It Doesn’t Work
Luna Ariel’s POINT OF VIEW
As I storm into the apartment, to my surprise, I bump into none other than Eric.
Beta is definitely an extraordinary figure. I’ve seen him stare at Zane and me before, and when I was alone somewhere, it seemed like he wanted to say something to me but held back. But since I last saw him, he never came closer to me.
“Luna, did he give you a hard time? It is obvious that you are forcing the relationship, you are not taken with him,” he says softly. I stare at him, not quite knowing what to make of his attitude. He is Zane’s best friend, does he want to know what my plans are to inform Zane?
“Beta, if you are concerned about the welfare of your Alpha, you really need to speak to him yourself. If you don’t mind, I want to be alone for a while”. I turn around and disappear into my sleeper. With a deep sigh, I sit down on the bed with my hand on my chest.
Gorgio! How I miss my mate. His husky voice in the morning when he wakes up, his hands on my skin when he caresses me again and his passionate kiss when he wants to convince me that I am the only woman for him. I promised Zane to cut off contact with Gorgio so I could focus on our relationship, but I am mentally exhausted. I need Gorgio to move on.
Stomach acid slowly creeps down my throat to my mouth.
I swallow a few times, but this time it has less effect. Quickly I go to the bathroom, fill a glass with water and drink it greedily. Now I had more success, the acid sinking back into my stomach. But then suddenly the room seems to spin, my legs feel like wax.
I allow my body to slide to the floor and lean against a wall. With eyes closed, I take a deep breath to make this uncomfortable feeling go away. But then it dawns on me, something Gorgio and I were already hoping for. My hand goes to my still flat stomach and I smile. If what I suspect is right, the relationship between Zane and I is definitely over, I don’t want anyone around me but the father of my pup.
I open my mind wall to my mate slowly.
He was startled, hadn’t expected me to speak to him yet. His breathing quickens and he waits for me to make the first move. My mate, the father of my pup.
‘Gorgio, I miss you so much. I can’t be without you any longer. But the Council …’
‘Ariel!” He blurts out my name as if it is his last straw, he has come back to life. “Why was your wall closed? All those weeks without hearing your beautiful voice drove me crazy. Why were you punishing me?
The pain in his voice is killing me, I would so love to sit on his lap again and comfort him. His pain is mine, I too have suffered in the past few weeks.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.
‘I had promised Zane to give our relationship a good start for a while by cutting off contact with you and concentrating entirely on him. But I just can’t manage and now he is furious,’ I let him know.
‘I can’t stay here any longer, but we have an appointment with the Council. I can’t last those three months, I can’t be away from you any longer, Gorgio. Only I don’t know how to leave. Zane knows his territory like no other’.
Now I can clearly feel his heart beating hard in his chest. He is scared, but I can feel his eagerness to have me back. He fears for Zane’s actions if my flight fails.
‘Listen, Zane has a Beta. Eric is his name if I’m not mistaken. Trust him, he’s going to help you’. I am startled by this statement. Why does Gorgio have so much faith in Eric, his rival’s Beta?
‘You will understand why later. Do that for me, love. Eric will protect you. I’ll be waiting for you at the western border where our pack borders Midnight Moon. Please watch out for your safety. You are my Achilles heel and everyone knows it’.
‘Wait for me, Gorgio. Keep the mind link open. As soon as I’m on my way, I’ll be back to you here’.
I close the wall, get up slowly and wash my face. Back in the bedroom, I decided to rest some more so that I regain my strength. But sleep does not come, I think of Gorgio’s words. Is there something I don’t know? Beta Eric’s attitude is suspicious and now Gorgio appears to have complete confidence in him. Something is going on here, but I never believed the Beta would betray his Alpha.
Eventually, I fell asleep from sheer exhaustion.
I wake up to a caressing hand over my shoulders. From the sparks that arise from the contact, I know Zane is sitting next to me on the bed. Slowly, I turn to him and sit up.
“Ariel, I’m sorry for my outburst, I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that, baby. My only excuse is that I want so much for our relationship to progress, accept me as your mate and try to be happy with me. That’s all I want from you”.
I smile and nod. “Okay, your apology is accepted. But Zane, I can’t force my feelings. The mate bond isn’t strong enough on my part, it’s as if it’s being blocked. And Gorgio has nothing to do with it. It’s coming from your side. I just can’t connect with you”.
“But are you trying hard enough? You refuse to behave like normal mates do. You never touch, hug or kiss me. Never do anything all by yourself, spontaneously,” he points out grimly. “How do you think I feel when my mate is distant?”
I inhale deeply and release my breath with a sigh. We are repeating ourselves and I have no intention of explaining the same thing over and over again. When will it dawn on him that this is not working?
“I am sorry for the inconvenience I am causing you. But I can’t force myself to do what I don’t feel like doing. Cheating on you with a fake attitude is just as bad”. And before he can say something, I cast a glance at the door.
“Can I have some privacy, Zane? I want to change and then go for a swim in the pool at the sports center.
The Alpha stiffens and his eyes spit fire as he looks at me.
Clenching his fists, he gets up and walks out the door, cursing…