Fated To The Alpha
Chapter 217

Driving back into the center of the City, Marabella remained silent. She was staring out the window absently. I am still trying to wrap my head around the idea of Kyan being her mate and knowing about it.

He knew how I felt about Marabella and didn't think to tell me they were mates, but it somehow made sense. His actions over the years had me reanalyzing everything. If I were this shocked, I would hate to know how Marabella felt, her words coming back to me. "Why couldn't it have been you," Those words stinging more than anything because I could no longer have her, but did that mean she also wanted me? She was so out of my league, and I didn't feel good enough for her. However, her words gave me hope that I was enough, but what about Kyan?

I was stuck in the middle. Kyan was my best friend, and I couldn't steal her from him, despite saying he didn't want her. I knew better than to get between someone and their Moon Goddess-given mate. Marabella believes Kyan hates her, but I knew the truth.

Kyan was always standoffish; that is just who he is. He refuses to get attached to anyone besides me. Even his Uncle wasn't all that close with him.

Kyan thinks that if he doesn't allow anyone close to him, he can't be hurt when they leave. Had I not grown up with him and was an outsider looking at the situation, I would see it from her point of view, but I was more than aware of the things he had done for her that she was unaware of.

Then there was Kaif, Kyan's Lycan. Kaif was a monster, and I don't know if Marabella could handle him; I barely could, Kaif was familiar with me, tolerant of me, but I knew never to turn my back on him.

Kaif didn't have a humane thought, well not one I had ever seen, sure he had some restraint simply because Kyan and he fused, becoming one every time he turned. Kyan wasn't a shifter like me.

He didn't shift; he turned, transformed into something that was beyond understanding, a Lycan with powers right out of history books, myth and legend even to our kind. Kyan was unthinkable and unbelievable, yet Kyan was living proof that hell existed because he brought hell down on earth every time he and Kaif were set loose.

The suffering I had seen by his hands was disturbing. Kaif getting out was one thing, but when he got out, and Kyan's emotions were amplified, they became nightmares; I would be lying if I said Kaif hadn't caused me a few nights of grief at seeing what he is capable of, what Kyan is capable of. They starred in my nightmares a few times.

Marabella's hysterical giggle snaps me out of my thoughts. I raise an eyebrow at her, wondering what she found so funny.

"Want to share what is so funny?" She shakes her head before snorting and laughing again. Okay then, I think to myself. "Kora reminded me of something," She giggles but doesn't elaborate. I shook my head, whatever Kora said to her; Marabella seemed to be replaceing it quite amusing.

"But what happens when you shift? That is what I don't get," Marabella suddenly says, making me glance at her.

"Huh?"

"You know when you shift, especially if you shift suddenly, you don't have time to take them out. Do they remain or push out of your skin? I just don't get it; Kora and I keep trying to picture it, and I just can't," She says before giggling again, wiping tears from her eyes. I had no idea what the heck she was talking about.

"What do you mean? You have completely lost me, "I tell her.

"Your um..." She leans closer "Piercings," she whispers, pointing to her nipples, her face heating and turning a lovely shade of pink. I chuckle at her.

"She just argued with her mother and her mate, and she is thinking about your nipples," Jax, my wolf, says.

"Better than her crying, though, " I shrug to him.

"Yeah, but seriously our nipples, I told you not to get the damn things done, wait until she replaces out the other way you mutilated our body," Jax mutters.

He begged and pleaded for me not to get them done, saying it wasn't right and he didn't want his nipples pierced and should get a say.

Then when I went back, he pitched a bigger fit and even tried forcing control when he realized why I was there a second time, a bloody werewolf scared of needles, who would have thought.

"Why so curious?" I ask her. Mara shrugs.

"Just curiosity, besides I can't keep staying up a night wondering about your, um hmm" she swirls her finger toward my chest.

"My n*pples," I offer, and her face turns red, and she nods once. Well then, I will give her something else to think about, I laugh to myself.

"Don't you dare," Jax growls at me.

"They remain, all my piercings do, my nipples don't suddenly fall off when I shift Mara, you know some things remain the same only covered by fur, well for men anyway," I tell her.

