Aria
Last night was not my finest moment. I was all in my feelings, and now, I feel guilty as fuck. First, I ate dinner without Lucas, then I went to bed without waiting for him. And the worst part? When he called my name, I wanted to answer…I really did…but I just froze. I didn’t know what to say, and I sure as hell didn’t want to start another fight.
Now, standing here, watching him walk out of the closet, I feel even worse.
“I thought you already went downstairs,” he says, running a hand through his messy hair.
“Yeah… I was just waiting for you.”
“Oh.” That’s it. That’s his response.
Okay, this is so fucking awkward.
I push myself off the bed and walk over to him. “Lucas… I’m sorry. Last night, I don’t know what…”
“It’s alright,” he cuts in. “We were both, you know… on edge. And I’m sorry too, Aria. I didn’t mean to treat you that way. I was being a dick. From now on… you can talk to Mark.”
“Lucas…”
“No, it’s fine. It was childish of me to tell you not to talk to him. I’m sorry. You’re a grown woman. You can make your own decisions…I don’t want to be that controlling asshole.”
My heart damn near melts. He’s being so fucking considerate right now.
“Thank you, Lucas,” I whisper, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. “Thank you for trusting me.”
“It’s fine,” he mutters. “Let’s just not argue anymore, alright?”
I nod, but my chest tightens with guilt. I still haven’t told him about my so-called birth father or the shit Mark told me. I will… just not yet.
The rest of the day feels normal, I guess. Lucas is close physically, at least…but something’s off. He’s distant, like he’s got something on his mind, but he won’t say it. I stick close to him, making sure not to talk to Mark at all, even though Lucas said he was cool with it. I just… want to take things easy.
The next day, we leave for campus at one in the goddamn morning. Yeah, you heard me…1 AM. We spend nine whole hours traveling before finally getting there.
By the time we step out of the cab, I’m done.
“Okay, maybe I’ve lost my fucking mind,” I groan, stretching out my stiff legs. “That was horrible. I’m an idiot for thinking we could actually pull this off. Who the hell travels ten hours just to get to school?”
Lucas chuckles. “You chose this, baby. And besides, it wasn’t that bad.”
I whip my head toward him. “It was that bad, Lucas. My legs are fucking numb from sitting in that shitty bus for hours…then another hour in that death trap of a cab! I’m so fucking stupid.”
“Okay, okay, calm down,” he says, still grinning like this is funny to him. “Next time, we’ll just take my private jet.”
I stop walking. “You have a private jet?”
Lucas gives me a confused look. “Yeah?”
I gape at him. “And you’re telling me this now? We could’ve avoided all of that bullshit, and you just casually mention you have a fucking jet?”
“Because I let go of all that good stuff. But don’t worry…for you, I’m willing to use it.” Lucas grins, wrapping an arm around me.
I sigh dreamily. “I’ve never been on a private jet before. I wonder how it feels.” Then reality hits me. “Wait… how’s Mark getting to school?”
Lucas stiffens for a second before sighing. “He’s taking my dad’s private jet. Dad already told me. He also told me to take you in my private jet.”
I stop walking. “What?” I stare at him in disbelief. “And you didn’t say anything? You just let us suffer through a ten-hour journey?” I smack his arm firmly.
“Ow!” He laughs, rubbing the spot like I actually hurt him. “I just wanted to spend more time with you.”
“You’re so fucking crazy, Lucas.”
“Just like you.” He smirks, and I burst out laughing.
“Okay, I gotta go now,” he says, checking his watch.
“Oh yeah… hockey practice, right?” He nods, and I wave him off. “Alright, I’ll see you later. I need to get to class.”
He leans in, pressing a soft kiss to my lips. “See you later, baby. Love you.”
“Love you too.” I turn and head toward class, but as soon as I reach the building, I see a bunch of students gathered outside, chatting.
“Aria! Over here!” Lily waves me over to a bench where she and Mia are sitting.
I plop down beside them. “Hey, what’s going on?” I motion toward the students still loitering outside.
“Your class got canceled,” Lily says.
“Oh.” I blink. “Well, that’s actually great. I would’ve been ten minutes late anyway.”
Mia gives me a sly look. “So… what’s this I hear about you and Lucas staying at his place?”
I nod. “Yeah.”
“But it’s so far,” she says, narrowing her eyes. “Are you ditching school or what?”
“No, of course not,” I scoff. “It was my idea. And let me tell you, it was a stupid-ass one. Can you believe we had to travel for over ten hours just to get here?”
Lily and Mia burst out laughing.
“Yeah, what the hell were you expecting?” Lily teases.
“I honestly lost my damn mind,” I admit, shaking my head. “But don’t worry, Lucas and I are taking his private jet next time.”
Mia whistles. “Now you’re talking. I’m so tired of Lucas acting like a pauper when he’s a fucking billionaire.”
“No kidding,” I agree.
Lily leans forward, resting her elbows on the table. “Okay, but seriously…what’s the deal with Mark and Lucas being brothers?”
I exhale, rubbing my temples. “I don’t know. I was surprised as fuck too. And now…Alpha Marcus told me Kane isn’t my birth father.”
Both of them gape at me.
“What?”
“That’s insane,” Lily blurts out.
“Oh, it gets worse,” I say dryly. “Mark and his mom confirmed it. And apparently, I’m some kind of special wolf.” I launch into the whole story, spilling every last detail.
Mia stares at me, horrified. “And you haven’t told Lucas?”
I groan. “I couldn’t.”
“You have to tell him,” she argues. “You can’t keep something like this from him. That’s a bad idea, Aria.”
“I will tell him,” I insist. “I’m just waiting for the right moment. But he did say he doesn’t have a problem with me talking to Mark again.”
Mia rolls her eyes. “Yeah, I’m sure he said that because he wants to make you happy. I know how guys think. And how do you even know you can trust Mark and his gold-digging mom?”
I hesitate. “I don’t know… I don’t really have a choice.”
I trail off when a guy comes rushing up from downstairs, panting hard.
“They’re fighting at the gym!” he gasps. “Lucas and Mark…and it’s brutal.”
What the fuck!
My heart stops. Then I’m already on my feet, sprinting toward the gym.