Page 17 of Lycan and Lark
“Are you keeping tabs on me?” Aria’s blood simmered.
“Security noted you leaving and overheard your plans. He also said you ran back into the complex seeming distressed.” Aria was going to strangle Mack next time she saw him. “Which means you missed a monthly scheduled dinner with your brother and his inner circle of pack members because of a date?”
“I may have gone on a little bit of a date but I had to come back because I wasn’t feeling well, which is what I told you, so technically I didn’t lie.”
Lance opened his mouth to speak again but stopped as his toffee eyes began to glow. His nostrils flared and Aria froze.Fuck on a stick!How could she be so stupid to open the door with all the pheromones she and Lark created floating around her apartment? Lance’s eyes became very serious as he pinned her with his gaze. “Aria—”
“I felt sick!” She threw her hands in the air. “And I thought someself-carewould help. Seriously I thought everyone knew that trick. It boosts your immune system and fights premature aging and all that…” Cringing, she trailed off. It suddenly seemed like she was having the birds and the bees talk with her brother’s best friend.
Lance looked about as uncomfortable as she felt. “Feel better,” was all he muttered before turning to leave. Aria’s cheeks were burning-hot as she slammed the door.
Her heart was in her throat, but she knew Lark was already gone. Her wolf no longer sensed his presence there. A discomfiting and unfamiliar loneliness filled her as she crawled into bed, alone. She wasn’t exactly sure how Lark had slipped through the wards this time, but she had a feeling it wouldn’t happen again. She tugged a pillow close as she curled up, wishing it were a man, with color-changing eyes and sugared skin.
* * *
Aria chomped on a bagel the following morning while watching a horror flick on TV. The strawberry cream cheese and oozing zombie brains didn’t exactly go together, but Aria had always loved scary movies. Her phone dinged with a notification that she’d been tagged in a post. She opened social media and groaned. She better not have been tagged in any inappropriate party pictures of herself or she would have to suffer through another of Gideon’s horrid speeches on appearances and reputation.
The tag took her to a private group where pack information was usually shared and exchanged. The photo filled her screen and the bagel dropped from her hand. Strawberry cream cheese landed face down on the sandy rug. Two faces stared back at her above a quote that read, “In loving memory. The pack continues to mourn your loss and strives to do great things in your name.”
The man and woman in the photo were dressed in formal attire. The man held a serious, dashing expression. His vibrant green eyes seemed to look straight through the camera lens and out at the other side. The woman gave a wide smile as if she were in the middle of laughing. Her sapphire eyes were a mirror of Aria’s.Mom and Dad.Was it that time of year again already? Aria had been young when they died but she still had such vivid memories of her parents. Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes.
Gideon didn’t like to relive this day, so Aria left him alone. She didn’t hold it against him, but it was all the more difficult to bear alone. His life had changed even more than hers that day. He had been thrust into the role of Alpha at such a young age. She felt sorry for him at the time, but he had grown into a wonderful leader. Her mother and father would be proud of the man Gideon became. But what about her?
They would probably see what everyone else saw. A party girl, always out having fun, with no cares in the world. Not the side of her who was lonely. Who had always felt the pressures of being an Alpha’s daughter and sister. The girl who felt trapped beneath the weight of the Ulric name.
Uneasiness swirled within her. The ache in her chest was nearly tangible, as if she could run her fingers along the petals of sorrow and pain. It swelled inside her, blocking her airway and pushing the tears out of the corners of her eyes.
Her wolf paced, feeling as consumed by the strong emotions as she was. The apartment suddenly felt small and claustrophobic. They felt trapped within its monotonous walls. She needed air and space to roam.
A pile of clean laundry gifted her with a pair of running shorts, sports bra, and tank top. She pulled her hair up in a tight ponytail and headed out the door. The woods were calling to her, and she darted urgently out the complex doors and behind the building where an old trail led up into the mountains.
Her muscles burned in protest as she sprinted into the tree line, foregoing a warmup in the name of pure, primal need. She needed to outrun this day and these feelings before they could swallow her whole.
The wind ripped through her hair as the world faded to a dull pounding in her ears. The sea of vibrant, green trees swam past as she picked up her pace. Animals scurried about in the surrounding area and birds chirped happily in the foliage. This was a healthy forest that had been here for many years before Aria had been born and would be here for many years more after she was gone. The wind blew past, carrying that familiar honeysuckle scent. The branches parted as the breeze flowed through and it allowed golden sunbeams to shine down on Aria’s face and skin.
She pushed onward, not stopping. Her lungs burned as her breaths punched out of them. She kept running. The past lingered too closely behind her to slow down.
The world became blurry and Aria wiped a hand across her face to clear her eyes. She withdrew her hand. The skin was wet where she had wiped. How long had she been crying? She finally slowed, then stopped, leaning against the closest tree. More tears began to flow and she buried her fingernails into the bark. She had always hated crying. It made her feel weak.
“Out for a stroll, Princess?”
She whirled at the sound of Lark’s voice. He was leaning up against another tree, casually tossing an apple between both hands.
“You look good in those shorts, but you looked better with my tongue in your—” His words died in his throat as he stared down at her tear-streaked face. He stood, dropping the apple and moving toward her. “What happened?”
Aria turned away from him. “Nothing.”
A warm hand reached around her face, gripping her chin and turning it gently toward him. “Tell me what happened.” His voice was softer than she had ever heard it before. His eyes stared down at her in vibrant shades of amethyst purple and ocean blue.
“Why? I’m sure you can just read my mind and gather the information for yourself.” She tried to jerk away but he held her firm. Eventually she relented. “It’s just a bad day. Every time this day comes, every year, it’s a bad day.”
“Tell me why today is always a bad day.” A moment later, Lark’s eyebrows pulled together in a way that made her believe he already knew the answer.
Aria sucked in a deep breath, but the more she tried to hold it in, the more emotions flooded to the surface. His hand on her face turned soft and his gaze penetrated her very soul. “It’s the day my parents died.” Lark’s eyes closed momentarily and then sorrow filled his stare.
He leaned down to rest his forehead on hers. “I’m so sorry.” His words were so gentle, so pure, and it just broke something inside her. A cry tore from her throat as the tears poured out. Lark pulled her in close as sobs racked her body. She buried her face in his chest and breathed in his sugar-sweet scent. His hand stroked lightly through her hair as he held her.
Lark stayed quiet, allowing Aria to cry and cry. He gave her the time and space she needed to work through her emotions and she used his strong arms as a vessel of comfort and security. The combination allowed her to mourn without holding back. Aria’s tears were eventually spent. She pulled back, knowing she was snotty-nosed and puffy-eyed. “Thank you.”
