Her Chosen Mate

Part 25

(POV - Marcus)

Three whole weeks had passed since Aria had helped Marcus through his rut, and in all that time, not an hour had passed where he hadn't thought about her.

It had interfered with his work and gotten in the way of his responsibilities, distracting him from his duties so much that Jaden had once again stepped in to help him stay focused.

He'd found himself staring at the door of his office for the fourth time in an hour when Jaden spoke up, breaking him from yet another string of thoughts surrounding Aria.

"This is getting kind of bad, Marc," Jaden said, standing in front of him quietly and keeping his eyes ahead. Marcus didn't look up, just grunted to acknowledge his presence. "Are you sure you don't want to go and see her?"

"I can't," he sighed, anxiously rubbing the back of his neck. "She's not mine to see."

"And you don't think you'll ever see her again, right?"

Marcus shook his head solemnly. He'd known the minute he woke up, and she was gone, without so much as a note or her phone number, that there was a very slim chance he'd ever see her again. And maybe it was for the best, but after three weeks of torturous visions cruelly produced by his mind, he was beginning to lose his grip on reality.

"Maybe we should go for a run," Jaden suggested. "A real run. We haven't done that in months. Maybe it'll help clear your mind. Even if it's just a little bit."

Marcus mulled it over. They hadn't been on a run in ages. With all the pack politics and Marcus' impending rut, they'd ended up putting their weekly runs on the back burner to try and get through everything else that was going on.

He felt awful because he wanted to go alone.

"I think I need to go for a run," he said, clearing the thickness from his voice. "But I think I'd prefer to go alone, just this once."

Without any hesitation or a hint of dissatisfaction, Jaden nodded, reaching forward and patting his friend on the back before turning around and heading for the door.

"Take however long you need," he said, stretching his neck out. "I'll hold down the fort until you get back. Just make sure you come back with a clearer head."

He left Marcus in his office, and Marcus heard him greet a few passing wolves in the otherwise empty hallway outside.

Marcus stared at the few sheets of paper scattered across his desk. He knew he needed to run, and the piles of documents on his desk wouldn't disappear unless he could focus and actually run through them.

Huffing, he stood out of his chair, shedding his hoodie and toeing off his sneakers and socks. He walked out into the cool evening air and took a long, deep breath. It filled his lungs with the scent of pine and rain and settled his racing thoughts.

He waited until he was at least a mile away from the packhouse before he shifted, trudging through the mud and mulch with his bare feet. He didn't shiver, thanking his lupine biology for keeping his body temperature above human average.

Once he'd shifted, his wolf shook out his fur in content, stretching his legs and pawing at the wet soil beneath him. It had been too long since he'd been able to enjoy himself in his wolf form.

Casting his senses out to make sure he was completely alone, he dove headlong into a sprint, forcing his limbs to their limits. He easily cleared hundreds of feet with every stride, his lungs taking in more and more air until he could finally breathe.

But he couldn't shake the memories of Aria, of those three days of bliss, spent happily losing himself in everything about her. He could still smell her, even after three weeks. Her scent clung to his skin, to the clothes that she'd touched and the sheets they'd rolled around in. He may have just been overly sensitive, holding onto her with every subconscious thought.