LISTEN TO YOUR HEART
CHAPTER 19
Ariana wished she could turn back time. She wished she could take back the last few hours. All her life though, she was taught that everything happened for a reason. Her dad always told her that everyday before she went to school back in London.
Ariana realized it now though, that everything really doesn't happen for a reason. Everything only happens because of our choices. Only because of our crazy, stupid, selfish, greedy choices.
She sat on the hood of her Range Rover, in a parking lot alone. It was already in the afternoon, the intense fight several hours ago but still replaying in her head. After the heated argument between her and Scott, the little heart to heart moment with Stiles, she took off. She had to get away away from the both of them. To think things over.
It wasn't that she wanted to get together with Stiles because her relationship with Scott wasn't working. But it's that she needed to. Being in his arms literally made her feel like nothing could ever happen to her. Every worry in the world went away as soon as he touched her. Every time Stiles smiled Ariana couldn't help but smile back. Believe it or not, but Stiles makes her feel alive. Before there was any feelings for each other, they were best friends. Which for her seems so cheesy. Because out of everything going on in their life she couldn't help but... feel human around Stiles.
Stiles made her feel human and that's what scared her the most.
Ariana had never been so confused and lost in life. She never expected to have a mate but once she found out she did, she never expected to fall in love with his best friend who he considers his brother. Hell if he even considers him his brother anymore.
Her phone ringing broke the silence and Ariana from her ongoing thoughts.
"Hello" she answered with a broken voice.
"Well that wasn't a very welcoming greeting I expected" he trailed off. "Who's ass do I got to beat?" He asked seriously.
A faint smile appeared on Ariana's face. "Trust me, as much as I would appreciate that, and would very much enjoy watching, you would lose to him" Ariana replied with as much enthusiasm she could put into her voice.
"Seriously though— are you okay? Do I have to go down there? Make a grand appearance, save the day? I do have a reputation there you know" the male voice said. She could hear the smugness in his voice making her roll her eyes.
"Oh okay pretty boy. Don't get too far ahead of yourself. I don't need you down here on everyone's radar again" Ariana smirked recalling the stories Stiles told her.
"Right. Wonderful times then" he laughed. "Niall says hi by the way" there was shuffling and muffled voices on the other side of the line. "Okay fine I'll tell her! Niall says to tell you that you better go to your sexy ass man before he comes there and straightens you up"
Ariana let out an honest laugh this time. "Yeah well there's no Scott and I now" Ariana stated with hidden emotions behind every word.
"I meant Stiles dumbarse!" Niall's voice shouted from the other side. Ariana's heart quickened at just the sound of his name.
"Ahh there it is. The rhythm of love in your heart" he said. "Now go do what you do best and go save your friends. They need you more than we need you right now"
"Gee thanks" Ariana sarcastically rolled her eyes.
"You know what I mean. Now as Niall said— go and get your sexy ass man and save everybody. Like the hero you are to us"
A genuine smile was splattered on her face. Tears stung the corner of her eyes. A bile formed in her throat, trying her best to hold out the small bit of emotions from escaping.
"Thank you. You always know what to say"
"Always Ari. You know I'm always here for you. Don't be a stranger, stranger"
"Never" Ariana smirked. "And tell Niall to not walk around naked anymore. He's a little old for that" she said in amusement. In the background Niall let out a loud laugh along with several other boys and a 'you're just mad cause you can't see me naked right now'.
"I'll see you soon Alpha"
With an abrupt click the call ended. Ariana pulled her iPhone away from her face reading the name that just called her.
"See you soon too, Jackson"
****
"Stiles, I've been calling you and you're not answering my phone calls. I know I ran and I-I left you at a bad time but I need you to answer me. Okay? Today is the supermoon, I'm on fucking edge right now, and I swear to god if you don't answer my phone call I'm going to rip your throat out with my teeth!"
Seconds later Ariana found herself calling him again going straight to his voicemail.
"Heyyy Stiles. Do me a favor and don't listen to that last voicemail. I admit, it was mean. But seriously, today is one of those days where you cannot ignore my calls. With the supermoon today, I have a feeling something bad is going to happen today. And I'm not going to be able to stop it alone. Okay I need you"
She hung up the phone.
Her tires squealed as she made a hard right. Scrolling through her phone searching for Scott's name. Even though he hates me right now, I have to make sure he's okay, she thought to herself. Finding his contact name, she pressed on the message symbol to send him a text.
Looking up from her phone, her eyes settled upon a figure in the middle of road staring directly at her.
