The Beast

Chapter 17 - Bombshell

    At some point, we had both fallen asleep in each other's arms. The warmth he provided was enough to make my body shut down into a peaceful, dreamless slumber that I struggled to pull out of.

    I was met with his calm, relaxed face as I slowly opened my eyes. He was laying close to me, one arm draped over my waist. The other was flat, supporting the side of my head that was close to his raising chest that moved with each of his gentle breaths.

    His scar was on display, and I couldn't stop myself from looking at it and thinking about the horrible day he had gotten it. Somehow he managed to survive the torture his own father put him through, and here I was complaining about my family as if Mark was the worst being in the world.

    I felt embarrassed, and yet he still comforted me as if my problems were real, even measuring up to the trauma he had survived.

    He was too good for me, and that thought alone scared me. Before, I thought he was a monster that killed for the fun of it, and now I was the one that wasn't worth being with. He deserved a wonderful life with someone that could give him everything he was worth.

    Was I capable of giving him what he needed? I already cared so much for him, was it selfish of me to not want to give him up?

    He stirred in his sleep, and he subconsciously pulled me tighter against his chest. I smiled as he rested his chin on top of my head and used his free arm to rub the back of my head comfortingly.

    I could have easily fallen back asleep in his arms if it weren't for the harsh knock on the bedroom door. I groaned and mentally cursed whoever it was in the hallway, wanting nothing more than to force them to leave us alone for at least a few more minutes.

    Arias sucked in a deep breath, his face contorting as another knock resonated from the wooden door. His eyes fluttered open, and for a moment he looked around the part of the room that he could see with confusion.

    I rested a cautious hand on his chest and pulled his attention down to me. He seemed to relax, and his face brightened with a friendly smile.

    "Good morning." My heart leapt at the sound of his rough morning voice. I could listen to it every day if I had the chance. I almost forgot about the person at the door, and I would have if it weren't for the irritating voice that shouted from the other side.

    "Juniper, I know you're in there." Marcus huffed, racking his knuckles on the frame again.

    I growled in frustration and reluctantly untangled myself from Arias' arms. He sat up and watched me move across the room, throwing the door open and shooting my twin an aggravated glare.

    "What?" I hissed, gripping my free hand onto my hip as I stared him down. He crossed his arms and smirked, taking in my messy appearance and frizzy hair.

    "Well, aren't you just a ray of sunshine." He teased, but the smile soon fell from his face when Arias appeared behind me, resting a comforting hand on my shoulder. He dropped his eyes to the floor and suddenly seemed nervous.

    "Good morning, Marcus." Arias acknowledged, his face blank as he watched the future Alpha cower under his gaze.

    "Right. Uh, good morning." He refused to make eye contact with him and flickered his eyes to mine. "Juniper, dad needs you in his office. He says it's important."

    I sighed and tried to figure out what he could possibly want from me now. "I'll be there in a minute." I huffed, moving to dig new clothes out of my dresser. I wanted to make this meeting quick so I could come back here and go back to sleep.