Chapter 86

Carol’s POV

I tried desperately to breathe but everything just felt so constricting. My lungs refused to expand, and the entire room felt as if it was closing in around me. I grabbed at my throat and gasped for air; I just needed a small inkling of air. Everything was growing blurry, and I was seconds away from passing out.

Aiden’s arms were wrapped around me, and he was pulling me to the ground.

“It’s okay, Carol. Just breathe,” he said, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible. “Breathe in and breathe out.”

He was whispering close to my ear, and I felt calmer in his arms, but my body still trembled as it desperately tried to obey his commands.

“You’re just having a panic attack,” he assured me, rubbing circles around my back in a soothing manner. “Just breathe, babe.”

He kissed the side of my head, and I felt my body relax even more. Tears threatened to escape my eyes as I was biting my lip so hard I tasted blood on my tongue. Soon, I was able to take a deep breath and release it shakily.

“That’s it, babe,” he said soothingly. “Breathe in and out again.”

He mimicked the motion, wanting me to follow along with him. I looked up at him, tears clear in my eyes and I took a deep breath, releasing it as he did.

He gave me a concerned smile as he bent and kissed my lips.

“Are you okay?” He asked me.

I wasn’t sure if I was okay or not. I blinked a few times, wondering how I even got here. I looked around the living room and swallowed the large lump wedged in my throat as I slowly and unsurely nodded.

“I think so,” I managed to croak.

“What’s got you so spooked?” He asked, keeping his arms wrapped around me.

I blinked a few more times, trying to remember what had just happened. Then, it all came slamming into my head all at once and I gasped.

“I was being chased,” I told him quickly, peeking up at him.

His face darkened from my words.

“What?” He asked and I could feel the tension rising immensely. “Are you sure?”

He quickly got to his feet without waiting for my response and pulled the door open. I sat on the ground, frozen as he rushed out of the house and took a look around. I closed my eyes and counted backward from 10, trying to calm myself the rest of the way down. It didn’t take long for him to return thankfully and when he did, he made sure to close and lock the door.

“Whoever it was, they aren’t there anymore,” he told me, kneeling in front of me. “What did they look like?”

I thought about it for a moment and realized I never actually saw a face.

“I don’t know,” I murmured. “I didn’t see their face.”

He furrowed his brows.

“But you’re sure they were following you?”

I nodded my head once.

“Yes,” I answered. “Without a doubt. They were hiding in the shadows, Aiden. It was the weirdest thing I had ever seen.”

He wrapped his arms around me again and held me close to his chest.

“They are gone now and I’m not going to let anything happen to you. I promise,” he assured me. I melted into him and let him soothe me until I was nothing but mush in his arms. “I’m going to call the police and have them patrol the area, that way we know for certain that nobody is out there.”

I nodded and wiped the tears from my eyes.

“Okay,” I said, letting him pull me to my feet.

My heart swelled from how caring he was and that he was protecting me and trying to make me feel better. I knew that I was making the right decision about going through with the mating ceremony and now I just needed to figure out how to tell him.

By evening, I was feeling a lot better. The police had spent the entire day patrolling the area only to find nobody there. I called Fiona and told her what had happened, and I also told her that I really wanted to cook Aiden a meal this evening. She agreed to go with me to the store because I didn’t want to go by myself. While Aiden spent time practicing with the team, I told Coach that I wouldn’t be in today. Aiden thinks it’s because I was so spooked out this morning that I didn’t want to chance going out. I told him that Fiona was going to spend the day with me, so I was not alone.

He agreed to it and went to the stadium by himself once Fiona arrived.

We spent a couple of hours at the store, picking out a bunch of different things for dinner. Once we finished at the store, we went back to Aiden’s house and started cooking. Within the hour, the entire kitchen smelled delicious.

“I love the smell of garlic,” Fiona breathed, taking a whiff of the pasta sauce.

“It’s my mom’s recipe,” I told her. “I hope Aiden likes it.”

