The Alpha's Daydream ✔️

Chapter 40

Sorry for such a long chapter 🙈😅

5303 words

Ariella was shaken.

Shivering, she'd allowed Malachi to help her get ready for bed, as her fingers were still not cooperating with her brain signals. He assured her it was just the lingering effects of the herbal tea that Joachina gave her clients to help them relax.

But Ariella hadn't drunk the tea.

She's sat under Joachina's hand and felt her strength draining, some power sucking it from her and leaving her weak. Whatever the tattoo artist was seeing beyond her closed eyes and drawing about her was enough to put Ariella on edge for the entire day after.

She avoided the hill just behind the pack centre, and never went anywhere by herself. Spending time working alongside Devanshi, or training overtime with Hamilton seemed preferable to running into the strange shewolf.
Malachi helped her feel secure at night, with his arm draped around her waist, but he didn't seem interested to hear about her fears. So she kept them to herself because she knew he'd never understand.

Whatever she'd felt and seen in Joaquina's studio, he hadn't.

Whatever darkness had been swirling in her silver irises, only Ariella was aware of it.

Whatever weird, numbing sensation had snaked down her spine as Joaquina laid her hand on her head, Malachi had never experienced the same thing.

What was wrong with Ariella?

She contemplated these things as she pounded a ball of dough. Baking was her remedy, to take her thoughts off everything and refocus the energy into something productive. Normally sketching was her relaxation haven, but the images were too deep, too disturbing. All she saw were demons in every shadow, every cranny, scratching at the walls and clawing to get inside her head.
And in her dreams, Malachi kept dying. Sucked away into the darkness, into a realm she could never reach unless she too became the monster of her nightmares.

"More raisin bread?"

"Yup," Ariella gave a monosyllabic response to Knight as he casually wandered into the kitchen. He'd made it a habit to check on her, see how she was going, and listen to whatever was on her mind. He'd heard some of her dilemma, but she didn't share everything. Not even his concern and calming attitude towards her could prompt her to open up about things everyone had called her crazy for.

"And what do you have cooking?" he crouched down in front of the oven, careful not to open it after Ariella got mad at him for ruining her pastries the day before.

"Chocolate muffins." Ariella added more raisins to the dough and kept kneading it, keeping a watchful eye on the oven.

"How did you know they are my favourite?" Knight asked with a cheeky wink.

Ariella narrowed her eyes on him. "And who said I'm making them for you? Arrogant beta," she muttered the last part under her breath, but loud enough for him to hear.

Knight growled lowly, "Who else would you make them for if it's not for this crusty old wolf?" he tried to give a silly smile but failed. It came off as more a grimace.

"Seneca giving you a hard time?" Ariella caught the undertones of his joke.

Knight sighed and rubbed his stubbled jaw. "She's in a grouchy mood," he said, explaining everything in the few simple words. Then he grabbed a few raisins, throwing them into his mouth. "Give a shout when they're ready," he jerked his chin towards the muffins.

"Sure," Ariella smiled, glad to do something to make his day better. She couldn't imagine working closely with the complicated Luna.

When she was alone to think again, her mind wandered back to her mate, as it had constantly every spare minute she had. It wasn't difficult to do when she could feel him in the house, always aware of his location and trying to understand what he was feeling.