𝐀𝐥𝐩𝐡𝐚 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠'𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐞

60. Turning Point

"Ari, how are you?!" Persephone chirped and sprang towards Ariana. Mary followed her childhood best friend with the same enthusiasm.

"Ari!" Mary squealed as she pulled Ariana into a tight hug. "It's been so long since we saw each other!"

Ariana huffed and tried to retreat but she didn't let go.

"Mary, you're suffocating her. Let go." Persephone ordered.

Mary stepped back. She tucked her hair behind her ears as she smiled sheepishly.

Persephone was eyeing Ariana up and down, her eyes twinkling in fascination with the dress her little sister had been wearing. It was too short, too tight and too seductive. Everything Persephone had always wanted to wear after watching human-made movies, but couldn't due to its unavailability in the traditional werewolf world. "Your dress is so beautiful, Ari. We should go shopping tomorrow. You could show me where you got it from."

"Why would I go shopping with you?" said Ariana and turned morosely towards Aunt Bella. "Aunty, what are they doing here?" She grimaced and shuddered in disgust. "You know what? I don't care. Spare me."

She began ascending the staircase when she heard, "Naomi has given birth to a girl. We have a niece. Anwar wanted you to know that he has named her after you."

Ariana stopped in her tracks and turned around. She extended her left arm and placed her hand on the wooden handrail nervously. She then removed the hand right away and clasped it with her right hand. Twiddling the interlaced fingers, she asked in a low whisper, "Her name is Ariana?"

"No. Saoirse. We cannot have her well-renowned savior aunty with the same name overshadowing her all her life. And Alpha Ariana does not sound menacing at all."

"No, no... " Ariana groaned. "People will not pronounce her name right and she will have to correct them all the time."

Persephone chuckled. "You remember how that preacher used to call you 'Sours' every time he called your name for attendance?" She asked with a grin.

"Exactly." Ariana replied and returned the smile.

Her lips had just stretched when the awareness of who was in front of her kicked in. The iciness returned.

Now that she knew of her niece's existence, a maternal feeling developed inside Ariana for the very first time. She wanted to see her. Hold her. Protect her. Whisper in her tiny ears that her aunty would dote upon her. But how could she do all this from afar?

In her mind, it was all Xavier and Persephone's fault.

She glared at Persephone openly, making people around her uncomfortable. Nobody said a word. The tension was thick.

Just then by sheer luck, Nathaniel Astor made an appearance with his squeaky flip-flops. Everyone shifted their attention towards him. He was in a loose light-blue t-shirt and his black-and-white checkered jammies. In his left hand, he was carrying a fluffy white pillow while his other hand had a bottle of vodka.

One look at the scene in front of him and he yelled, "I was promised a fun movie night. What the fuck is this!"

Persephone's face lit up instantly. She had camouflaged her scent before coming in the human world to stop Nate from sensing and avoiding her.

Nate turned back and was about to walk out when she jumped and inserted herself in front of him. She dragged the left sleeve of her dress upwards and exposed her lower arm. Like an eager puppy, she waited for his reaction.

Ariana leaned forward to see what Persephone was showing. As she saw it, she rolled her eyes.

"Was Nathaniel too long to endure the pain?" asked Nate after looking at the "Nate " tattooed in black ink.