Alpha Aria

Chapter 6- Diego Gets Bad News

**DIEGO**

"Diego, ándele, you will be late for school!" My mother called up the stairs.

Groaning, I placed a pillow over my head to drown her out. A few moments later my door opened and she cried out, “You're still in bed!"

"Mami, some privacy? Jeez!" I muttered from under the pillow, which she unceremoniously yanked off of my head.

“Lazy bones! Get dressed!” My mom admonished me. Then she took a look at my face and crumpled next to me, her voice immediately softening."¿Que paso mijo?" Glancing toward the mirror on the wall across from my bed I could see why she was suddenly so concerned. I looked like s**t. Dark circles framed my eyes and the pallor in my face was unmistakable.

“No es nada, Mami.” I mumbled and swiped her hand away from my hair, which she had started to pet.

“No cierto, Diego. Obviously something is wrong.” She pursed her lips and glared at me.

The ache in my gut turned sharp, and I couldn’t hold back any more. A few tears escaped the corners of my eyes and I choked, “I messed up, mami. I f****d everything up. Aria hates me.”

Her arms enveloped me in a hug and I clung to her like my life depended on it. She didn’t ask any more questions, which relieved me as I wasn't keen on explaining it all to her. RIght now I just needed her like a small boy needs their mama when they scrape a knee. I blinked back salty tears and took in a shaky breath. She released me and grabbed my chin, forcing me to look her in the eyes.

“I don’t know what happened, but there is no way Aria hates you. Eres perfecto.” I chuckled in denial, shaking my head.

“Gracias, mami.” I wiped my few tears, embarrassed that I let myself cry. My father always says that men that cry are sissies. I didn’t believe that now, but as a child I heard it often. It was hard not to think of it even though I was older and had learned better.

She got up and left the room, calling over her shoulder, “You still have to go to school, mijo.”

I sighed. I suppose there was no way to avoid it. Aria might hate me but I still had to face her at school. Throwing on a pair of jeans and a favorite old tee with the words ‘Love your mother’ and the earth on it, I grabbed my backpack and headed off.

As it turned out, Aria wasn’t at school all day, so I didn’t have to face her. During art class, I pulled out my phone and sent a text.

Me: Miss you. Ms. Greene asked about you. I hope you are well. I am still sorry. Please talk to me.

I wasn’t expecting anything back, as this was at least the twentieth time I had texted her since last night. When my phone vibrated almost instantly I was surprised. My heart thumped loudly as I looked down at the screen but before I could read the reply, Ms Greene had pulled my phone from my hand. “You know the rules, Mr. Ruiz. You can collect this after class.” She went to her desk and put my phone in my drawer.

Most of the time, I adored Ms Greene. She is quirky, fun loving and has a great sense of humor. She always wears crazy color combinations and she always has a fun and wacky hairstyle. However, at this moment I seethed in anger toward her as my mind raced with worry about what Aria had said. I tried to bury myself in the Paul Gaughuin piece I was working on, but my heart just wasn’t in it. Then all of a sudden, I noticed it. The scent of honeydew and cardamom.

My eyes flew to the door as Aria walked in, heading straight for Ms. Greene’s desk. Her jaw was set in a determined fashion and she didn’t look in my direction once. In her arms was a large wrapped frame, which I recognised as her project. She handed it to Ms. Greene and they exchanged some quiet words, the teacher nodding and smiling while Aria signed. I couldn’t hear Ms Greene, even with my enhanced hearing, but I could tell Aria said ‘Thank you for everything.’ Then Aria leaned over and gave her a small hug and turned to leave. Right before she finished turning she glanced briefly in my direction, her face unreadable. Then she hurried out the door without looking back.

The last five minutes of class dragged on for what felt like another hour. When the final bell rang I couldn't get to Ms Greene's desk fast enough. She handed me my phone and I unlocked it, hastily reading the words in front of me.

Aria: Enough, Diego. I need time.

That was it? My heart sank and I pocketed my phone. Ms Greene watched me curiously but I didn’t acknowledge her, I just walked slowly out the door. All I could think about was Aria’s request. Time. She needed time. For what? To realize that she likes me? To figure out how to tell me she wants nothing to do with me? Fear gripped at me as I imagined a future without her. My wolf was pacing, whimpering.

We ruined everything, Dante. I said to him, He just whined in response. I went home and dropped off my school stuff and changed into shorts. Then I went to the edge of the forest, removed my clothes and shifted to my wolf form. Dante came forward and I released control to him. The trees towered around us, shading us from the near summer sun. It was cool and damp under the canopy and the moss underfoot was soft on our paws. Dante chased after a rabbit but we let it go. His heart wasn't in it.

We roamed the forest for a couple of hours before turning to go home. The Whispering Pines pack territory was large, but we had circled nearly the whole area. We knew this forest very well, having grown up as the son of the Beta. My father, Carlos, and I had spent many a day training in these woods.

