Aella

I haven't seen him in three days. Anybody that I asked will tell me the same thing. He was training but they won't tell me exactly where. I couldn't help but miss his presence next to me. With him, I was able to forget about every awful thing of my past. I saw a little of myself back before everything else happened.

It was already late but I couldn't sleep. Hence, me sitting in my father's study reading away all his work. The door to the study opened and Isa walked in. She came over and sat next to me on the couch.

"What's on your mind?" She asked.

"Nothing." I replied as I pretended to read the paper in front of me.

"Aella, I know something is wrong. You are not normally like this. You don't hole away in dad's study and read his research papers." Isa urged further. She moved to sit pretzel style on the couch as faced me.

I sighed and placed the paper back on the coffee table. "I guess I am confused. I want to see him but he is avoiding me."

"By him, you meant General Noor?" Isa asked.

I hesitated slightly but gave in with a sigh. "Yes."

"You did hit him pretty low." She said and I punched her lightly.

"I know!" I said with exasperation.

"Why did you do it?" She looked at me curiously.

"I guess, I got carried away. When I am with him, it seems to happen very often." I muttered. I felt awful and it has been eating away at me for three days.

After my little talk with my sister, she headed to bed telling me that I needed to lower my Alpha head and go and apologize. I worked on a few more things before yawning and moving down the hall to my bedroom. It was then I heard whimpering and someone softly sniffling in the room next to mine.

I frowned as I opened it. The room was supposed to be empty. Nobody sleeps on this floor except for me. When the door opened I can see the outline of a large form on the bed. Instantly I knew who it was. The scent that wrapped around this room was a clear indication.

"Noor." I whispered as I moved closer.

He was thrashing on the bed. His head whipping back and forth as he clutched at his heart. I crawled onto the bed and grabbed his head.

"Hey. Look at me." I said softly. His eyes fluttered opened slightly before closing tightly shut.

"Go away." He mumbled weakly.

"No." I moved myself under him as I cradled his head on my lap. He whimpered and muffled his cry in my stomach. I can feel his hot breathe seeping through my shirt.

My hands went into his hair as I smoothed it back, combing my hair through it. I shushed him softly as I murmured assuring words to him. His hands came out and wrapped tightly around my waist as he cried into my stomach.

I knew what was wrong with him.

And I hated her.

Why would he allow himself to feel this? If what Major Nixon said was the truth, he has been suffering for years.

I felt compassion for him. He looked like a broken male instead of the strong teasing General that I knew. I have never seen this side of him and it tore at my heart like someone clawing away at it.

"It will be okay. You will be okay."I whispered. After a moment he stopped struggling.

His eyes were heavy with exhaustion. His lips were pale and his facial complexion was white as a sheet. I wiped away his sweat with my hand and then cupped his cheek. He was truly a beautiful male. My gaze moved from his face to the rest of his body. The scars that have healed over time on his body was visible. My hands moved to trace each and every one of them in fascination.

I moved to look at him, tilting my head to the side to get a better view. He was now sleeping in my lap. His face almost half nestled into my stomach. My finger moved to trace his lips. Soft and perfect. I licked my lips before leaning down to brush my lips against his tenderly.

It was pure heaven.

My hands moved back to comb through his hair as I leaned my head back against the headboard and fell asleep. I awoke several times that night with him thrashing and whimpering again and half of me wanted to leave his side and seek out that female who was hurting him. It wasn't until the sun started peeking out from the horizon that it finally stopped and I finally got some sleep.

I awoke midday with the sun high in the sky and my face nestled into the crook of a neck. Strong arms were wrapped around my torso. I stiffened and pushed back a little to see Noor staring straight at me.

"You're awake." I whispered.

He didn't say anything. His eyes were staring into mine but his arms tightened around me. His hand came up and pushed me back under the crook of his neck. I listened to his breathing and the sound of his heart. It was calm.

"Why did you come in here?" He asked quietly.

"I was coming back from my father's study and I heard you." I replied honestly. My own arms were moving to wrap around his waist.

"You shouldn't have." He said.

"Why do you allow her to do this to you?" I asked.

