~HUNTER~
"What the fuck are you doing here?" I ground out as soon as I opened the door to find the last fucking person I wanted to see standing before me.
"I came to talk." Arya's response came in a timid voice, and I rolled my eyes because she was not about to play that innocent omega game with me.
"About what, Arya? I don't remember having any unfinished business with you. So, fuck off." I spat, ready to shut the door in her face because I was over dealing with anyone who comes from the Dimaano family; they've fucked my life over enough times.
Arya sighed, holding onto the door, probably to prevent me from closing it in her face, but we both knew her holding the door wouldn't exactly stop me when I decided to close it. "I am not here looking for a fight, Hunter; I want to help."
"You want to help? Help who, me?" I couldn't help the laugh that spluttered out of me. "You want to help me after you and your sister expertly shattered my heart? How generous of you to come here to help the helpless Alpha." I snarled in her face.
"I know you need to take a chosen mate." She began.
"And you think I would choose you? You, of all people?" I hissed, cutting her off.
Arya heaved a sigh, stepping closer to breach the space between us. "I am not my sister. I am not Jade; I will never hurt you like that, Hunter. You know me."
I stared wide-eyed at her, "You will never hurt me like that? Should I remind you how you wrecked my heart and broke my trust more times than I could count? How you kept gaslighting me to make me believe I was overbearing and insecure, all the while, you were messing around with different boys behind my back. We were together for eight years, Arya. Eight fucking years of my life dedicated to loving only you while you were messing around with other guys. You are as bad as your sister; just because you aren't my mate doesn't make it different." I barked at her.
A tear slid down Arya's cheeks as she closed the distance between us. "Hunter," Her bottom lip trembled as she reached out her hand towards me. "You didn't believe me then, but I won't stop saying it. I never cheated on you, Hunter. I swear on my life, I never did."
"I saw you, Arya. I saw you at the birthday party with your human friends; you were on that dude's lap. I saw him kiss you." I bit out with venom as she shook her head, tears cascading down her cheeks like someone opened a fucking dam in her eyes.
Arya shook her head as she closed the little space left between us. I stepped back at the unexpected proximity, promptly letting go of the door handle. "That isn't what happened, Hunter. You never gave me a chance to explain myself. You showed up at the party, saw what you thought was happening, and you just concluded that I was cheating on you. Without giving me any time to explain, you broke up with me. I swear I didn't want to kiss him."
I took another step back as Arya pressed her palm to my chest. The sound of the door closing behind her caught my attention briefly as she stepped closer with every step. I tried taking away from her. "They were playing a game at the party. I didn't want to join, but my friend Bisi insisted. The bottle landed on me, and the dare was for me to kiss the person next to me. I swear I didn't want to do it. I stood up in annoyance, about to leave, and the guy chose that moment to drag me onto his lap. I barely had enough time to process what was going on when he kissed me, and that was what you saw."
"You're lying," I mumbled, shaking my head because I remembered what I saw. Her hands were on his shoulders, and he held her face in his palms.
"Why would I lie to you, Hunter, after all these years? You shut me out whenever I tried to tell you the truth."
"Even if you are telling the truth about that night, what about the other times I've caught you in compromising positions with other guys? My friends told me about the guys you were saying, all the boys from college you fucked behind my back." I spat, moving to remove her hand from my chest, but she gripped my clothes.
"They were lying to you. Hunter, you knew how much your friends hated me. Don't you remember how jealous they were that I chose you when they had all been trying to get into my pants? They wanted me, but I chose you, and they tried to destroy us, and you let them." Arya whispered low in that sultry voice she'd mastered right from our teenage days as she pressed her body against mine, palm cradling my face. "You were my first love, my first everything, Hunter; you are still my only love. We shared our firsts, our first kiss, our first touch, and our first lovemaking. We were so good together, Hunter, we were perfect, and you let your doubts destroy us."
My head hurt, and my brain tried to conjure up all the events from our past. Was I the one who destroyed us? Did I let my friends whisper lies in my ears, knowing very well that they were aware of my insecurities about losing Arya and how much I'd loved her?
"That doesn't explain all those boys. Yes, we were perfect together, but you messed around. It all couldn't have been lies." I shook my head, trying to dispel the feelings of her soft hands caressing my cheeks or the heat of our bodies pressed together.
Arya eyed me momentarily before dropping her hand from my face. I almost pulled her back at the loss of her warmth. "You know I've always been a people person, Hunter. I had been training to be Luna almost all my life, which meant I needed to be accommodating and easy to approach. I never messed around with anyone. I admit that there were times when I was a little too friendly, but it was all nothing. There was never anything else going on, but I guess even after all these years, you still choose not to believe me."
She cast her head down, wiping at the tears staining her cheek before raising her head. "I just... I love you so much, Hunter, and despite how much it hurt to see you moving on with my sister, I didn't try to stop it because I love you enough that I didn't mind seeing you with her as long as you were happy. And you were happy until now that you aren't. I hate seeing you unhappy. I didn't come here because it pleases me to try and covet my sister's ex-mate. No."
Shaking her head, Arya wiped at her face as more tears trickled down. "I am hurting too, Hunter, yet I can't stop worrying over you because I know you're hurting too. Even after all these years, I still want what's best for you. I've always wanted the best for you and thought I could help with everything. If I offered to be your chosen mate, you wouldn't have to deal with your father again, but I guess I was the only one who truly missed what we once had."
The room momentarily fell into a painful silence, with neither of us saying a word. I want to believe her, goddess; a part of me feels like this is all bullshit, but what if she's telling the truth? What if I still have the chance to make things right between us? I loved her; she was my first love, and she is still my first love.
'She could be useful. It doesn't matter if she's telling the truth; for now, she can be useful. We need a mate, and this pack needs their Alpha. If you won't go out to look for our mate, then make yourself useful in other ways.'
My wolf, Alaric, barked at me while my head throbbed with different thoughts.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come. It was wrong of me to..." Arya wiped at her eyes frantically, and her demeanour changed in seconds as she turned on her heel, ready to bolt out the door.
I reached out for her hand. "Arya, wait." Her steps halted as I gripped her hand. "Wait, don't go," I muttered low, and she pivoted to face me.
"You want me to stay?" Arya asked, lips wobbling. By the gods, I've always hated seeing her cry.
"I... I want you. You know I've always wanted you." I tugged at her hand, pulling her smack against my chest, and she let out a startled whimper that shot straight to my cock.
"You want me as your chosen mate? You don't hate me?"
"I've never hated you, Arya. You've always been my chosen mate. You hurt me, you broke my heart, Arya, but you've always been mine."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I didn't." I sealed my mouth over her lips to stop her rambling, and warmth engulfed me, my cock twitching with excitement as the familiar feel of her body pressed firmly against me.