The vehicle came to a slow stop stopping about 20 feet away from the figure. With pale hands gripping the steering wheel, heart beating twice as fast, and sweat forming on her forehead. Ariana's eyes stared directly into the guys eyes who also had a cocky smirk.
Clenched jaw and all, Ariana pushed away her fear and stepped out of her comfort zone. Her black strap heels clicked against the concrete road as she made her way to stand in front of her vehicle.
"Long time no see, love" he stated like it was normal. "I see you've survived the deadpool"
"How the hell are you alive?" She barked with a threatening glare only the infamous Hale's could pull off.
"Isn't that the question of the day? But let's not worry about that since you can't change what's already happened. You see, I'm here because days ago I was given a second chance to take care of you. And this time I'm not going to fail" he grinned flashing his red eyes.
"That's what you thought last time. But there I was... killing you without a care in the world..." Ariana trailed off with a smirk trying her best to hide her fear. "Cole"
His gaze darkened considerably if that was even possible. "Don't get me wrong love, I was more surprised than you. Who knew what you were capable of? I for sure didn't see that coming" he chuckled taking a daring step closer. Instantly Ariana's body tenses and her eyes very alert. "What surprised me even more was that when I woke up, I was told that Scott forgave you like it was nothing. That boy must really love you" he said.
Ariana furrowed her eyebrows together. "What does Scott have to do with this?"
"Everything!" Cole bellowed. Ariana flinched slightly against her will. "Scott is the reason why everything is happening now. And he's also going to be the reason why you die"
"You say that like he honestly cares what happens to me" Ariana mused taking a step forward surprising Cole for a moment. "Are you sure you know everything?"
"I know enough"
"You know nothing!" She snarled. "Let me guess. Theo has something to do with this."
Cole stayed quiet looking directly at her.
"Of course he does" she scoffed. "So get it over with. Kill me" she said.
Cole raised an eyebrow in amusement. "You really do have a death wish, don't you?"
"No. I don't. But you did and I made it come true. I have no problem doing I again" she growled. Her eyes burned red, nails elongated to claws.
"Easy there girl. Don't you want to know how I came back to life?" He said putting his hands in his pockets, an estranged look his eyes.
His actions threw off Ariana. She felt herself shift back to her normal features. Without answering Cole, she studied his body language. His hands were shoved deep into his pocket. His body posture was laid back showing he wasn't in no position of starting a fight. He held a smirk on his face at all times like he knew something she didn't.
Realization struck her.
"Theo brung you back to life. I don't how and I don't know why. But something tells me it's because you're important to whatever plan he has" Ariana voiced out her realization. Her eyes met his once again. "You're a chimera" she breathed out.
"You-"
"And so is Theo" she whispered cutting Cole off. His body became rigid fearing what Theo would do to him if he found out Ariana figured things out on her own.
"You sound sure about that" Cole said in a strained voice.
Ariana tilted her head, a dangerous look on her face that made Cole tense. "Nooo you're not here to kill me" she trailed off. "You're here to distract me"
Cole let out a chuckle that could've fooled anyone. But not Ariana. "You think you know everything, don't you?" He growled.
Without thinking of Theo's warning about not killing Ariana, his eyes glowed red and ran at Ariana with speed that only he should have. To anyone else who could've been watching he was a blur. To Ariana she anticipated his every move.
Her hand flew forward wrapping her fingers around his throat. She twisted him in the air, slamming him on top of the hood of her vehicle. Cole's eyes were wide in shock at how fast and much stronger Ariana was. She stood glaring back at him with dark red eyes glowing. Sharp to the point fangs were bared at him, a roar that would've put Scott McCall to shame and every other Alpha out there, including her own biological mother.
"Like I said, you don't know anything. You think you and Theo have it all figured out and know everything about me. You don't! I am definitely not someone you want mess with. And definitely not the day of the supermoon. And believe me when I say if Theo does anything to hurt anyone I love, and I mean anything—" she bared her fangs close to his face making him put his neck out in submission to a higher rank than him "I will rip them to shreds... with my teeth"
She growled one more time before throwing him across the road with ease. He soared through the air and slammed into the ground face first. Cole's heart hammered in his chest, fear coursing through his body. Never had he experienced someone as powerful and dangerous as Ariana Hale.
I think Theo has someone more important to worry about than Scott, he thought.
****
***I RECOMMEND PLAYING THE VIDEO READING THIS SCENE***
Night had fallen.
The moon was bright and full. To everyone who was human, it was beautiful. Kids would've wanted to see the moon, their eyes lighting up in amazement. Parents smiling in joy at the fascination their kids had toward a white full circle in the sky.
To anyone who was supernatural and was affected by the power the moon had over them, was straining to either stay in control or letting the power of the moon take over their humanity.
