Ariadne: Almost an Alpha | ✓

Chapter 13 - I Saw

Chapter 13 - I Saw 

------- Mateus's P.O.V.

I saw them. They didn't see me, but I saw them. James, as planned, left later that afternoon. Dinner was served under the pavilion, then Dylan and I updated her on the patrols downstairs, and ultimately, a few hours later, Dylan followed her into her room, where he spent the night. Remembering the morning I saw him exit her room back at my pack house (I was only slightly skeptical then; they could have been discussing pack matters), I became very suspicious.

Therefore, the next night, just to confirm my theory, I watched the two go into her room and shut the door.

It wasn't opened again until the next morning.

I saw them.

They didn't see me.

They don't know I know, but I do.

In traditional best friend relationships, the pair doesn't sleep together.

I know it shouldn't have hurt, she told me again and again that we weren't mates, but I had ignored her. It hurt regardless. At the time, a part of me was in denial, pushed on by James, who kept bugging me and nagging me. "Don't give up," he said. "She can feel it too. She's your mate." That all changed when I saw them. That was when I knew it wasn't possible; the bond would torment her if she was sleeping with other men after having found her mate, right?

Therefore, the hurt turned into anger, anger at myself for hoping for so long, for going along with James's ideas, for not cutting myself off sooner. But most of all, I'm angry at whatever it is in me that is wired the wrong way. I had felt the connection, can still feel the connection. I had believed she was my mate, so I went along with James's suggestions. I had tried to be more friendly, less aloof. I had tried to make myself remember that she wasn't someone I could order around, that she wasn't a member of my pack, that she didn't like being told what to do. When I thought she was dying from the rogue attack, having been misinformed by my posts, I had been so worried that I just dropped everything and started running, straight from California to Washington. Even now, I don't understand the feeling I get when I'm around her, even now when I know that she's not my mate, that she's in some form of a relationship with that Dylan kid. I realize that as soon as I found out about her and Dylan's relationship, I should have left. It would have been best for me to leave, the feelings would eventually fade away after all, but I just couldn't bring myself to go. So when she was healed, I started to train her for that stupid tournament. If she is trained properly, she can survive, the council will grant her pack its status, and I will have a reason to keep posts in her pack to ensure her safety. Now, although the council agreed to letting me train her, the council still doesn't understand why I need 20 men here. Packs are usually assigned 5 of my men, depending on the population, and I know the council's suspicions are rising. A few are still hoping she doesn't succeed in the tournament, and those few don't like the idea of me training her.

Still, I am preparing her, making her better in combat (although she was pretty impressive in the first place), living with the torment, and closing myself off again.

------- Ariadne's P.O.V.

I thought we had made some kind of progress that day at the river. Yeah, I still wasn't going to admit anything to him, but it was nice to see him smile. His lack of facial expression had been readily apparent in our short conversations before that day, but I finally got a smile. He even went along with my joking. For a brief moment, I forgot about how I should be avoiding him.

Now, it's not a problem even if I do forget; he hasn't said much to me since that day. It's as if he woke up the next day and decided he no longer wanted to talk to anyone. When it's not time for our daily training sessions, he's always out with the patrols. When it is time for our sessions, he's either ordering me to do something or making comments on my technique.

Like now, for instance. Sterling and I are sparring in my pack's small gym, and he's watching from the sidelines, calmly shouting at me to guard one side or do some kind of maneuver. It's the first time I've had to spar with Sterling because I have only practiced with Carter, Dylan, and Nathan for the past week. Now, I know why Sterling hadn't volunteered for our little fights in the front yard before Mateus came; he's much stronger than he looks. Sterling does not joke around when he's fighting. His eyes get this glazed over look, and I know he's only concentrating on the fight, on each punch, on his breaths. Only minutes ago in our last fight, Sterling knocked me to the ground, but Mateus insisted we spar again.

"Oomf." The air rushes out of my lungs when Sterling manages to kick me in the gut.

"Sorry, Ari," Sterling murmurs, nodding to Mateus's bench. "He told me to via mind-link."

When I look away from Sterling to glare at Mateus, a fist to the jaw snaps my head back.

I give Sterling a 'What the Fuck?' look, and he tilts his head over to Mateus again.

"Never turn away from your opponent," Mateus states, voice emotionless.

"I fucking knew that," I say, blocking Sterling's next punch to the head with my forearm.

"Treat this as a real fight," he orders. "Sterling is not your friend."

Sterling spins away from my next punch effortlessly before throwing another hook at my head. With some effort, I manage to block this one, and then take some steps back. Sterling is not bulky enough to be slow, so I can't outmaneuver him with my agility; he's just as fast as I am.

When Sterling goes for another kick with his right leg, I grab his thigh, pull it to the left side of my back, use my left leg to kick up at his bent left leg, and flip him onto his back.

Sterling groans on the ground. "That's definitely payback for the last round," he says.

Tired and aching, I sit down next to his lying form. "You okay, bud?"

"Just collecting my dignity. I was just knocked to the ground by a 19 year old girl. That really hurts a man's ego."

I raise an eyebrow at him, and he immediately corrects himself, "Not that you're in any way weaker than a man of course, haha."

I still glare at him.

"I'm five years older than you," he defends himself. "I'm supposed to have more experience."

I pat his shoulder. He doesn't know that I've had to train since I was a child. "Remember you beat me the first round," I tell him. "You're still one heck of a fighter."

"Stop, I can feel your pity," he jokes, slowly getting back up onto his feet and heading to the bathroom.

I walk out of the building in silence soon after, casting a quick glance at Mateus on the way. His eyes meet mine for a split second before I close the door.   

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