The Untamed Female Alpha And Her Beta Mate

CHAPTER 3 - Aiden's interference

Aiden

The minute I saw my sister entering the ballroom with the rest of the girls, I had a suspicion that something was about to happen tonight. Call it a hunch, or given the powers I had, as the Moon Goddesses' grandson, the feeling of something big that was about to happen filled me up into my core. When Ariana came closer to Alan and me and started joking with him like she always did, I challenged her, trying to figure out if she had any secret feelings for our friend Alan.  I could always tell by the way Ariana reacted whether she was lying or not.  I was her twin, for crying out loud.  I could feel anything she felt and realize whatever she had in mind without telling me anything. That, of course, applied to me too, with regard to Ariana's point of view.

However, she replied to my challenge and made me think I was probably wrong about my previous hunch. So, when the DJ put on the music Ariana liked, and she dropped onto the dance floor, pulling Alan with her as usual, I didn't pay too much attention to them. I let them be and focused on having fun with the rest of the guys. 

When the clock struck midnight, most of the unmated werewolves present began to smell the air and look for their mate. Plenty found their mates and immediately mated and started kissing each other with no inhibitions or shame.

But what struck me most and left me speechless was the sight of Alan holding my sister by the middle, growling out his claim as his mate! Ariana froze! I laughed and thought Alan was joking with Ariana at first. Maybe it was his turn to take revenge on her for the last time she made fun of him. But when I saw them hurrying out of the room, I suspected that something else must have happened. I didn't follow them immediately. I wanted to give them time to make things clear to each other. They were inseparable buddies, and if they had any misunderstanding, they had to fix it themselves. After a long time, and since I did not see them returning to the room, I went to the exit to look for them and see what was happening. I found them in the back of our packhouse. They were having an intense conversation. I noticed that Ariana was saying something persistently to Alan and took him by the hand to perhaps lead him back to the ballroom.

Then something incredible happened in front of my eyes. Alan pulled Ariana back hard, and after hugging her, he pinned her to the wall and kissed her hard. I smiled with the courage my friend found, and I waited for the slap Ariana would give him. I was so sure of her reaction. However, what surprised me was that my sister melted into his embrace and responded to Alan's kiss instead of resisting. I coughed discreetly to make my presence felt. As soon as they both realized they had company, Alan blushed with shame, and my sister reacted the way I thought she would. After cursing at Alan, she gave him a firm slap and disappeared, running inside the packhouse and into her room.

When I asked Alan what that was all about, he could not give me any reply. I looked into my friend's eyes and asked him straight, "Alan, what the hell happened back in the ballroom? Why did you and Ariana have such a heated conversation? Was she mad at you for messing with her like that? I tell you, man. This mating thing might be the biggest prank you played on her all these years. I don't know when she will be able to forgive you. It's a good thing everybody in our pack knows your twos history with playing pranks to each other. Otherwise, you would be in deep trouble with my little sister." I patted Alan on the shoulder and turned on my heels to go after Ariana and check up on her.

Alan's voice stopped me: "who said I was playing a prank on Ariana, Aiden?"  I turned back, facing Alan, dumbfounded. "What the hell is that supposed to mean, Alan?" I asked.

Alan looked straight into my eyes and said earnestly: "Ariana is my fated mate, Aiden. I am not fooling around this time. My wolf Damien recognized her as our mate right after the clock struck midnight. I tried to explain it to her when we came out here. That's why you saw us arguing a while ago. She doesn't want anybody to know about this, especially our parents. And I firmly believe that if she had her wolf by now, she would reject my wolf Damien and me immediately." He said his last words painfully, his eyes brimming with unshed tears.

"Hey, man! Don't you dare give up on her! I didn't see her pull back when you kissed her back then. She even responded to your kiss. That must mean something, right?" I tried to comfort Alan. He looked at me and smiled sadly. "Your sister, my dear friend, is embarrassed to have me as her mate. Don't you remember what she said to you a few hours ago? She wants a brutal Alpha to tame her. Those were her exact words. She will not settle with a Beta mate like me, Aiden. You know how much I love her. You are the only one that knows my secret, buddy. But believe me, I will not just sit here and wait for your sister to reject me one day because that's what she will do. Trust me on this one! You should have seen the look on her face. Ariana is a headstrong woman, and if she sets her mind to something, she will not change it no matter what."

"Give her some time to digest the news, Alan. Maybe when she realizes what has happened tonight, she won't react this way. You never can tell with Ariana, my friend. You know that better than anyone! She spends more time with you than with anybody else. Not even me, her only brother. Twin brother, if I may add!" I told Alan, trying to make him feel better. He just smiled at me and patted me on the back. "Thanks for being such a good friend Aiden. I truly appreciate your efforts to try and make me feel better. It means a lot to me, man!" He then turned and left in long strides, taking the path that led back to his house.

The minute I was left alone, I mind-linked Ariana. "Hey sis, what are you up to?" I asked. She just huffed and replied, "whatever it is, spit it out, Aiden. I am not in the mood for chit-chat tonight."

