Ariadne: Almost an Alpha | ✓

Chapter 17 - Your Turn

Chapter 17 - Your Turn

After eating, I make my way to the small raised platform at the far end of the pavilion. By the time I'm in front of the crowd with Dylan a few feet behind me, around 70 pair of eyes are on me.

"This may not be news to some of you," I begin, projecting my voice, "but we gained a new member today."

I notice some people nodding, likely having heard of the incident at the border earlier.

"Her name is Nora, and she's currently receiving treatment in the medical cabin. Keep in mind your own feelings upon your own arrival here, and, when she gets better, please be as warm and welcoming as you can."

I smile at the crowd and scan the faces of the area. Satisfied with everyone's genuinely happy expressions, I conclude my short announcement. "That's all, thank you."

Before heading to the main house, I stop by the medical cabin and check up on Nora. She's peacefully sleeping with her straight dark hair splayed out all over the white pillow. My eyes examine her wounded leg, and I frown. How did it happen?

After a few minutes, Nora shifts her arm, and I quietly make my way out of the cabin, not wanting to disturb her sleep. I pass Mateus, who is speaking with some of his men on the front porch, on my way inside the house, and it only reminds me of the conversation i've been avoiding.

Tired, I make my way into my office, the room closest to the front door, and collapse into my desk chair. With one elbow propped up on the wooden desk, I sort through some papers, mainly bills all addressed to Carter. Three years ago when I was 16, I couldn't buy property, so instead I transferred some of my inheritance into a bank account under Carter's name, who was 21 at the time. When I turned 18, we thought it was easier to just leave it that way instead of going through a bunch of paperwork. Therefore, Carter technically owns this house and the land with the cabins around it, but I'm paying the note. Not wanting to run out of money, I've been investing in some stock, but every time I pay a bill, I can't help but get anxious. My inheritance won't last forever.

The front door squeaks open. I know this is the perfect time to catch Mateus, but I can't bring myself to do it. What am I going to say? 'Hey, forget about sending your warriors home. I can't protect my own pack; I'm not doing my job well, and we need to be dependent on you.'

A large figure gracefully walks past the open office door.

I pull my elbow off the desk and sit up straight. Come on, Ariadne, you little ninny.

"Mateus," I call, hearing nothing in response. Well, great. Now I have to go find him.

I'm halfway out of my chair when he appears in the doorway.

"Ariadne." Mateus's low yet powerful voice resonates into the room, and my eyes lock onto his.

When my breath catches in my throat and I lose my train of thought, I look away to the window and the chess set there. Dylan, knowing about my fondness for chess, had gifted it to me for my 17th birthday. I remember his stupid grin when he said, 'Just to spice up that dreary office of yours,' as he handed me the gold paper-wrapped box. He was right, of course; I used to spend hours watching the tiny little rainbows on the walls when the detailed glass pieces caught the afternoon sun. Each piece was a wolf of a certain position and size.

"Would you play a game of chess with me?" I ask randomly, inwardly wincing after I realize how idiotic I sound.

Mateus doesn't hesitate before replying. "Of course." He closes the door and makes his way over to the small table before sitting in the little wooden chair.

When I move to sit in the chair across from him, I notice the awkward way his knees hit the top of the table. "Do you want a larger chair?"

"No. This is fine."

I move the pieces to their starting position, naming the pieces as I do so. "The pawns are the sleeping pups... the sitting wolves are rooks... the ones on all fours are knights... and the ones kind of jumping up are bishops." I don't bother to point out the king and queen. Those two are the most intricate pieces. They're giant, standing wolves, somehow both beastly and regal. "You go."

The first few moves are in complete silence. Every time I breathe I'm overwhelmed by his woodsy scent; it's not helping me fight the urge to stare at him. "You have something to say," Mateus announces.

I capture one of his pawns and remove it from the board. "I do?" I cock my head to the side, feigning confusion.

"You're posture is too stiff. It's like you're preparing yourself to say something."

I fight the urge to slouch in order to prove him wrong. Then, I decide to avoid the subject by teasing him. "Look at you being all analytical."

He makes a pointless move with a knight, looking into my eyes instead of at the board. "I almost got a degree in psychology actually."

My rook captures his knight, and I raise my eyebrows. "Oh really?"

He takes my rook off the board and moves his bishop to the rook's former spot. "Really."

Surprised I made such a rookie mistake, I frown at the board. "Where?"

"Stanford." He moves a pawn, and I stare at him, surprised.

"You're joking!"

"No. I had to drop out when I took over the pack. Never finished it."

Analyzing his words, I move my knight to protect my king, and the game advances a little more.

Finally, I state, "You didn't plan on taking over the pack."

"Look at you being all analytical." His callused fingers pluck one of my pups off the board as he repeats my words. A few seconds of silence later, he elaborates. "I wanted to go off on my own for a while. Of course, I planned on taking over eventually, but I imagined that happening much much later."

"I'm sorry," I apologize, knowing that there's some kind of horrible backstory to this.

My words hang in the air as he silently makes his move, his muscular forearm breaching my line of sight.

"Well what did you want to say?" he asks, not sidetracked at all by our little conversation.

"Well," I begin, "I was speaking with Dylan about that thing I said earlier today, and we uhhh decided that it would be best if I said nevermind. You know, to that thing. So yeah, can i take back that thing I said?"

"That thing, huh?"

I look down, taking my turn. "Yeah..."

His hand lightly touches my forearm, bringing my eyes up to his. Something within my chest lurches, that invisible rope tying us together tightening just a bit. "Of course you can take it back."

"Thank you." It comes out as a whisper. When the moment gets too intense, I clear my throat. "It's your turn."

Mateus moves a pawn forward, and for a while, the only sounds in the room come from the glass pieces sliding around the board. I'm playing well, but my thoughts aren't on the game. My pack doesn't feel safe. I promised each member upon arrival that this would be their home, their safe haven, and I haven't lived up to my promises. I'm a terrible leader.  

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I love looking at the demographic stats Wattpad gives for Ariadne. People from almost every continent have read this story! I'm only missing South America, and, of course, Antarctica (although it'd be funny if some random scientists down there logged into Wattpad). 

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