He stiffened and for a moment, I thought I crossed the line.

"A bond is complicated, Aella." He said. "In order for one to break another bond, one has to have a stronger bond. I could mark any female that I have been within the past but my heart and my soul will not be in the same plane. Therefore, it will only establish a weak bond that will not compare to my destined."

I understood what he meant and he was completely right. A bond from the Moon Goddess wasn't an easy bond to break and if one's will is strong enough, one can overcome it because ironically love triumphs anything.

"How do you know this?" I asked, feeling safe and comfortable in his arms. I admit I missed being this close to him.

He chuckled slightly and there was a hint of nostalgia in his voice. "My Alpha also picked a chosen—Luna Patience. They met at the annual Hunting Game. Luna Patience was there because her mate was mated to her older sister. Luna Patience's destined mate might've loved Luna Patience's sister but as time went on he found out that things weren't as simple as he thought it would be.

A bond is like two magnets, placed so close together it will push through anything to get close but if placed apart the bond will not grow but will remain at a standstill until together again. Imagine another magnet coming along and an attraction can be established and the pull will also be inevitable."

I'm a little amazed that he was willing to tell me this much but then again I did catch him last night but that only made me angrier. My point of view of him has changed. He wasn't the male I thought he was. General Noor was a very complicated male. I couldn't even begin to understand him but he was a male that I seem to want to understand and piece all together those broken pieces.

"What about you? I saw the picture on your dresser." He spoke again.

My body felt like someone threw cold water over it. He hugged me tighter to keep me from pulling away. Gabriel. Can I really talk about him now?

"His name was Gabriel. He was my mate. He died before he could've marked me. He was one of my father's warriors until a rogue attack. He died saving me." I said and my heart chipped a little.

"Saving you?" He asked and I hesitated. I wasn't sure if I wanted to tell him further.

After a moment, I spoke. "When I was a teenager, I was naughty. I was rebellious. My father told me not to go out to the edge of the territory but I wouldn't listen. I thought I could handle it. Rogues attacked one day after I did a run around the border. By the time my father got there I was almost dead. Gabriel went crazy and killed the rogue who was about to end me but the rogues were relentless. Two of them came after him while my father dragged me away. Other warriors that were with my father tried helping him but they were also occupied with their own fight. He died in front of my eyes. They ripped his head in front of me. I killed him."

A tear slipped from my eyes and I buried my face in Noor's chest to rid of the pain in my chest. He pulled me closer to him as his hands ran circles at my back.

"It is not your fault, Aella. You need to forgive yourself." He urged.

"How is it not my fault? If it wasn't me being so reckless, he wouldn't have died. Don't try to tell me it isn't. I know it is." I said a little angry.

"Whirlwind, you need to forgive yourself. He wouldn't want you to live like this. He wouldn't want you to carry this guilt around. He would want you to be happy." Noor whispered again.

"Why do you keep calling me whirlwind?" I suddenly changed the subject as I wiped away my tears.

He chuckled softly. "You don't know the meaning to your name, Aella?"

I shook my head. He pulled back and cupped my cheek with one hand.

"Aella means whirlwind. It matches your fiery attitude. Your name is perfect for you." He said.

My heart skipped a beat and it was getting a little harder to breathe as I looked at him closely. The colors of his eyes were beautiful, coppery with hints of dark grey floating around. It was hard to tear my gaze away from him but I shook my head and blinked several times before pulling myself away.

"Uh, before I forget, I just wanted to say I am sorry." I whispered quietly.

He pushed himself off the bed. "Wait, you have to say it again."

I turned to look at him with a frown. He chuckled.

"I am sorry." I gritted out.

He smirked as he leaned in. "Want to complete your apology with a kiss?"

And there was the General Noor I knew. I bounded out of bed before he could do anything. Something inside of my heart lit up and the weight on my shoulders was slightly lifted. I felt renewed and a little giddy. I bit my lips as I heard him laughing behind me.

When I was safely behind my door, I leaned against it as I placed a hand over my heart. It was beating at an abnormal rate and when his face flashed in my mind again, I felt it increased in speed.