Chapter 38 - Unedited (A/N: Btw I just noticed how I keep starting my chapters with the two waking up in the morning aha! XD)
*Wednesday 29th June & Thursday 30th June*
Ara and Xander walk out hand in hand, the other's following them. She could hear both the two crimesetters sigh a breath of relief, mentally thanking the moon goddess for their life being spared by the goodness of Arabella's heart. Xander's hand left Ara's small one and he wrapped an arm around her waist instead, pulling her close to his body.
Behind them, they could hear so many whispers of disbelief. Ara did her best to ignore it. She knew everyone was judging her choice, either way they would have judged her. If she demanded their death–they would judge her for being an unfair Queen, for not giving others a second chance. If she chose for them to have another chance they would judge how she was being too easy, how she was practically putting their entire family in danger which seems highly unlikely.
Xander wanted to turn around and growl at all the people behind them. None of them being their family or close friends–more like opposing people who were watching and seemed to actually have no say at all in this court.
But he knew that getting his mate out of their would be the best thing for now. He wanted her to just feel comfortable and away from these people. He wanted to be away from these people, all those who kept judging, who thought they had a right to judge. Though they had no right at all.
He sighed and eventually they finally got to drive back into the beautiful palace-like mansion.
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The next morning, Ara's head whips up, her heart pumping beneath her chest so fast she could barely catch a breath. Her hand rests over her chest and she feels it slow down and she sits up and throws the royal blue blanket off her. Xander sturs next to her before fluttering his eyes open before turning his body around to face his beautiful mate. His eyes narrowed in confusion as he watches her chest slowly rise and fall in the sitting position she is in. He sat up next to her, wrapping an arm around her body and bringing her close to him which startled her. But that's what she needed–her mates warm comforting touch to soothe her from the terrible thoughts swarming in her head.
"Bad dream?" He asked her, never taking his eyes off her shaking figure except to check to digital clock on one of the bedside tables. A quarter to six, explains why it's still dark but getting lighter.
"Y-yes." She answers simply, closing her eyes in fear. Though her pulse slowed down she could just feel it speed up yet again in fear. Her dream was playing in her mind as if there were a projecter and a screen set in there and she could see it all happen again. She shaked under Xander's touch and he wanted nothing but to hold her and help her get better.
Blood. Everywhere. All she could see was red despite the memories of that horrific nightmare. Everyone was dead. And by everyone–literally everyone. Everyone but her. She saw everything happen, worst of all she saw the life drain out of everyone closest to her, even her parents. She even saw Xander, dying to save her. The thought of it made her heart ache and tears appear beneath her eyes. She didn't want to think anymore, she didn't even want to breathe at this very moment she just wanted to forget.
"Seems pretty bad," He muttered, mainly to himself. He sits there rubbing her back, she was definitely stressing out. After last nights decision, she didn't know if she regretted a thing or not. Nobody gave her disappointing looks about her choice–it was hers, not theirs.
Ara brings her legs into her chest and wraps her small arms around them. "I-I don't r-really want to uhm...talk about it right now." She says under her breath. Xander nods understandingly, placing a soft kiss on the top of her head. Ara leans into his touch, knowing it was all for comfort. And it did comfort her, calming herself down the same her touch can calm Xander's.
Werewolves are just so weird. She thought to herself, a twitch in her lips. Her mind eventually drifted away from the dream, though she knew it was important she understand why that dream was given to her. Why it showed that everyone died, everyone but her. Soon enough she was thinking about that dream, her heart beating fast and her head spinning. Why were they all dead?
"You're shaking, Bella. Are you cold? Go back to sleep, my love, you don't have to be awake for another hour and you need all the rest you can get before training." Xander suggested, making her look up at him. She shook her head 'no' and sighed.
"I don't want to go back to sleep. I'm too awake now, I'll just go down and get something to eat maybe–you can go back to sleep if you want though." She replied but Xander shook his head with a smile.
"I'll go down with you." She nods, reaching for the soft thin grey cardigan on the floor and placing it around her body, closing it with her hands while Xander quickly put on a pair of sweatpants and a plain black shirt smack damn in front of her. And did the view make her blush. Those flexing muscles, slight sweat glistening against the moonlight peaking through the curtains of the window on the other side.
She was shy, but that did not stop her from looking. No wonder those girls went crazy over him. She couldn't help but sigh in annoyance about how attractive her mate physically was–his personality was so sweet and he did his best to treat her like a princess and was the perfect father to Caleb, then physically he resembled a flawless greek god, all his edges and chiseled features seeming to be scultped by the best artist's out there to create the perfect person.
Why does he even like me? And that's when she felt her heart drop as she tightens the cardigan around her small body. He only likes me because he has to–because of the stupid bond. That was the only reason she believed that he liked her for. The unmistakeable, natural bond that can attract two were's or one were and one human together like a magnet. It almost made her angry. She was starting to like him for him, hell she liked him for him. Since she was human, the bond doesn't affect her as much as it does Xander, and most of her feelings for him are what she developed for him for the past two years.
But Ara is unsure whether Xander even likes her for her. Not for the bond that's trapping him to her, but liking her for who she is. For all the flaws and all the little things. She's doubting herself, letting all the insecurities get to her. Girls like Andrea, girls beautiful like Andrea could have him with the snap of their fingers. And She was sure guys like Xander deserve a beautiful girl, there were many in her hometown. She barely had a look around but she knows there were beautiful people here too.
