“It's okay, Ari…” I soothe, gently stroking the back of her head as I keep her pressed to my chest that swells with protective pride. “You're gonna be fine.”
“I don't know who I am anymore…” she wails through her sobs. “I'm…I think I'm having an identity crisis!”
She keels over and grips her belly, forceful sobs leaving her throat, as her face starts turning blue as if she's not breathing. I hold her steady, slowly pulling her into my arms and sinking to the ground. She curls into me, her body trembling as she continues to sob.
“Breathe, Arianna…” I gently encourage, recognizing that she's not having an identity crisis, but a panic attack.
I know because I had one when I saw my life flashing before my eyes, and I thought my death was imminent when we fought the group of mutated rogue wolves during our missions.
But my friends had been there—not only to save me, but to console me during that time when I thought that if I died, I'd only be remembered as a disappointment to my parents,someone who couldn't learn from my brother's mistakes and make better decisions.
I frown as a thought crosses my mind.
Perhaps that's what I've been doing all along…trying to follow in his footsteps, instead of doing better and making better choices from his mistakes, and the mistakes of others…
Arianna needs me, and she needs me to show up for her in every aspect of her life. I can't imagine how lonely she felt when I rejected her, or how troubled she must have been when I turned cold on her after last night.
I keep messing things up between us, but it won't happen anymore. It's a promise I make to myself as I hold her tightly, feeling the trembling of her body subsiding as she soon begins to calm down, sucking in deep breaths through puckered lips.
I reach for her cheek, cradling her face in one hand and prompting her to look into my eyes. Wiping away her tears, I mimic a series of slow, deep breaths.
“That's it, Arianna,” I encourage when she follows my breathing. “Just like that…”
A few more rounds of deep inhales and exhales with her, and I feel her tension easing up, and she finally releases her anxiety and giggles nervously.
“I'm sorry…” she sniffs and rubs her stuffy nose with the back of her hand. “I'm a mess.”
I grab a fistful from the hem of my T-shirt and lift it to her face to wipe her cheeks dry. She frowns as I clean her up, eyes full of questions.
“Delilah's gonna help you uncover all of your gifts,” I assure her. “She's staying for a few days and will do whateverneeds to be done to help you. You don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with.”
Arianna shakes her head slowly. “It's not that I don't want to help Moonshine with my gifts,” she sighs. “It's just that…all of this is very new to me, and it's quite overwhelming. I mean, I did suspect that I was having visions, but I didn't think too much of it. Knowing that I have witch's blood running through my veins is something else. It's just…”
When Arianna gulps, I drop my T-shirt from my hand and cradle her face again, shaking my head and stifling the urge to chuckle bemusedly at the way she's babbling. It's cute, and so endearing that it makes my heart skip a beat.
“What you just experienced wasn't an identity crisis, Arianna. It was a panic attack, and I can't imagine what's going on in your mind. From what I can tell, it's fuzzy and all over the place.”
This makes her giggle nervously again.
“But what I can tell you is that this doesn't make you any different. It makes you special, and I've always known that there was something special about you.”
Her bottom lip trembles, and her brows furrow and plead with me when she's asking, “You mean that?”
“Of course, I do,” I solemnly swear by pinching the skin on my neck between my thumb and forefinger. “And you get to decide what you want to do with your gifts. You're not pressured to use them—except, of course, from this rogue that's been haunting you and our borders.”
Arianna sighs. “As I said before, I recognize the rogue's human face. He was supposed to be a human, and he wasn'tanyone important. I feel like he's tied to my cottage being trashed, but my mind could be making it up.”
I nod thoughtfully as she tells me about this, revealing just a little more. It touches my heart that she's opening up, and it feels like we're turning over a new leaf.
“Well, Delilah said she'll help you. If we can determine who the rogue is and where to find him, perhaps we can put an end to his crossing our border and causing you or Noah any harm. You're not alone in any of this, Arianna. Is that okay?”
Arianna nods timidly, and she stares deeply into my eyes as if she's trying to find any reason to doubt me. She finds nothing there, except the strong threads of our true mate bond that hypnotize me as I lose myself in the warm, hazel depths of her eyes.
When her eyes flit to my lips, I know what she's thinking, I know what she's feeling, because I feel it, too. Naturally gravitating toward her when her lips part, I relish in the warmth of her breath, the invitation so tempting that I just have to press my lips to hers.
I kiss her softly, gently, not intruding into her mouth with my tongue. I need her to know that I'm here for her, and this kiss is an apology for being a fool not once, but twice. It cost me a life with my true mate the first time around, and I can't let it happen a second time.
Pulling away carefully, I tuck her head under my neck, acting upon my inner wolf's promise to protect her, be there to support her, be there for her. She sighs as she settles her cheek on my neck, one hand curling on my shoulder.
