Aria
I hear muffled voices around me. My head feels hazy, and distant for some reason. The voices suddenly stop talking, then distant footsteps can be heard.
I try flickering my eyes open, but the blinding light does not let me.
I lie there numb for a while, before finally opening my eyes. There's a figure hovering over the bed I lay on.
"Aria?" I hear that same hoarse voice I heard the moment I passed out.
My vision finally clears up, and the figure turns out to be Archi!
Panic floods my veins as I realize he is standing so close to me. I try so hard to swallow, but there is a sharp pain in my throat.
I whimper softly, "H-- hello," I let out a strangled greeting.
He blinks his eyes, "How are you feeling now?" He sits beside me.
My eyes dart around. I am in his room again.
"Who was that? Why was he after you? He almost tried to kill you, thank goodness I got there in time!" He holds my hands, his eyes laced with concern.
I stare back at his beautiful grey eyes, he really does care about me!
Warmth floods my heart, while butterflies throw a ball in my stomach.
"Talk to me, how are you feeling?" He furrows his brows.
I slightly clear off my throat, trying to sit up. He quickly wraps his arms around my shoulders, gently helping me to sit up. Once I have sat up, I rest my head against the headboard.
"Thank you," I mumble.
He nods, his eyes still narrowed, "Are you feeling okay?" He asks again for the umpteenth time, his frustration searing from his voice.
"My throat does hurt a lot," my voice is parched.
He must have completely broken my windpipe! Ugh!
"Oh, I will tell the doctor that, he must have some kind of medicine for your throat," he gently caresses the back of my hand.
I nod, feeling my blush crawl up to my cheeks-- Go back you stupid blush!
"Now, who was he?" His question comes in.
"Who?" I arch my brow.
"The man who tried to kill you of course! Do you know him?"
I bite my lower lip, my fingers coming together to knit each other, "He was.."
How would he react if he heard I had another mate before him?
"Yes?"
"He was my mate," I say it with one breath.
The color seems to drain from his face. His eyes darken with a dangerous fleck of red.
Since when did he have red eyes?
"Your mate?"
"He was.." I try to emphasize on the was. Heck, that loser can not keep being my mate.
"You had a mate? Whoa.." He slowly leaves my hand exposed to the cold. My heart drops when he retreats his hand.
"I.. did, but then he is no longer my mate! He cheated on me!" I raise my voice, then a dry cough follows.
He grabs a glass of water from the bedside table, handing it over to me, "Here you go, have it."
I take down the water in two large gulps, "Thank you."
He gets to his feet, "Aria, you leave me speechless, what am I supposed to do with you," he remarks with his back to me.
"What-- do you mean by that?"
"Who is that other mate of yours? Is he really your mate?"
I furrow my brows. Would I just go about claiming men as my mates now?
"He is."
I hear a sneer, "Of course, he is," the warmth in his voice has completely disappeared.
"I mean it! It is not as if I chose him for myself."
He shrugs his shoulders, "That is quite possible, do you not think?"
I gawk at him, my eyes practically bulging out of their sockets. I want to say something, but my rage bubbling up inside of me threatens to choke me.
"I mean, you just played along, making me think you actually loved me, it was as if I already found her, I thought I had found the one, only for you to-- deceive me."
I squint my eyes, my head spinning. Did he just say deceive? I--
"You made me fall hard Aria, only to go behind my back, and find a mate!" He turns around facing me his face bright red, "Really Aria? Really?"
Why is saying this all of a sudden? Where has his warmth gone to all of a sudden?
I try to talk but my throat is already clogged with my confusion, and fury. I blink my eyes, gripping the edges of the bed I am sitting on. My cheeks burn with rage. As much as I want to restrain from violence, I want to leap at him, giving him a lot of scratches, but then my body does not move, I remain stiff.
He scoffs, "Nothing to say? I thought as much, I was right. You did not love me from the start."
I do not know why, but my eyes sting with tears at his words. Is that all?
I open my mouth to say something, the words still do not come. The words continue to stack at the back of my throat. My teeth dig into my bottom lip trying so hard to stop a whimper.
He searches my face for any kind of response which I still do not give. The words are stuck there.
He shakes his head, "Have a good time with him. I hope he makes you happier than I ever would."
For some reason, I can hear the pain in his voice even though he is trying to sound firm.
I still do not say anything.
"You have nothing to say?" His voice drops to a whisper, "Nothing at all?"
Tears blur my vision as he keeps on talking.
"Well if you have nothing to say, I should just go ahead and reject you then."
I whip up my head in horror.
"Aria Moonwhispher, I, Lycan Archi reject you as my mate."
My heart stops, and a shiver runs down my spine. My vision suddenly blurs again, ringlets of light dancing far away. A sharp pain courses through my chest. My throat feels more strangled-- I can not breathe.
"Will you accept?"