Chapter 54

It seems that the only person who remained the same was Rowan.

Although she was awkward when she asked for him to come over, it still didn't bother him because all of this mess was hard for anyone to digest. At least she still saw him as a friend.

As he stood in front of her door, he found himself already missing coming over like this. Something told him that this might be the last time he gets to visit her the way he is right now. It wasn't anything as ominous as one of them dying, it just felt like he'd be leaving soon.

Like he was saying goodbye and she didn't know it.

Maybe she did.

He only knocked twice on the door before it opened and a nervous red-eyed Rowan greeted him. "Look, we've been doing this for a very long time." She said pulling him in by the hand to give him a hug. "We're hugging, I don't care if you're an omega."

He heard her sniff as he hugged her back. "What's wrong?"

"I'm what's wrong." She broke down tightening her hold on him, and he stood there confused and worried at how devastated she sounded. "Everything I did, all what happened. I am so sorry."

"Ro, you didn't know."

But she shook her head refusing to look at him, as if she was too ashamed to even consider doing that. "I left you with that feral." She told him shaking her head at herself. "And then the party, you were in heat, too, weren't you? I just left you there."

"Yes, but you thought I was a beta." Ari told her not at all angry at her like she thought he should be. "Betas don't get heats, and they could certainly survive a feral."

This didn't make her feel better because it reminded her that Ari could not have survived. Somehow, he did.

Rowan pulled away from him and breathed in heavily before she closed the door. "I wish I cared just a little bit more. Maybe I would have known." She told him honestly, but all that didn't matter after everything. "I was too caught up with Eli."

"You were being a good friend to Alec."

"But not to you."

Ari sighed knowing that it is true. "You're still not the one to blame. My mother is."

"Then I blame her for how horrible I feel right now, too." Rowan told him having calmed down a bit, and Ari smiled at her words agreeing with them. And as he was led inside, Rowan turned to him with a look of concern and guilt. "Were you hurt badly by that feral?"

"Nothing I couldn't survive. I was lucky that someone was there to help me." He told her pushing her lightly to make her continue walking. It was an attempt to show her that he wasn't too affected by it. "He was nothing compared to my mother."

It was taken as a joke, but it wasn't.

"What about the party?"

"Cassie helped me." He lied easily. "She had known about me already."

A light bulb lit up in her head as she realized that this is why Cassie had left him with Eli, and it made her suddenly stop crying as she looked ahead dumbly. "Oh."

"Can't believe you asked me to come here so you could apologize. You're so embarrassing."

Rowan couldn't help but smile sheepishly at that as she grabbed him by the wrist like she always did. It didn't matter that he was an omega now, it didn't matter that things were revealed to be different than what was apparent to her, they still remained the same.

Ari was still Ari to her.

"I also made us hot chocolate." She said pulling him to the kitchen where they had their countless baking sessions. Rowan was the one who made him like it in the first place, and she did a wonderful job decorating their hot chocolate with cream and marshmallow. "We didn't get to drink them before you- Yeah."

With a smile, Ari sat on one of the stools and thought about which silly mug he liked more. After a moment of consideration, he picked the one with adorable kittens because they reminded him of the ones he keeps on feeding in the backyard. He'll miss them, too, once he's gone.

"You're so sweet." He told her as she laughed when some of the cream got on his nose, and he laughed back at her when the same happened to her as well.

"I'm not sweet, I just hated how our day ended without hot chocolate." She mumbled often defensive on every sweet gesture she makes before she placed her mug back on the counter with an indignant look. "Bet your boyfriends don't treat you to hot chocolate like I do."

"Boyfriends?" Ari laughed almost spitting his drink as she crossed her arms. "What are you on about?"

"Don't think I don't know about all the alphas coming to visit."

His laughter died down a bit, but he still seemed amused. "Oh, those."

"Yes, those. Spill." She said looking at him curiously, sniffing away anything that remained from her earlier cries. "Why are you seeing them to begin with?"

He shrugged. "Alpha Hawthorne thought it was a great idea."

"But what about your mate?" Rowan frowned wondering just what was going on in her friend's life. Everything was hectic when the news got out, and every time Rowan tried to get in touch, there was someone occupying Ari's day already. "Do you really not want to be with him?"

"I wasn't asked if I had a mate or not. Nobody cared." Ari told her not hiding the dismay in his voice. That annoyed him so much. "And it isn't like things are working out with the alphas who are coming to visit. It's honestly a disaster and I am enjoying it."

Rowan sniggered. "Were they that bad?"

"It's mostly me." Ari sighed taking another sip of his drink finding it pleasant how lukewarm it got, and the sweetness of it was just the way he liked. Rowan did an awesome job making it. "Two of them just disappeared, and the third, well, he said he didn't want to see me again."

"Don't tell me your serial killer mate got to them." Rowan said letting out a dramatic gasp she totally faked, and it seems like this became an inside joke between them.

It made Ari laugh.

"Believe it or not, he's innocent this time." Ari told her completely entertained by all of this. There was a certain thrill in all of this that he enjoyed. "It was all me."

"You're making them run on purpose. I bet they'd kill to be with you."

For some reason Ari's heart skipped a beat at that, and he suddenly felt shy at those words. It wasn't because they were flattering, but because he realized that this is really the case. It wasn't the alphas he was thinking of, obviously, but of Constantine.

It seems that his mind and his heart always go back to Constantine.

A full circle even when Ari was conflicted about developing feelings for someone he had seen tear off limbs off of bodies.

Now the thought of him makes him warm inside.

The happiest week of his life was spent with Constantine after all, and he was probably smiling because Rowan was peering at him curiously. There's no right way of telling her – or anyone for that matter – that he fell for someone who kills people on the regular. Gruesomely, too.

Not many people would approve of his feelings, and many would judge him for it, but he couldn't bring himself to care anymore. He just wanted to talk about someone he loves.

And so, he did.

"I am making them run on purpose because I want to be with my mate." He confessed finally, and Rowan leaned back in an elated shocked way in her seat at this.

"With the serial killer? Ari." She joked sounding scandalized, but she looked too happy about it. "I knew you could work things out. So you're just breaking those alphas' hearts on purpose."

"Yes, I am." Ari snorted enjoying how giddy she is. "And I might leave this town soon."

Her giddiness lessened, but she was still smiling as she placed a hand on his shoulder. This wasn't an uncommon thing among them. Whenever someone finds their mate, they either bring in a new member to the pack or leave to become a part of another.

Ari being an omega naturally meant that he'd be the one leaving.

"Just don't forget about me, okay?"

Squinting at her, Ari tilted his head. "Who are you again?"

And that's how he got punched in the arm, but they were both smiling.