Her Chosen Mate

Part 53

(POV - Aria)

Aria missed her family. She missed her best friend and the advice she would have offered. Even if that advice was something Aria would never be able to do and would possibly land them both in prison.

April might have known how to help Aria.

April, with her bright smile and a solution for every problem, no matter how ludicrous or illegal the solution might be.

Aria remembered all the sneaky, inventive ways April had managed to weasel herself out of sticky situations throughout their childhood. There had been so many occasions where April had talked herself out of a well-deserved detention, or even convinced a teacher to improve her grade by simply telling them it was the right thing to do. April was charismatic and people loved being around her, even if it was just to be near her for a little while.

It had been April who approached Aria first, all those years ago, when they were small pups huddled together on the playground. Aria had been separated from the rest of the group, too shy to speak to her packmates. She'd been too scared of their raucous chatter and excited squeals.

April had spotted Aria standing off to the side and marched right up to her, sticking her hand out and declaring, very boldly, "We're going to be best friends, okay?"

Aria had just nodded in response, too surprised by April's brazen behavior. From that point onward, Aria had always been in awe of her best friend's confidence and her ability to be the center of attention no matter where she went. And she wore that badge proudly, always making sure the people around her were happy.

April would definitely have known what to do if Aria could have spoken to her about the whole mess. April would have called Marcus for her, regardless of the guilt staying Aria's hand.

But it had been three days and April hadn't come to see her. Not even when she was finally free from Aiden's rut and all but ran back home. She had been so desperate to get back home that she hadn't even thought of stopping at April's place.

Aria was concerned that April hadn't even tried to contact her since Aria's return to the packhouse. She hoped that nothing bad had happened, especially since the last time she'd heard from April, she'd told Aria that Aiden had people watching her to see when Aria contacted her.

A hundred possibilities bounced around in Aria's mind, each one more terrifying than the last.

Had something happened to her best friend? Had one of Aiden's sentries gotten to her?

Would Aiden really allow something so terrible just because he wanted Aria back at his feet?

Yes, she thought. If he had made any decisions close enough to his rut, they would have been ruled entirely by hormones and rage. And if those decisions involved getting Aria back to the pack, then he wouldn't have thought twice about the consequences.

She tried not to dwell on it too long, her mind already reeling with grief and guilt.

The door handle clicked and she flinched without meaning to, watching Aiden slowly close the door behind him. Her heart raced in her chest, blood rushing in her ears, and the fear crawled down her spine as he stepped forward.

She stared at him wide-eyed, taking in the guilt that slipped into his expression. That surprised her, she hadn't expected him to feel guilty about anything, especially after the way he'd ruthlessly treated her for three days straight.

Then again, she couldn't get rid of the expression on his face when he finally came out of his rut. He'd been devastated, ravaged by guilt when his eyes landed on her neck and he picked up on the new scent swirling between them.