The Alpha's Daydream ✔️

Chapter 35

3802 words

"You're leaving?"

Malachi is shocked, more so than I expected. He stands up abruptly, nearly pulling away the sheets that he had unconsciously scrunched between his fingers, and looks at me with wide eyes. I see a swirl of storms in his blue eyes, more shadow than light in the dim morning dawn that surrounds us, and I might not be imagining the hurt that creeps in the edges and wrinkles his forehead.

It nearly makes me change my mind.

"You're going home...to ForgedHearts pack?" he questions, like he needs to clarify where I call home. Maybe my choice of wards was poor, but this hasn't felt like home, not ever, even in the small moments I'm enveloped in Malachi's embrace. For a flicker in time, being with him feels right, but everything else around us is so wrong.

"Just for a few days."

He visibly relaxes, his shoulders slumping forward and his clenched jaw loosening while he sits on the edge of the bed. I scoot back and pull my knees to my chest.

"It's almost the new moon, and I want to be there for the pack's FireNight, when we celebrate the night together. It's a tradition--"

"I know about it," he quietly interrupts.

"You do? How--"

"I saw you there with everybody, around a fire. They were telling stories, and ....and making fun of you."

Memories of the night Max humiliated me fill my mind, making me cringe. Malachi witnessed all that? Was he watching me from the shadows of the forest? I then remember running into him along the path towards home, and how comforting it felt to be with him after feeling so cast out by my own pack mates.

"Yeah, Max was to thank for that. He's a first class bully. I usually pay him no mind," I brush the experience off with a wave of my hand, not wanting to let it bother me anymore.

"What he did to you was terrible, Ariella. He deserved far more punishment than I gave hi--"

"You what?" I sit up until our eyes are on the same level. Something clicks in my mind, something Luci and Gabby mentioned. "Tell me you weren't the one behind him falling in the lake..."

"Do you really think I would just stand by and watch my mate get tormented like that? Ariella, I will never let anyone hurt you, and especially not get away with it." Malachi's eyes flash bright blue, and he rests his hand over my knees before taking my own hand.

I should feel protected with his declaration to always keep me safe, but there is a deep tone in his voice and glint in his intense eyes that make me shiver. "It's not like I killed him. I made sure he was fine, that someone was nearby to pull him out," Malachi eases the concerned look on my face. 

"Okay, I suppose that's fair enough." Truth is, though I'm worried with how far someone might go to protect their mate, I feel special knowing Malachi has the instinct to keep me safe. It's inevitable, with the mate bond growing between us, that we both feel the urge and desire to protect each other, the other half of our hearts.

"So when is the new moon?" Malachi asks, breaking the heavy silence between us.

"This friday night. You'll be able to come for the bonfire, right? I want you there."

He pats my knee and thinks a moment before answering. "I guess I could head over. It's not far, and besides, I think I'm going to miss you when you're gone."

A happy feeling bubbles up inside me, making me smile. "Yeah, I'm going to miss you too. But I just need a short trip to see my parents and friends, and let you get your work done here without distractions." And I need to get away from your mother....