Ariana slammed her car door shut. Her heart pounding in her chest. Growls and objects breaking echoed in her ears. She rushed through the school halls heading as fast as she could right now to the library.
As she ran into the library entrance, a bright blue force threw her back. She slid along the ground a moan of pain coming from her. She quickly got back up eyes searching for Scott.
Her eyes settled upon a line of mountain ash blocking her from getting in. She pulled her hair in frustration her eyes finding Scott and the person she least expected to be fighting him to death; Liam, his own beta.
"Liam stop!" She yelled banging on the force field that blocked her from stopping two people she loved from fighting. Liam sat on top of Scott now, clawing away at Scott who was doing everything in his power at blocking Liam's rapid swipes.
Mason ran up beside Ariana, shouting at Liam also.
"Break the seal, Mason!" Ariana begged him. He looked down seeing the black line of powder. He quickly bent down wiping away the ash, breaking the seal, which caught the young beta's attention.
Ariana immediately ran in, skillfully sliding on her knees under Liam's attempt at attacking her. Spinning back around, she caught his wrist when he tried punching her, twisting it enough to snap it in half. A howl of pain rang through the air from the young beta. Ariana was quick to throw a jab at his throat cutting his air supply off. She kicked him in the stomach, sending Liam flying backwards into a bookshelf.
"Liam stop this!" Mason yelled. Liam stopped for a moment listening to his best friend. "Hayden is dead, Liam" he said lowly.
Like the flick of a switch, Liam's eyes dimmed back to their normal color. His breathing stopped momentarily before he dashed out of the library.
Not worried about Liam right now, Ariana ran over to Scott. "Oh my god. Scott" she whispered as he let her help him to his feet. Their eyes met briefly.
That all ended when the sound of an arrow whipped through the air slicing right through Ariana's back and coming through the front of her stomach.
A scream of pain left her mouth. Scott's eyes widened in shock his mouth making a perfectly shaped 'o'. The tip of the arrow spread out revealing a grapple hook. Ariana's looked at it before looking back at Scott her eyes wide. Silence filled the air before Ariana was flung back.
The air left her lungs as she was slammed into the ground. Before she could react to anything, the arrow was pulled out of her. She was picked up from the ground before she was held back, arms wrapped firmly around her arms her back pressed up against someone's chest.
Blood dripped from her mouth. Her body felt weakened somehow. Pain was slowly spreading throughout her body.
"Not so tough now, are you love?" Cole whispered in her ear. Ariana lifted her head up seeing Mason knocked out from a Chimera slamming him into a table and Theo stalking toward Scott.
"I should've stayed and made sure he killed you" Theo growled in anger.
It all happened so fast.
Theo flicked his claws out, pushing them into Scott's abdomen. "No!" Ariana shouted.
"Your pack will come around" Theo smirked evilly.
"They won't" Scott wheezed through the pain.
"Because I'm a Chimera?" Theo asked. "Because I'm not a real werewolf?!"
"Because you're barely even human" Scott told him. Ariana struggled against Cole's hold on her despite the pain.
"You chose your fate" Theo growled. Theo, enraged, drives his claws in deeper. Scott's eyes widened in ultimate pain. Theo pushed Scott down onto the floor, sliding his claws out.
Screams and curse words echoed through the air as Ariana flailed around in Cole's arms. Tears poured down her face, her eyes connected with Scott's who's eyes were glowing red.
"Theo! You stupid bitch, I swear I'm going to kill you!" Ariana screamed at him, the tears never stopping.
"Don't worry, you'll be taken good care of" he told her. "Let's go Cole" he ordered. Finally, Ariana was released but not before Cole slammed the bow in the back of her head.
She fell to the ground in a heap.
And as Theo and Cole walked away, her eyes connected with Scott's from the ground, the red glow fading from Scott's eyes.
"Scott?" she whispered. Her ears strained to hear Scott's heartbeat.
Thump thump, thump thump, thu-
Ariana stopped breathing. Her chest burned with grief. Tears poured out of her eyes like a never ending waterfall. A ringing noise filled her ears, everything turning to slow motion and a blur. Ariana felt herself standing up without even realizing she was in motion.
Scott stared straight back at where he was looking at her when he took his last breath. A burning sensation rose up from her throat desperate to get out free. And when she opened her mouth to let it out, she realized what it was.
It was a howl of pain, the mourning of a pack member, the mourning of a soul mate.
****
"We have to stop the bleeding from getting worse. If we even want to attempt to bring him back to life, he needs to stop losing blood" Ariana sniffed, her hands flying around Scott's body her hands covering his wound.