He wasn't always the Beta. Before Aria's parents were killed, he was the Gamma. Once Beta Brian took over the pack as Alpha, my father was promoted. Alpha Brian and he were close friends so it made sense. We had moved into the packhouse for a while, as was customary, but about three years ago my father decided he wanted us to have our home back. So we moved back into our old home, which didn't make my mom too happy. She had enjoyed the luxuries that we had living in the packhouse. Not having to cook or clean was a pretty nice perk to just give up. Ever since then my mom and dad had bickered a lot.

Once we got back to the edge of the forest Dante gave me control and I shifted back. I slipped on my shorts I had hidden and walked back to our house. The scent of pork tamales filled my nostrils as I opened the door.

"Hola, Diego!" My mom sang from the kitchen. She must have heard the door and caught my scent.

"Hola, mami." I replied as I trudged up the stairs with a sigh.

"Dinner is in 10 minutes!" She called up to me.

I mindlinked in reply that I wasn't hungry and I was going to bed. When she didn't reply I breathed a sigh of relief and took off my shorts, stepped into the shower and turned the water on. I didn't care that it wasn't quite warm yet. The cold spray felt good, numbing my senses.

Suddenly the shower curtain was yanked open and my mother was staring at me with a mixture of anger and concern. I yelped and covered my privates with my hands, to which she rolled her eyes.

"Mom!" I cried indignantly. "Ever heard of privacy?"

"I have seen you many times, mijo. We are werewolves, for goodness sake. Besides, I changed your diapers. You came out from my vag-"

"Whoa ho ho!" I cut her off. "I don't need to hear about that!" I grabbed a towel and covered myself. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

She glared at me and pointed a spoon covered in sauce at me. "You are coming to dinner. No more moping around. Your father and I want to talk to you."

She turned on her heel and walked away, back to the kitchen.

Exasperated at my mom's lack of boundaries, I huffed out a grunt of annoyance. I threw the towel over the bar and resumed my shower, wondering what they wanted to talk about.

After I was cleaned up and dressed I came downstairs for dinner. My father was seated at the head of the table and my mom was next to him. She gestured to my place setting and I sat down across from her, on the other side of my father. My little brother, Alejandro, sat on the other side of mom.

"Sir." I said respectfully, nodding to him in acknowledgment. He lifted his chin back to me and we all took each other's hands.

"Selene, our great Goddess, we give thanks for our meal and the blessings you have provided." My father led the prayer, and my mom and I murmured in agreement. They squeezed my hands before letting them go. My mother started to dish up our plates with tamales and beans.

"Gracias, Amelia." My father gave my mom a tender smile. She returned it and I cleared my throat, reminding them that I was here in case they decided to get all lovey-dovey on me. That was not something I wanted to see.

We ate mostly in silence, my mom occasionally asking me about school. When we were done with our meal, my mom cleared the table and my father looked at me.

""Mijo." He drawled out slowly. "You are a man now. Soon you will graduate."

Alejandro giggled. "Diego is a ma-aan!" He sang out, drawing out the a.

"Yeah, and you're a six year old twerp!" I shot back.

My father continued. "Your mom and I hope you will find your mate at the Alpha Summit this weekend."

I nodded in response. I wanted my mate too, and I desperately hoped she got her wolf so she could find me.

"If not, you will spend the summer on a mate quest."

My stomach dropped and I looked from my father to my mom with wide eyes. She nodded in agreement with him.

I was not expecting this at all. No, no, no, I needed more time. What if Aria didn't get her wolf this weekend, and it came during the summer? How would she know we were mates if I was off on a quest?

Besides that, mate quests were potentially quite dangerous, as there were rogues and other nefarious beasts beyond the borders of the pack lands. Some other packs didn't like outsiders coming into their lands and could take it as a threat. I wasn't scared of facing threats, but I was scared of losing my chance to be with Aria. If I died, would she find another mate? Dante growled at the thought of another wolf with her.

I considered telling them about Aria being my mate, but I really didn't know for sure and I knew my father would never approve of me being with a wolf-less werewolf. It would bring dishonor to the family. In his eyes I might as well mate with a human.

"But why?" I asked, my voice squeaking slightly, embarrassing me.

They looked at each other and shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

"It is important for the pack that the Beta heir be mated. Especially since Alpha and Luna don't have any pups." My father said, He was looking down as he spoke and I got the impression that there was more to it. I waited for more explanation. They just looked at each other and grasped each other's hands.

"Okay, then. I will go to the Summit and find my mate" I agreed, speaking slowly. I chose my words carefully, knowing that I wasn't technically agreeing on the mate quest.

"Is that all?" I asked with as steady of a voice as I could muster. When they nodded, I excused myself and went back to my room.

I thought about trying to mind link Aria but it felt too obtrusive. I didn't want to overwhelm her. So I decided to send her a text instead.

Me: I'm sorry for bothering you with all my messages. I will give you the space you need. Please let me know when you're ready to talk.

It showed that she read it but she didn't reply.

I opened my curtain and looked up at the silvery moon. Please, Selene. Please give Aria her wolf on her birthday. I prayed silently to the moon goddess. Time is running out.