(POV - Aria)

Aria missed her family. She missed her best friend and the advice she would have offered. Even if that advice was something Aria would never be able to do and would possibly land them both in prison.

April might have known how to help Aria.

April, with her bright smile and a solution for every problem, no matter how ludicrous or illegal the solution might be.

Aria remembered all the sneaky, inventive ways April had managed to weasel herself out of sticky situations throughout their childhood. There had been so many occasions where April had talked herself out of a well-deserved detention, or even convinced a teacher to improve her grade by simply telling them it was the right thing to do. April was charismatic and people loved being around her, even if it was just to be near her for a little while.

It had been April who approached Aria first, all those years ago, when they were small pups huddled together on the playground. Aria had been separated from the rest of the group, too shy to speak to her packmates. She'd been too scared of their raucous chatter and excited squeals.

April had spotted Aria standing off to the side and marched right up to her, sticking her hand out and declaring, very boldly, "We're going to be best friends, okay?"

Aria had just nodded in response, too surprised by April's brazen behavior. From that point onward, Aria had always been in awe of her best friend's confidence and her ability to be the center of attention no matter where she went. And she wore that badge proudly, always making sure the people around her were happy.

April would definitely have known what to do if Aria could have spoken to her about the whole mess. April would have called Marcus for her, regardless of the guilt staying Aria's hand.

But it had been three days and April hadn't come to see her. Not even when she was finally free from Aiden's rut and all but ran back home. She had been so desperate to get back home that she hadn't even thought of stopping at April's place.

Aria was concerned that April hadn't even tried to contact her since Aria's return to the packhouse. She hoped that nothing bad had happened, especially since the last time she'd heard from April, she'd told Aria that Aiden had people watching her to see when Aria contacted her.

A hundred possibilities bounced around in Aria's mind, each one more terrifying than the last.

Had something happened to her best friend? Had one of Aiden's sentries gotten to her?

Would Aiden really allow something so terrible just because he wanted Aria back at his feet?

Yes, she thought. If he had made any decisions close enough to his rut, they would have been ruled entirely by hormones and rage. And if those decisions involved getting Aria back to the pack, then he wouldn't have thought twice about the consequences.

She tried not to dwell on it too long, her mind already reeling with grief and guilt.

The door handle clicked and she flinched without meaning to, watching Aiden slowly close the door behind him. Her heart raced in her chest, blood rushing in her ears, and the fear crawled down her spine as he stepped forward.

She stared at him wide-eyed, taking in the guilt that slipped into his expression. That surprised her, she hadn't expected him to feel guilty about anything, especially after the way he'd ruthlessly treated her for three days straight.

Then again, she couldn't get rid of the expression on his face when he finally came out of his rut. He'd been devastated, ravaged by guilt when his eyes landed on her neck and he picked up on the new scent swirling between them.

That, somehow, hurt her so much more than anything else that had happened between them. The fact that he was so distraught at the sight of the mating mark he'd forced on her meant he'd had no control over his actions during his rut. It meant that there really was no conscious desire to mate her.

And that somehow was so much worse than the first time he rejected her, or even the second.

"Hey," he said softly, staying near the door like he was worried he might scare her away. "How... how are you doing?"

Aria only watched him warily, her voice too small and her words skittering further and further into her subconscious.

"I didn't think you'd be okay," Aiden murmured, looking down in shame. It sparked a small flame of anger in her chest. "Could I sit there?"

"There' just happened to be the small spot in front of her on the seat of the bay window. She stared at the open space and nodded numbly. He took a deep breath, trying to mask the subtle relief in his face. He walked over slowly, taking the seat beside her and trying to look anywhere but at her neck.

He failed spectacularly.

His eyes were fixed on the mark, and it throbbed in response, like it knew that her mate was close.

"I'm sorry," he sighed, finally looking at her face. "God, Aria, I'm so sorry."

Her bottom lip wobbled and she bit down on it hard to keep her emotions in check. She didn't know how much of his apology she could listen to before the tears overcame her.

"I never meant for this to happen," he continued, looking so sincere and all Aria wanted was for him to stop talking. She knew that every word he spoke would cut deeper than he meant it to. "I never meant to mark you like this. I didn't want to claim you by force and not even know what the hell I was doing until it was too late."

Aria's chest caved in, hopelessness and guilt crashing into her and filling her lungs until it spewed from her mouth.

"You didn't mean to do it?" she spat, tears already pooling in her eyes. "You didn't mean to force me into your bed, mark me and steal away the one chance I had at being happy? And you expect me to take that as an apology for ruining my life?"

He flinched a little and it gave her immense satisfaction, but nowhere near enough to fill that gaping wound in her chest.

"Now you're silent," she scoffed miserably, pouring every ounce of hurt and betrayal she'd felt into every word she spoke. "Figures. You only ever looked my way when I was quiet and so obviously enamored by you. You only ever cared to remember I existed when your wolf demanded it, when you just couldn't stave off your own instincts. Haven't you taken enough from me, Aiden?"

He blinked at her, confusion twisting his mouth.

"Don't play dumb, please," she half begged. "You took my true mate from me. You were the one who turned me away and chose someone else. You were the reason I ended up at that stupid club in the first place. You drove me into someone else's arms and even then you weren't satisfied. You had to take that from me too."

"Aria, no, I-"

"What do you want from me?"

Aiden looked at her, his eyes dark and burdened. The crease between his brow was deep, and the downward tilt of his lips tugged at her heart to make it right.

"I don't- Aria, what are you talking about?"

"What do you want from me, Aiden?" she repeated, her jaw set, tears streaming down her face and dripping off her jaw. "I want to know what it is you're here for, because it sure as hell can't be me. You never wanted me, and you made that crystal clear. M-many times."

Aiden looked as though she'd slapped him in the face with a dead fish. He floundered for an answer, his gaze flitting from her eyes to her neck. To the mating mark.

"When we were younger," he murmured, looking even more ashamed and making Aria brace for whatever hurt would fall from his lips. "I had... feelings for you."

Her ears rang in the ensuing silence and she stared, utterly speechless.

"From the day I ran those idiots off for picking on you," he admitted, his nails picking at the loose threads on the sleeve of his sweater. "And I saw this tiny she-wolf with her nose in a fantasy book, who was the complete opposite of what she was expected to be. And then you asked me to train you, and I wanted to say no."

That last part didn't surprise her. She remembered how hesitant he'd looked when she basically demanded he teach her how to defend herself. How she had expected him to say no, and had hoped that she could withstand the embarrassment of that little rejection.

She wanted to laugh at her fifteen year old self for her innocence. She had been so young, and so afraid of her crush telling her he didn't want to train her every single day. She wondered how that Aria would have reacted to finding and losing her true mate all in the space of an hour. She wondered if the rejection would have done far more damage if she hadn't grown in the time Aiden had been away from the pack.

"Why are you telling me this right now?" she whispered, her voice catching in her throat.

Aiden glared at his clasped hands, the veins in his arms popping with frustration and something a lot more intense.

"Because," he said. "I don't think those feelings ever really went away."

***

Hey everyone I'm back and I'll do my best to update once a week from now on. I've been really busy lately but I know you've been waiting for updates. Also, what's stopping you from voting? It would mean a lot if you could just press the star sign. I'd love to hear your thoughts too so please leave a comment. As for my writing, I'm open to suggestions on how to improve. Your feedback would encourage me even more. Love you all!