"Ariana... its over. He's dead" Mason said softly to her.
"He's not dead!" She screamed at him with a crazed look. Her hair was a mess, dried tears all over her face. "He's not dead till I say so" she said.
The sound of footsteps running toward them stopped the both of them. Ariana's eyes flashed red and a threatening growl escaping her throat.
"No no no no no, Scott!" Melissa said in disbelief. Tears started coming down her face as she slid on the floor next to Scott's body, Ariana on the other side of him. Without hesitation, Melissa started doing chest compressions on her son.
"Guys... Scott has been without a pulse for over 15 minutes. You can't bring someone back like that" Mason tried to rationalize with the two most toughest woman he's seen.
"He's not someone. He's my son and he's an Alpha and he's too strong to die like this!" Melissa screams at him, Ariana covering her mouth with her bloodied hands holding back sobs.
The two teenagers watch as Melissa continued doing chest compressions and blowing air into Scott's lungs. She continued to talk to him as she presses on his chest, "Come on, Scott! Roar! Roar dammit! You are stronger than this. Okay? You are an Alpha and my son! You are not dying on me after everything that's happened. Roar Scott! Roar!"
With one final blow to the chest she screams at him. Ariana watched Scott's face as his eyes snap open, eyes glowing bright red. On instinct, her eyes flare red as Scott shoots up, a roar leaving him.
"Oh thank god" Melissa whispered before launching herself into her sons arms crying into his neck. Scott wrapped his arms around his mother. He hugged her tight.
His eyes met with Ariana's, a look of relief clearly shown on her face.
"You scared the hell out of me, McCall"
****
Ariana sat on top of her roof. There was only a couple more minutes of the supermoon. Her eyes gazed over the street, her mind flowing with deep thought.
"Hey"
Ariana jumped in shock, turning to see who the voice came from. Her body relaxed at who it was.
"Jesus Stiles, you scared me" she exhaled, gripping her thighs and breathing in and out trying to calm herself.
"I got your voicemails" Stiles slightly laughed. "I also heard what happened. Are you okay?" Stiles asked her, sitting himself down next to her and getting comfortable.
"Are we ever okay?" She replied.
Stiles bit his lip.
"No" he said making her look at him. The moon reflected in his eyes which made him seem even more attractive to Ariana if that was even possible. "But we will be" he said lacing his fingers through hers.
Her breathing slowed down, her body finally relaxing from attempting to stop the shift. The power of the moon was leaving her.
"I watched Scott die today" Ariana told him. Stiles looked at her, studying her face trying to see how she was feelings.
"But he's okay now" Stiles said.
She shook her head. "Now. But he did die. He was dead, Stiles" Ariana said looking at him. "He looked me in the eye and died. He took his-his last breath and I couldn't do anything" she said taking a second to stop herself from crying again. "Scott was dead for more than 15 minutes. And every second of that time frame I was dying inside because he was still my mate"
Stiles squeezed her hand in comfort. He couldn't imagine how that must've been for her. Watching Scott die must've been torture for her. She really was the toughest person he's ever met. A thought then occurred to him.
"Was?" He asked.
"When he died, it completely took our connection away. At least most of it. Whatever we had... is gone. I don't feel the pull of attraction anymore, or the need to be near him" she told him softly.
"I'm sorry" Stiles said. He was still confused about everything.
"I'm not" she said surprising him. Stiles eyes snapped up to meet hers.
"I'm with you Stiles Stilinski. And whether you like it or not, I'm in it for the long run" she smiled, a sparkle shining in her eye. A smile full of happiness danced across Stiles' face.
"Good— because I'm not going anywhere" Stiles grinned even harder.
And with that, Stiles gripped her face slamming their lips together, the moon shining directly on them.
****
Back in the lair, The Surgeon dread doctor uses his cane to hammer into the wall.
Swing after swing, the wall started breaking apart.
Upon swinging, the pieces breaking off started revealing a painting of two creatures fighting.
And as he kept hammering only one thing echoed throughout the lair coming from The Surgeon.
"Le Bete, Le Bete, Le Bete, Success."
________
Hey guys! So someone made me realize it's been... seven? Yeah seven months since I last updated! Wow, I know. My bad folks.
Anyway, I literally wrote this chapter in less than 24 hours so it might be a little all over the place since I literally had to rethink about how I wanted to continue Ariana's story. And let me tell you, I couldn't put my phone down once I started. I forgot how much I loved her character and how much I loved writing this story.
So with that, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. I enjoyed writing it very much. I bet some are shocked at the old/new characters I brought back in the story! I'm excited!