“He’d be insane not to,” she said, chuckling. “So, you’re going to tell him tonight?”

“Yes,” I said, beaming. “I’m nervous though. What if he doesn’t want to go through with the marking ceremony?”

Her brows pinched together.

“Why wouldn’t he?” She asked. “Wouldn’t he have left you by now?”

I give her a shrug.

“I’m not sure. It’s scary to think about.”

“Trust me, he’s going to be so excited,” she said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and giving me a side hug.

I heard the car door shutting outside and my entire body tensed.

“He’s here!” I said rushing around the kitchen to finish some things. I didn’t even have the time to change out of my casual clothing, which had pasta sauce all over it. But I didn’t care. It’s not like Aiden would be all dressed up anyway seeming he’s fresh from practice.

I finished plating the food just as Aiden walked through the door.

“It smells incredible in here. Did you cook?” I heard him say as he entered the living room.

“That’s my queue to leave,” Fiona winked as she gave me one last goodbye hug and quickly left the kitchen. I heard her saying something to Aiden before she left the house.

By the time Aiden was in the kitchen, I placed both plates and two glasses of red wine on the table and I smiled at him.

“What’s all this?” He asked, raising his brows as he took in the kitchen.

“I wanted to make you something nice,” I told him, shrugging. “Sorry, I look like a slob. I didn’t have time to change.”

He grinned as he wrapped his arms around me.

“You could never look like a slob,” he said, pressing his lips against mine. “The food smells amazing. I love spaghetti and meatballs.”

“I used my mom’s sauce recipe,” I confessed, looking at the nicely done plates. I wasn’t a chef, but my mother taught me a few things in the kitchen.

“I can’t wait to try it,” he said as he took a seat at the table. I took a seat as well and I waited for him to take his first bite. As soon as the food became his taste buds, his face lit up and the smile spread even more on my face.

“Is it good?”

“Good?” He asks, his eyes wide. “This is incredible!”

I smile at the praise.

After a few minutes, he looked at me a bit strangely.

“What?”

“What’s this occasion?” He asks.

“What do you mean?” I ask, my voice coming out a bit higher than usual.

“Why did you cook this meal? Is everything okay?”

“Can’t I cook my fated mate a meal once in a while?” I ask innocently. “It’s not like I don’t cook.”

“No, but this seems different,” he says, studying my face. “Are you sure you’re, okay?”

I sighed and took a deep sip of my wine.

“Okay, so maybe there is something up,” I admit, averting my eyes and staring at my plate.

He puts his fork down and leans back in his seat, waiting for me to continue.

I take a deep breath.

“I made up my mind,” I begin to tell him.

He raises his brows at me.

“About what?”

“I want to go through with the mating ceremony after the championships,” I tell him, bracing for the impact of my admittance.

He stares at me with his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open. I have the realization that maybe I made a mistake in telling him this. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea. Maybe he changed his mind, and he doesn’t want to mate me any longer. All this fear had crept into my mind the moment he stared at me without saying anything and I had to fight the urge to run away from this table and hide somewhere.

Fear and panic started to consume me so much that I didn’t even notice him shooting from his feet and closing the gap between us. I was startled when he lifted me out of my chair and held me close to his body, twirling me around with the biggest grin I had ever seen.

“Are you serious?!” He asked, that smile never leaving his face.

After the initial shock wore off, I smiled and then I nodded as I hugged him.

“I’ve never been more serious about anything in my life,” I tell him.

He kisses me deeply; his tongue invading my mouth and exploring every inch of me.

“You’ve made me the happiest man in the entire world,” he whispered against my lips.

I was relieved to hear this, but then another ping of doubt crept into the back of my mind.

“What does it mean though? I mean, after we make things official and mate one another. What happens after that?”

He pauses for a moment, and I can see something flash through his eyes as he sets me back down on the ground. My stomach tightens from the look and then he meets my eyes.

“Well, I would take you back to the pack,” he tells me, making my heart fall into my stomach. “And you’d be the Luna, ruling by my side.”