Chapter 398: Crumbling resolve!
Maria.
I lifted my eyes to meet his, and for a fleeting, fragile moment, all I could discern in his expression was utter sincerity. The raw emotion reflecting in his gaze was almost persuasive enough to make me believe that he truly meant every single word leaving his lips.
For a split second, my defenses wavered.
However, the instant the bitter memories of everything he had done came flooding back into my mind, that fragile thought withered and died down completely.
He could try to hide behind soft looks now, but the reality remained unchanged: amongst his brothers, he had done far worse.
Drenched and shivering from being wet and soaked to the bone, I instinctively wrapped my hands tightly around myself, desperate for any shred of warmth or protection.
But escape was impossible. Aidan had effectively trapped me where I stood, planting both of his hands on either side of me, blocking off any route of retreat.
"Maria, please do not keep me quiet," he pleaded softly, his tone laced with a desperate vulnerability.
Slowly, almost reverently, he reached out and raised my chin up gently, forcing me to elevate my face and stare directly at him.
"Speak Maria."
Staring straight into the depth of his striking emerald eyes caused my wolf to stir restlessly beneath my skin, pacing with an unbidden, chaotic energy.
My heart immediately began thudding faster against my ribs, building up to a frantic rhythm that I was completely unable to stop or control.
A wave of confusion crashed over me—what was suddenly wrong with me?
Why was my body reacting to him when my mind wanted nothing to do with him?
Snapping out of the trance, I immediately removed his hands from my chin, knocking his physical connection away, and looked away from him to break the magnetic hold of his gaze.
"Look here Aidan!" I demanded, trying my absolute best to sound calm and composed, though my voice trembled under the strain. "It’s all too late!" I blurted out, the words bursting from my throat before I could filter them.
"No Maria!" Aidan said firmly, his posture stiffening as he rejected my statement with unyielding conviction. "You are all wrong, as long as we are still alive, it’s not late." He added, his tone refusing to give up on us.
I rolled my eyes immediately at his sheer refusal to accept reality.
"Think whatever you want to think, Aidan..." I paused deliberately, allowing the heavy weight of my words to linger and settle between us in the biting, cold air. "...but I don’t need you all anymore."
I took a long, deep breath, struggling to steady my frantic lungs and desperately attempting to gather every remaining ounce of resolve I had left within me.
"I truly want to break this bond and free you and your brothers from it," I added, forcing the words past my lips and delivering the final, devastating statement with an aura of absolute, unshakeable finality.
Aidan swallowed hard immediately, the visible strain in his throat betraying his composure as a sudden wave of panic flashed vividly across his face.
"No, there is no need to break the bond!" he said immediately, his voice rising in desperate protest as he reached out and held my shoulders tightly with both hands, gripping me as if I might vanish into thin air if he let go. "The truth is without the bond, I still love you Maria!" he added, searching my eyes for any sign of softening.
I chuckled slightly, a hollow, bitter sound escaping my lips.
"Well, we would find out if you do the moment we dissolve the bond," I said firmly, refusing to back down as I held his frantic gaze without flinching.
"Maria, why can’t you just believe me?" he asked in frustration, his voice cracking under the weight of his desperation. "And why don’t you want me to prove it to you?" he asked, his grip on my shoulders trembling slightly.
I shut my eyes briefly, drawing in a ragged breath to steady the storm inside me, and looked at him once more.
And my wolf suddenly felt empathy towards him, a sudden, unwanted swell of emotion rising from deep within my spirit. Standing there, disheveled and pleading, he was totally pitiful.
Aidan took my hands in his own, lifting them up, and gently placed them against the warmth of his cheek.
My hand rested perfectly well on it, and for a while, I got lost feeling it, and my gaze remained magnetically glued to his face.
"Maria, please give me a second chance," he said with pleading eyes, stripping away every ounce of his pride right in front of me.
His striking emerald eyes were suddenly mesmerizing, swirling with such raw vulnerability that they held me completely captive, causing me to be trapped for a fleeting while in their intense depths.
What is going on with me?
Why was my resolve crumbling when I needed it most?
Shaking off the spell before it could consume me completely, I looked away, breaking the powerful connection.
"There is nothing like a second chance!" I said, forcing every bit of cold determination back into my voice. "Now, where is Noah?" I asked, refusing to grant him any more power over me, keeping my eyes fixed ahead without sparing him so much as a single glance.
Aidan laughed softly, a bitter, tragic chuckle that resonated in the quiet space between us.
"No matter how you push me away Maria..." he paused, stepping back into my space and taking hold of me once more to force me to look directly at him. "I will not give up." He paused, his gaze locking onto mine with an unwavering, relentless fire. "I will make you love me again." He added, every word spoken like a vow.
And with that, he turned, releasing his hold on me, and stepped out of the bathroom, leaving me alone with the lingering echo of his words.