Alpha Aria

Chapter 10 Noooo!

JADE

Time stood still for what seemed like ages but probably was only a minute or so. The word hung in the air, heavy and sour like spoiled milk.

Mate.

It was impossible. My throat felt like it was going to close and the bitter coffee I had sipped earlier was threatening to come back up. My eyes searched his face for any sign of humor- this had to be a cruel prank. Instead I saw vulnerable eyes staring back at me, his expression worried.

I looked down at Aria, sleeping peacefully, blissfully unaware of the awkward situation happening right next to her. Without thinking I placed my hand on her wrist, seeking the comfort I knew could only come from her, my true mate.

Because this man, no, this boy, couldn't possibly be my mate, too.

Warm tingles spread up my arm from her skin and calmed my trembling body. I hadn't realized that I was shaking. His hand that was on hers was just inches from mine, and he reached out his pinky towards me, attempting to touch me. I yanked my hand back and folded my arms on my chest, taking a step back.

I wanted to leave, to get away from him, but I couldn't leave Aria. I kept looking between them both.

"Jade?" Diego asked with concern in his voice. "Are you alright?" He noticed me looking back and forth between them, and pulled his hand from hers. "I'm sorry, she's just a friend, I swear." His voice cracked slightly at his words and he looked down at her sadly.

I knew this was a lie, but I didn't care. Well, at least not for the reasons he probably thought, anyway. He likely thought I was feeling jealous of her, seeing him holding her hand. In truth, I was feeling possessive of her and not liking him touching her because she was mine. The absurdity of the whole thing made me stifle a laugh, which came out as a manic snort.

I shook my head. "I'm not your mate."

His eyes widened in surprise. "But... but the bond, you feel it, too."

I continued to shake my head. "No, no I don't." Now I was lying.

He looked a little hurt, and I felt a pang of guilt in my chest. Kyra growled at me. Selene has blessed us with two mates. Don't fuck this up, Jade. I ignored my foul mouthed wolf.

"Go home, Diego. I'm not your mate." I looked away from him and back down at Aria.

"Why are you still here, then?" Diego challenged.

Oh. Crap. I didn't think of that.

If I stayed, that would definitely look really weird. She was his best friend and he had every right to be there. I did, too, but he didn't know that. Nobody could know that.

I cursed to myself and glared at him. "You're right, young Beta. I will leave." I spun on my heels and rushed out the door.

I was fuming. I didn't want to leave Aria's side but I really had no choice. I flew down the hallway and out of the hospital, not bothering to look back over my shoulder. I headed straight for the packhouse, walking quickly and kicking rocks angrily as I went. My heart ached to be near Aria, the mate bond pulling at me. I cursed inwardly and tried to think of something else, anything else, to distract me.

The large packhouse ahead of me was bustling with activity, even though it was past midnight now. I opened one of the front double doors and entered, looking around for a help desk. I found it quickly but realized that there was nobody there. I tried mind linking Brandon.

Hey, what's our room numbers? And I need the keys so I can get my bag from the car.

Brandon's sleepy voice replied. I'm in 209 and you're in 211, your bag is already there. You're welcome.

I headed up the stairs, hoping it would be easy to find. Their packhouse was much bigger than ours, which made sense considering their pack was larger. When I got to the second floor, a long hallway was ahead of me and shorter ones were to my left and right. I decided to turn right and read the numbers on the doors. Soon I came upon my room, which was right next to Brandon's. The door was unlocked.

After entering I saw my bag on the end of a twin bed, a keycard on top of it. I sent a silent thanks to Brandon without linking him, as I didn't want to disturb him again. I looked around the small room, taking in where I was going to be spending the next three nights.

The room had white walls with green trim, the furniture was solid wood with dark stain. The curtains were a crisp white and the blinds were lowered for privacy.
There was a stainless steel mini fridge, a single serve coffee maker, the usual kind of things you find in a motel room. I peeked in the fridge to see small cartons of half and half, milk, oatmilk and orange juice, an assortment of fresh fruit and some other snacks. Hmm. That was a nice touch.

I noticed there were two remotes on the chest of drawers, one for the flat screen TV mounted to the wall and the other that I quickly learned controlled the smart devices in the room. Despite my sour mood, it was kind of fun figuring them all out. The lights, the blinds in the window, the thermostat and the speakers in the corners of the room that were connected to satellite radio were all controlled by the one remote.

The twin bed had a fluffy moss green colored comforter and pillows, The bathroom was stocked with a hair dryer and various toiletries like you find in a hotel room. The towels on the wall were extra soft and fluffy, and reminded me of how desperately I wanted to take a shower.

I opened my bag and pulled out the soft shirt and boxers that I sleep in, and headed to the bathroom. I was pleased with the accommodations so far. The room was on the small side but it was modern and clean.

After taking a quick shower and brushing my teeth, I climbed in bed and closed my eyes, waiting for sleep to take me. I was impressed with how comfortable the bed was but I had a hard time falling asleep. Thoughts of my beautiful mate and that other guy, Diego, kept me awake, tossing and turning.

I felt bad for being so mean to him, but I had been in a bad mood since discovering Aria was my mate. I'd even taken out my frustration on Brandon. Although that wasn't anything new. He was used to my hot-headed temperament.

Don't get me wrong, I was thrilled to know that Selene had blessed me with a mate, but I was also angry with her. Didn't Selene realize that I couldn't be with her? My pack would never accept it. She would be in danger at all times.

If I renounced my pack to be with her I would be leaving my family behind including my own twin, my best friend in the world. All the work I've put into being a Shaman would have been for nothing. And even then, when my father found out that I was with her, she would be a target. We both would. He was vehemently against anything that made him look bad or brought shame to his family. There would be retribution to pay, I had no doubt about it.

That was why I was so upset, and I knew that I had acted like a little bitch. I needed to apologize to Diego, and probably reject him, too. The thought of doing that made a knot form in my stomach. Stupid mate bond.

That was the other reason I was angry with Selene. Why, oh why, did she think pairing me with a BOY *gag* was a good idea? I mean, really?!

Kyra? I asked in my head. Are you there?

I'm always here, Jade.

Why do you think the moon goddess gave us two mates that we couldn't have? Do you think she hates us?

Kyra was quiet for a moment before she replied. Selene has a reason for everything she does.

That didn't really answer my question. I said, annoyed.

She doesn't hate us, Jade. She has a good reason.

Well what is it? What is the reason? I was starting to get impatient. The lack of sleep and all the stress was making me irritable.

Selene doesn't tell me why she does what she does, Grumpykins. Let's just try to get some sleep and we can talk to Brandon and Kaius in the morning.

Kyra was right. I needed to talk to Brandon. His wolf, Kaius, and Kyra were very close, and he was a very wise wolf. Hopefully they would be able to offer some advice.

As dawn began to cast its glow across the packlands I finally nodded off, dreaming of a beautiful girl with fiery hair and luscious lips.