"Wait, you have more piercings?" I chuckle at the shocked look on her face, and she glances at my face and ears, looking for them.

"Yes, Jacob's ladder, if you must know."

"What the heck is Jacob's ladder? Ew, you don't have your back pierced or something weird like that, do you?" she asks, pulling a face.

"G****e it and replace out," I laugh, and she rolls her eyes before pulling her phone out. She types away in her search engine, and I see pictures pop up on her screen, and she gasps, her blush creeping up her neck and across her face, even her ears turning pink. "Jonah!" She squeals. "No, you don't have that; how?

"she cringes.

"Well, I went to a body piercer," Mara shakes her head, putting her hand up.

"I do not want that image in my head, though I am curious, does that shift when you do. Wait, don't tell me that; I don't want to know," She laughs.

"Neither did Kyan; he nearly passed out watching me get it done,"

"You took Kyan?" She chuckles.

"Bet that ruffled his feathers, or did he hold it for you as part of the weird bromance thing you two got going on?" she laughs.

"As I said, he nearly passed out; he hates piercings, and we don't have a bromance, "

"Yet he has tattoos, and you so do have a bromance." "They aren't tattoos; they are-" I blurt before cursing, F*ck! "What?"

"Forget I said anything, "I tell her, and she turns to look at me, watching me, and I tug at the collar of my shirt, suddenly uncomfortable when she speaks again.

"Did you know or have any idea about it all?" She asks, and I glance at her.

"About Kyan being your mate?... No, he never told me," I tell her honestly. She nods, looking back out the window, her mind going elsewhere. Pulling into the underground car park at the Casino, Marabella sits up suddenly, and I hear her heart rate pick up. "Can you drop me elsewhere? I thought we were going back to your parent's place or yours."

"Kyan isn't here, Mara; it will just be us, I promise. Kyan stays at the manor anyhow," I tell her. She swallows before nodding, and I felt terrible for her; I wanted to smack the shit out of him, but he had to realize himself that he was being an idiot. Pulling into a parking space, my phone vibrates in my pocket, and I pull it out, Mara gets out of the car, and I look down to see a text message from Kyan asking how Mara is. I shake my head, not bothering to reply, and get out of the car. Marabella was waiting beside the car when I got out, glancing around nervously like she expected Kyan to jump out at any second.

Walking over to her, I drape my arm across her shoulders and tuck her against me. Her hand grips the front of my shirt, the other going around my waist behind my back.

I lead her to the elevator. Stepping inside, I place the key in the panel, twist it before opening the other panel, and press the penthouse apartment button.

Pocketing the key, I pull Mara closer and kiss her hair. She looks up at me, and I press my forehead against hers; her arms wrap around me tighter, and she lets out a breath before inhaling my scent.

Despite not being my mate, her scent always brought me comfort, and I noticed the same with her; Mara didn't need to pretend with me.

I definitely know more about her than her family, how they could be so blind to her suffering, yet it was clearly on display; they thought she hung out with her brother at school because they were that close.

Yet even Eziah was blind to how uncomfortable Mara was in her own skin. She stuck to him because he was all she had in that pack and knew no one would mess with her while with him.

"You will be okay, Mara," She shakes her head in disagreement.

"He will come around; just give him a bit of time," "He hates me, Jonah,"

"He doesn't hate you; he loves you," I tell her, and she laughs, pulling away from me.

"If you think that, then you're more delusional than me,"

"Kyan can be difficult, but he doesn't hate you, Mara,

"Why are you defending him? Just stop, F*ck," she curses before clutching her hair.

"Mara, "

"No, Jonah. Stop, or I will go. I don't want to hear excuses for why my mate does not want me; I hear enough reasons why everyone else doesn't.

I don't need you trying to convince me otherwise; Kyan has always hated me, always Jonah, it isn't just a sudden thing, so stop, leave it," the doors suddenly open.

Mara steps out, walks to the apartment, and grabs the spare key from under the potted plant beside the door. I sigh as she walks off and into the apartment.

