is as he speaks to his parents and the council on the stage.
The meeting is dismissed, and the pack members begin leaving the hall, and I wait to confront Tyler about what just happened. He seems to sense that I want to speak with him, and hangs back until it's just the two of us left in the vast, open expanse of the hall.
As he turns to me slowly, my heart skips a beat when our eyes meet, reminding me of the intensity of our true mate bond and affirming everything he announced tonight.
But I can't just accept it when he's hurt me more than once—when he rejected me in the past, and turned cold on me after reigniting the blazing fire between us the other night, as if I don't have feelings.
“What the hell was that, Tyler?!”