If Andrea just wasn't a little coo-coo in the head, she might of had a much higher chance of stealing Xander from Ara. And that's when she decided–she never wanted to let Xander go. He was hers. He was all hers. Posessive thoughts filled her mind, mixing with her insecurity. There was no way that Andrea could ever have Xander, not even with Ara out of the picture. Not in a million years.
Because she forgave him. Ara forgave Xander. Though she had said she has two years ago, she was still slightly unsure but now, she completely forgave him. She forgave him because he proved himself worthy, she learned who he actually was and all the little things about him, and they made her like him. And oh how she liked him, a lot. I like him. She does. She smiles just thinking about it–she finally admitted it to herself.
"Bella? Are you ready, love?" Xander asks, making her head whip to the side and face him. She nods, standing up from her seat on the bed with a faint blush on her cheeks for all the thoughts swimming in her mind. He smiles at her, taking her small hand in his large rough one, but touching his skin, he felt so soft.
"What do you feel like eating?" He whispers once they walk down the stairs. About three servants were scattered in the room, getting ready early in the morning before any of the royal family wakes up. They were surprised to notice Xander and his mate had already awakened, but with a single raised hand by him, they bowed and left them alone in peace.
"Something small, plain. Is there cereal?" She asks softly, Xander nods.
"Yes. All kinds, you name it, we've most likely got it." A thought immediately pops into Ara's mind and she smiles a small tired smile. "I'm in the mood for lucky charms." says Ara, and they walk into the grand kitchen.
The tiles felt extremely cold under Ara's bare feet, nearly making her jump in surprise from walking on carpet. Xander noticed and placed an arm around her shoulders to keep her warm against his heated body. He reached up into a cupboard up in the corner, making him separate from Ara for just a little. Immediately, she missed Xander's touch but he just left to get her cereal, milk and a bowl.
She sat down on the chairs connected to the kitchen bench rather than in the dining room. Leaning her elbow on the cold marble surface, her cheek in her hand she watches Xander gracefully make the cereal, pouring a generous amount of lucky charms and milk into the bowl. Thankfully, any remainding thoughts she had referring to her dream had drifted away and she focused on what was happening now and how she should focus on the positives of everything.
"I'm training today, right?" She asks Xander. He nods. "Yeah. I've decided I will personally train you but surrounding us will be other wolves in my pack. I surely hope you don't mind, because my backyard isn't particularly training safe, but there's a large gym close by we usually use." He explains softly then hands her her bowl before making some cereal for himself.
He sits next to her, quite closely. Her heartbeat picks up speed just feeling his presence next to her. "So I've been thinking," she says slowly, making Xander look up at her with a concerned look on his face, "about this marking thing." It's true, throughout her time with Xander, she has been thinking about it. She actually hasn't let him touch her for about two years, not letting go of an accident in the past but now she finally has and she can't just let him suffer like this any longer.
"What about it?" asks Xander. She sighs, deciding to just blurt it out. "Well, how does it work, really?"
"Well, I delibritely put a mark on your neck that only those with a wolf's eye can see. The process, is simple and don't worry, clothes can be kept on." Ara let out a soft sigh of relief, making Xander laugh. "My canines will come out and I'll bite you. And yes, it's probably similar to what vampires do but no, we do not suck blood or turn you into one of us, it'll soon leave a mark that shows other were's that you're mine. And then you'll have to do the same to me." Her eyes furrow in confusion. She wasn't a werewolf, she didn't have that sharp canines that can tear skin apart.
"But I'm not a werewolf, so really I can't actually bite you except with my normal human teeth." She says. Xander sighs then chuckles, shifting his gaze to the other side of the room. "Human mates were a rarity back in the olden days, today we may seem like we're everywhere, but really our population is running out. More werewolves are receiving humans as their mates, I'm not exactly sure what to do in this case though. It's expected that when I mark you...you'd be turned too."
Ara frowns. "How? Well, I mean why?"
"What I'm trying to think is, that if you're able to turn, that means you've got to have at least some werewolf blood running through your veins. Probably not your mum, or your dad directly but probably an ancestor who mated with a human." Xander was setting himself in confusion, along with Ara who was trying to think of all the possible ways this could be.
A thought comes to mind and her throat runs dry. Xander notices her tense up a little, and he asks what's wrong. Ara takes a while to reply before she leans over her cereal with her head in her hands.
"I'm adopted." Ara mumbled quietly. Xander's eyes go wide.
"I'm sorry, what?"
She looked up at him, a stressful expression on her face. "I'm adopted. I mean, I never really took it to any seriousness because I always treated my parents as my parents but I found out I was adopted when I was like, five, and I wasn't even fazed by it. I just happen to look a little like my parents but if you were careful enough you would have known that they actually weren't my parents."
Xander's lips purse into a thin line, and Ara doesn't know what else to say. It came to mind now, out of the two and a half years she's known him. She felt so bad, remembering something from roughly sixteen years ago.
"How–what, this literally changes everything." Xander's tone wasn't even mad, it was like he discovered that the sky was actually blue and the grass was green.
Ara couldn't believe that he wasn't mad at all, she was expecting him to turn, to growl, to yell, something to exagerrate her stupidity. She couldn't help but feel so bad.
"How will everything change?" She asks, worried.
"For all we know, one of your parents could actually be a werewolf." Ara could hardly believe how much her life was taking a turn.