The Beast

Chapter 21 - Title Hesitation

    I had woken up the next morning feeling much better after the conversation with my mother. Now, I needed to figure out when would be the best time to tell them about Arias.

    If they decided they wouldn't accept us, then we could leave and find a place that is safe for the both of us.

    Arias slept soundly at my side, his muscular arm draped over my waist as he held my back firmly against his chest. I played with his rough fingers, admiring the way they swallowed mine as he wove them together.

    I could hear Maia already rattling around in her kitchen, and it surprised me how early she had woken up. Something had to be wrong for her to get out of bed before at least eleven.

    I slowly lifted Arias' arm off me, careful not to wake him up as I rolled over the edge of the mattress and onto my feet. He stirred and scrunched his face now that my presence was gone. I grabbed my pillow and placed it in his arms, watching as he pulled it tight against him and drifted back to sleep.

    I sighed and smiled down at how innocent he looked. His long legs hung off the end of the bed, so he had to sleep curled up, his back against the edge of the mattress so I could fit with him.

    His wavy hair fell over his forehead, and his lips were parted slightly as he breathed evenly, moving every now and again to get comfortable.

    I tiptoed out of the bedroom and creaked the door closed behind me, cringing at the sound of the doorknob clicking shut.

    Maia was cracking eggs into a mixing bowl, combining them with shredded cheese and spinach to make her version of an omelet. The pan was already resting on the stove, waiting to be heated so it could cook her breakfast.

    "Why are you up so early?" I hummed, sliding onto one of the barstools and stealing a sip from her pink flowery mug of coffee.

    She shot me a glare and poured her mixture onto the frying pan, clicking the gas stove until it was lit. "Your idiot brother woke me up at two in the morning complaining about his ridiculous training."

    I smirked and lowered the hot cup of liquid from my lips, savoring the feeling as it heated my body as it made its way to my stomach.
"What was he doing here so early?" I tied my hair up into a messy bun and stretched my stiff arms.

    She scoffed and used a spatula to flip her omelet, folding it in half to finish it off before she turned off the heat. "Who knows. All he does anymore is bitch about how much he doesn't want to be Alpha."

    I sat up straight, now fully awake after what she had just told me. "What? Why doesn't he want to be Alpha?"

    She plated her breakfast and grabbed two forks out of the silverware drawer, holding one out to me so we could share. "I'm not sure. So far, he hates waking up early to train, and there was something in there about video games." She leaned across the counter and cut into the fluffy eggs, moaning as soon as it hit her tongue. "I am damn good." She chef-kissed the air and scooped up another bite, stuffing it into her already full mouth.

    I couldn't understand why Marcus all of a sudden decided he didn't want to take over for our father. He had been training for it for years, going to events with Mark and sitting through hours of schooling so he could memorize our pack's history and laws. Why would he just throw that all away?

    Speak of the devil, he let out a long groan of discomfort from his spot on the couch. He was sprawled out with his arm draped over his eyes, kicking the throw blanket off him so it fell to the floor in a heap.

    Why the hell was he still here? I spun around on my seat and decided I was going to get my answers from him. I plopped down by his feet and smacked his leg, persistently repeating it until he growled and shot up, glaring at me with frustration.