"Well, I was thinking about a cup of hot chocolate, with marshmallows, so that we could talk things over, but if you don't feel up to it, then that's fine with me," I said, smiling, satisfied since I knew she could not resist the marshmallow thing. "I'll be down in ten," she replied and closed the mind-link. I shook my head in despair with my twin sister's moody behaviour and smiled longingly at the thought of her and me having a cup of hot chocolate like we used to do when we were kids, trying to find the solution to the problems we thought we were dealing with, like mom and dad used to do.

I entered the packhouse and went straight into the kitchen to get the hot chocolate ready before Ariana came down from her room. The second I placed the marshmallows inside the cups, she showed up her hair in a messy bun and wearing her fluffy PJs she liked so much. Nothing about her reminded me of the wild she-wolf that slapped poor Alan so hard on the cheek just a few minutes ago.

She came up next to me and snuggled her face into my chest, embracing me tightly and taking a long deep breath. I kissed the top of her head and squeezed her shoulders a little. I then led her to the kitchen table. We took a seat next to each other. I placed the cup of hot chocolate in front of her, and she smiled happily like a little kid. She took a sip and closed her eyes in pleasure.

"Would you like to talk about it?"  I asked Ariana in a soft, caring voice. She opened her beautiful eyes, and I could see tears brimming in them. "I don't know what to think about what happened tonight. It's as if I'm sitting on a roller coaster that doesn't seem to be eager to stop anytime now." Ariana replied to me and took another sip of hot chocolate. I squeezed her hand in support and waited for her to continue.

"Alan was my best friend. Is my best friend, God damn it! How am I supposed to take this news?  He claims to be my destined mate.  Aiden, I love Alan a lot.  I don't know if I can love him as my destined mate. He's like a brother to me.  What am I supposed to do? Our grandmother chose him for me.  I'm sure there is a reason for it. I can't find a way to accept this whole new situation she has put us in. It's crazy, Aiden." 

"Well, I didn't see you object that much when he kissed you back there! I have a feeling that you liked kissing him.  You sure looked like you did, Ariana. I was there, and I saw what happened. Maybe this mate bond thing can work out for you and Alan. You won't be sure unless you try. I honestly believe that you should give him and you a chance to work things out between you. You don't know how your wolf will react towards Alan and his wolf Damien when it comes to the surface when we turn eighteen."

Ariana looked up, and she seemed sceptical. All I was trying to do was help things out between her and Alan. I believed they could find a way to smooth things between them so that the mate bond created by the Moon Goddess, our dear grandmother, could finally work out for my two most beloved persons.

"Alan is a beautiful person Ariana, and you know it. He's a strong fighter and great Beta material. Being alpha-blood-lined werewolves doesn't necessarily mean we should find mates of the same bloodline. I know various cases of Alphas that mated with either Omegas or Warriors or even Betas. You won't be the first one on this occasion. What you need to do is think calmly and clearly, search deep down in your soul and find the true feelings you have for Alan hidden in the depths of your heart and mind all these years."

"God, Aiden, I'm so messed up right now. I know what you're saying is true. Alan is such a nice guy. As for my reaction when he kissed me, he took me by surprise, you know. That's why I didn't stop sooner." Ariana replied, not even looking at me. 

"Well, I didn't see Alan force you to run your fingers through his hair and pull him closer to kiss him back, did I? I thought that was you doing that." I teased my sister, ruffling her hair with my hand, smiling mischievously at her. Ariana blushed like a red tomato and looked down, taking a sip of her hot chocolate.

"Okay, listen, this is what I think you should do. Why don't you sleep on it tonight, and when you wake up tomorrow morning, we can talk things through once more? I understand that it is very sudden for you right now.  Try and calm yourself down and trust me, tomorrow you will be feeling much better, so we will be able to find a solution to this whole mess that you have created tonight, dear sister."  Ariana looked up, confused by what I said. I explained that Alan was still upset with her previous behaviour when I left him a while ago.

"What do you mean by that?"  she asked me, and when I didn't reply, she pushed me a little bit, demanding a reply. "Come on, tell me. What did Alan say to you?" I realized it was time for me to get serious with her and replied: "Ariana, Alan has always had feelings for you.  And by that, I mean that he genuinely loves you.  But what happened tonight, the slap and the cursing, made Alan think that you will find a way to reject him. He has told me that he won't stand still and wait for you to do that, no matter how much he loves you. So, my advice is to take things as they are right now and think very seriously about what you genuinely want to do. You can talk things out with him again tomorrow when both of you will feel calmer." 

That said, I kissed Ariana on the forehead and left the kitchen, heading upstairs to my bedroom. I needed time by myself to think things through and find a solution for my stubborn ass sister, as I always did when she was in deep trouble. A sudden thought came into my mind the moment I entered my room. "What the hell did Alan mean by saying he would not sit around and wait for my sister to reject him?  F***. What is he planning to do?" I tried to mind-link Alan, but he had his walls up and did not reply. I guess I had to wait until tomorrow. Or would it be too late by then?