I didn't know what to do. I found myself in a predicament; Kyan was my best friend and like a brother to me. Marabella was the only thing I ever wanted, and exactly why, I never dated. I have loved her since I was a kid, always drawn to her for some reason. But now it made sense why Kyan would force me to the brothels, saying I needed to get her out of my system and forget about her. After the first time, I felt disgusted with myself, so I never went back there. Neither did Kyan; he hated being touched in general. I knew he wasn't a virgin, but I always joked that he would have the girl wrapped in cling wrap while he double-wrapped his c**k to avoid skin contact.

Kyan was not someone that enjoyed physical contact. It repulsed him, and he saw it as weakness, while I was the opposite.

I loved cuddling, which kind of sucked being single since forever, except when Kyan would sleepover, he always got the shits when we were kids, and he would wake up with me spooning him.

When we became teenagers, he opted for the floor beside my bed. But not laying down until he had vacuumed the floor repeatedly, saying he could see dust particles.

"Having a shower," Marabella calls out before I hear the bathroom door shut. Sitting on the couch, I try to recall Kyan's actions around her but come up the same. That's just who Kyan is.

For the most part, he avoided being touched, said it made Kaif uneasy, and now I was wondering if it was the mate bond, and that was why he hated touching people or being touched.

The only time I had caught Kyan being handsy with women was when he was obliterated drunk.

Kyan liked having control, and cleanliness was something he felt he could control, that and everyone around him. I sigh Mara was going to have to wait him out.

He would come around; I remember how he was when she was a kid. Always following her around, always sticking up for her against her parents constantly scolding her about her gloves, I loved her parents, but I partially blamed them too; they made her fear herself.

Kyan even told them that. Dad had to get between Ezra and Kyan when he was sixteen after she fell in the rapids. Her glove got caught on something that floated by while she reached for her broken kite that snapped off and went in the water. She was sucked under before we even realized she was gone.

I thought I would die that day; the rapids were too strong and swept me away with her almost instantly. Kyan, I now know, turned, and Kaif pulled us free. I always thought he was a figment of our imagination until Kyan turned back and was suddenly performing CPR on a lifeless Marabella.

She coughed and sputtered, spewing up water while I tried to catch my breath. He then took her memory of it before knocking her out and carrying her home.

When we got back to mum and dad's, Ezra stopped to check on her, and Kyan tossed her gloves at him and lost it. Dad got between them and told Kyan to walk it off.

For weeks Kyan blamed himself; he thought he almost killed her, all because he wasn't watching her good enough, and she ran off out of sight for two seconds, while I blamed myself for distracting him.

We both knew she couldn't swim; Mara hated water ever since she nearly drowned when some kids held her underwater in swimming lessons, and she refused to go back.

Kat made their parents tread water until one passed out, and the others were stuck in the pool for hours until Mateo and mum managed to talk her down. Even to this day, she still won't go near a deep body of water.

"You could always show her," "Show her what?" I ask Jax.

"The home videos, you have a few here, don't you.

Maybe if you showed her, she would see he doesn't hate her,"

"But do we want that?" I ask him selfishly.

"It isn't about what we want Jonah; it is the right thing to do, it may help her,"

"Or maybe confuse her more," I offer. Jax huffs loudly, wandering off, and I sigh, deciding to check on Mara when I hear the shower running. I could hear her quietly sobbing, and my heart twisted for her.

I waited for Marabella to get out of the shower; I was about to knock on the door when my phone suddenly started ringing, Kyan's picture popping up on my screen distracting me. I rejected the call, only for Kyan to ring again. Growling, I answer it. "What, Kyan?"

"Where is Marabella?" He snaps through the phone. "In the shower, why?"

"F*cking check on her," He snaps, his voice coming off pained, and he groans. I had never heard him like this before, and something in his voice makes run toward the bathroom.

I knocked on the door, my blood pumping so hard through my veins I could hear it pulsing in my ears. "Marabella?" I call out when she doesn't answer my knock. "Kick the Fcking door down, Jonah," Kyan yells at me.