Chapter 189

Daphne.

Daphne, the gorgeous, clever, talented, funny redhead my brother is dating. The girl he’s absolutely going to have to break up with the moment his mate comes on the scene.

I lift my hand and press my face miserably against it. God, how could I have been so callous, so unthinking to make a joke about his future mate? When he’s been so, so nice and considerate to me this entire time?

God, I’m such a jerk.

“Ari?”

I drop my hand when I hear Daphne’s sleepy voice and tuck my emotions away. I don’t need to make her day miserable too, after all.

“Hey, Daph,” I whisper with a sigh as I push the door shut behind me. “Go back to sleep, I didn’t mean to wake you –“

But Daphne gasps, her eyes flying open, and sits up straight in the bed, shaking her head to clear it.

I go stark still, staring at her, wondering what the hell –

“Oh my god, Ariel,” she whispers, staring at me in awe, “did you – did Jackson –“

“Oh my godddd,” I groan, my head hanging back on my neck as I realize what happened – that Daphne scented me, and thinks that Jackson gave me his mark. Seriously, is it that strong!? I thought just Alphas were susceptible to these kinds of subtle changes in scent.

But I guess this one isn’t so subtle.

“What!? Are you!?” She starts to scramble out of bed, tripping towards me, her hand reaching for the neckline of Jackson’s gigantic black t-shirt.

“No, Daphne!” I say with an exasperated sigh, smacking her hand away. She goes still, staring at me, not understanding. “He just…scent marked me. I didn’t know it was going to have this effect.”

She stares at me for a long moment and then bursts out laughing.

“Daphhhh,” I whine, my shoulders slumping. “Is it seriously that bad!?”

“Oh my god, Ariel,” she says, crossing her arms and shaking her head at me. “If he didn’t mark you, you must have had one hell of a night anyway.”

“One hell of a night, and one hell of a morning,” I mutter, slumping down on the edge of my bed.

Daphne does the same, sitting across from me, one eyebrow raised. “Does this have anything to do with Luca tearing through the palace shouting for you?”

“Oh my god,” I whisper, my mouth falling open and staring at her a bit. “Are you…are you serious? Through the whole palace?”

She grimaces a little. “He was…not subtle, Ariel. And he’s fast – Rafe went after him but…I mean, did he catch him in time?”

“Sort of,” I sigh, and then very quickly I tell Daphne the short version of the story. By the time I’m done, she’s shaking her head in disbelief, her arms crossed across her chest.

“He is a piece of work, Ariel,” she sighs. “I can’t believe he did that.”

“You don’t see Luca’s side of it?” I ask, curious. “All the boys do.”

She rolls her eyes. “If he wanted to reserve your time for the full twenty-four hours, Ariel, he should have gone home with you. Why should you go to bed alone just because he wants to stay out drinking? Especially when your super hot other mate is likewise alone a few hallways away. Where you sleep, and who is in your bed, does not need to correspond to Luca’s schedule just because he’d prefer it that way. And it would be different if Luca were your only mate and you were cheating on him or something – but that’s not what’s happening here, is it?”

I groan a little in relief to hear her support, even if it is perhaps a bit overstated to make me feel better. But still, I throw my arms around her and hug her close. “Thanks, Daph,” I murmur. “I think I needed to hear that.”

“No problem, babes,” she murmurs, hugging me back. “I’m Team Ariel, all the way.” She rocks me back and forth for a long moment. “Now let me go, before you mark me with Jackson’s scent too.”

I burst out laughing and pull away, grinning at her. “Is it seriously that strong?”

“Go!” she laughs, shoving me away a bit and lifting her chin towards my bathroom. “Take a shower, use your stinkiest lavender soap! And let me sleep, I’m exhausted.”

I laugh again, getting up and bouncing away to my bathroom, waving to her over my shoulder. And then, my spirits significantly lifted, I do as my friend says and take a long, long hot shower.

When I get out I sniff at myself – at my arms and hands – frowning and wondering if it’s any better. Because even though everyone protests that I’ve basically got Jackson coming out of my pores right now, I can’t smell it at all. But I shrug, and towel off, and slip into some pajamas before heading back into my room.

I smile as I see Daphne fully asleep in my bed, glad that she’s getting some rest, and I hop in on the other side, grabbing my phone out of the drawer and beginning to catch up on the thousand texts and messages that I’ve missed since I’ve been gone. The afternoon slips by then as I catch up with some old friends, making plans to meet up over break, hearing about their own lives and dramas. I order some food up to the room too around lunch time, truly treating myself to a day in bed while I let Jackson have his space and let the rest of my friends recover from their exhaustion and hangovers.

Passively, I wonder where Ben is, and send him a message too. But he doesn’t answer, and I shrug, assuming that it’s just as well to let him have his own space.

It’s late in the afternoon, and I’m just settling in to catch up on all the celebrity gossip that I’ve missed in the months that I’ve been gone, when a knock comes after the door. Glancing anxiously at Daphne and not wanting to wake her up, I start to climb out of bed and hurry for the door when it pops open.

“Ariel?” my mom calls softly.

“Mom!” I whisper, hurrying towards her, eager to tell her to be quiet so she doesn’t wake Daphne up. “Be –“

But she pokes her head into the room, and sniffs once, and then her eyes go wide.

I groan, stopping in my tracks, knowing exactly what this is about by this point. And that my shower apparently did nothing.

“Ariel!” she gasps, looking frantically behind her in the hall and then darting into the room, slamming the door shut behind her and leaning against it. “Oh my god!”

“Mom, it’s not what you –“

“What’sgoingon,” Daphne murmurs, all her words slurring together as she sits up and rubs at her eyes.

A knock comes at the door and mom’s head snaps anxiously towards her. “Ella?”

I go rigid when I hear my dad’s voice outside.

Because, I mean, if mom can smell Jackson’s scent marking on me –

Oh my god. Dad – he’s going to flip.

“Just a minute, Dominic!” Mom calls to him, her voice shrill with anxiety.

“What?” Dad calls back, hearing her tone, instantly tensing. He knocks again, harder. “Ella! What’s going on!?”

“Ut-ohhh,” Daphne whispers.

I glance at my friend, rolling my eyes like that’s one hell of an understatement.