Page 15 of Eternal Mate

“Do you remember when we first met Tyler, and he was telling me about my parents?”

I nodded, so she continued. “Well, my grandfather is around. He came by earlier and asked if I would get lunch with him right before Rebecca showed up, but I don’t even know if I really want to get to know him.”

A whirlwind of information was flashing over the bond, and I grimaced under the rapid fire.

Her internal conflict was ripping through both of us now. It was hard to pick apart exactly what she was afraid of. The worry about him being as big a disappointment as Tyler was the easiest to spot, though, and I couldn’t reassure her otherwise. I hadn’t done any digging into her family—and neither had anyone else, to my understanding—so I couldn’t really help with that.

Instead of trying, I reached for her hand and squeezed it. “That’s pretty crazy, but you don’t have to meet with him at all if you don’t want to.”

“I don’t know if I do,” she groaned, and I chuckled.

“Maybe just toss a coin?”

She shoved me, shaking her head as we both laughed at the absurd suggestion. I leaned back against the couch, still holding Aria's hand, as our laughter filled the room.

After it subsided, Aria sighed and looked at me with a mix of uncertainty and vulnerability. "What would you do if you were in my shoes, Sariel?"

I pondered her question for a moment. "I’d probably meet with him.”

She rolled her eyes at my admittance, and I pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “But trust your instincts and do what feels right for you. It doesn’t matter what anyone else would do."

Aria nodded, her expression thoughtful. "You're right. I just don't want to be disappointed."

The “again” was silent, and yet so loud.

6

FINDING COMFORT

ARIA

My heart clenched when I noticed Sariel's increasing frustration and emotional turmoil.

It was like a storm brewing inside him, ready to unleash its fury. The tension wrapped around us, tight and suffocating, filling the air with an electric charge that made my skin tingle.

Our bond was a whirlwind of new sensations, making my skin prickle in time with his as he worked through his frustration. My wolf was deigning to comfort him, pushing at my control valiantly as we watched him run his fingers through his fiery curls again.

I reached out, wanting to offer him some kind of comfort amidst the chaos in his head. I knew words alone wouldn't be enough, but maybe my touch could convey what I couldn't express.

His gaze flickered to me, a mix of longing and despair in his stormy eyes. I could see his burden, the cracks in his armor threatening to shatter him into a million pieces. I held onto his hand, hoping to ground him, to remind him that he wasn't alone.

Ever since his painting, he'd been unraveling. I knew he was hunting for more information, desperate for some kind of answer that I knew we wouldn't be able to find.

I think he knew it, too. That was the whole reason he was falling apart like this.

"Talk to me, Sariel," I whispered, urgency lacing my voice.

A tremor ran through his body, as if he was struggling to contain the tempest raging within him. Then again, if my own reaction was anything to go by, his wolf was probably seeking comfort from mine as well. Maybe he was trying to hold back the beast as much as I was.

Silence stretched between us, heavy and pregnant with unspoken words.

And then, finally, his voice emerged, raw and more vulnerable than I could remember hearing it in a long while.

"I'm scared, Aria," he confessed, his voice barely a whisper. "Scared that we won't be strong enough to face what's coming. That everything we've fought for will be in vain."

That all their deaths will have been for nothing.

I knew I wasn't supposed to have heard that thought from the way his face twisted before his eyes squeezed shut.

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