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Ariel's POV

Raphie and I were slowly getting back into a routine. Well, a strange one that was never the same? I call it a routine. Some days he stayed home and worked or stayed just with me. Others he went to work at the office and left me with Parker and Justin.

Not that I mind, it's just I'm third wheeling all the time when I'm with them. But they're super fun to have around. They're the only two others who take my lonely feelings away.

Raphie and I had arguments frequently now though. Some were playful, others serious. But sometimes I would have to leave the room. Ever since we marked each other, my wolf became more prominent. Meaning more pain when she tried to come out. When it got too much, I had to leave Raphie and try to make her calm down.

Raphie understood. He's trying to figure out why she does this, why she hurts me. But everyone's wolf is different. But Raphie always let my wolf calm down before approaching again.

I'm heading to Raphie's office, Justin and Parker flanking my sides. Raphael stayed there last night because of some important business he doesn't care to tell me. That got on my nerves a little.

Justin and Parker are chirping like birds the way they're arguing over who makes better chocolate chip cookies. That's when I take a step and pause, a pain in my chest. It fades away so I keep walking.

Then it's there again. I frown and stop, rubbing the area over my heart like it will do something for the strange burning sensation. It fades again when Parker looks back.

"Hey... You okay Ariel?" Parker asks slowly.

I start to walk again. "Yeah I'm fi-" the pain comes back and this time when my heart thumps it spreads. I gasp in pain and fall, Parker catches me but panics and almost drops me. So Justin scoops me up and starts running back to the house.

"I'm getting Raphael!" Parker calls frantically, sounding terrified.

"What's going on?" I pant, groaning in pain as my body feels like it's on fire.

"Heat." Justin replies with grimly and he runs into the house. He goes to one of the bathrooms with the biggest tub and sets me inside. Then he turns on the water as cold as it can go.

The sensation is somewhat soothing, the cold water hitting my burning body.

Then Raphie and Parker come running in. Raphael grabs my upper body and holds me close which helps a lot. Though every once and a while, when my heart thumped, it would send this extra burn that made me scream.

Raphie just stays and holds me through it all. Parker and Justin take turns answering the door which for some damn reason people keep visiting us. It makes no sense to me.

At one point, Justin walks in with a bag of ice which he dumps in the bath, that soothes the burn for a good while. But where he got the ice from I have no clue.

Raphie never lets go. Sometimes he'll say soothing words and try to get me through the worst of the pain. Slowly, it starts to subside.

I question why I never passed out. I should have passed out. Almost every she-wolf passes out at the peak of their heat. They fall asleep. Why couldn't I? Raphael keeps saying I'm strong and that's why.

Suddenly the chill of the bath gets to me and I launch myself out.

"Oh thank the moon goddess it's over." Parker sighs.

But I can't hold myself up on with my aching body. I stumble back and Raphie scoops me up, holding me close again. I close my eyes tiredly, exhaustion seeping through my bones, my body aching.

"Do me a favour and have sex in the month." Parker says and I open my eyes to glare at him. "I'm saying this for your own good dear! I hate seeing you in so much pain..." He shivers.

Both Parker and Justin look as exhausted as I feel. I feel terrible for them staying now, they didn't have to.

"All the stuff for her's in the kitchen." Justin tells Raphael. "Let's go home Parker."

"What time is it?" I say, my voice weak.

"One? Two? In the morning." Parker replies. "Have a good sleep Ariel." He says softly before leaving.

"I have to agree with Parker," Justin says as he goes to walk out with him. "Have sex."

I roll my eyes. Idiots.

"Let's get you to bed." Raphie whispers. We go to his room where he ends up having to help me put on new clothes, I find that I can hardly move due to the aches.

When he's done, he tucks me in and as soon as my face hits the pillow, I'm out.

Sun streams through the window and I groan. My body just aches, I find it difficult to simply push myself up to sit. Raphie isn't in bed either so I very carefully get up and make my way to the kitchen where I hear him.

When I get there, I question the pile of presents on the island. What are these? They don't seem to be for Raphie.

"Who are these for...?" I ask slowly.

"You," Raphael replies simply.

"What...? Why?" I give him a weird look.

"Don't you know?" Raphie asks, putting painkillers with a glass of water in front of me on the island.

"No... What should I know?" I frown.

"Your mom never told you? When a Luna is in heat, all the woman of the pack know. In our pack, they often give the Luna gifts."

"Everyone knew I was in heat!?" I squeak, embarrassment floods me. I'm not okay with this!

Of course mom didn't tell me, she didn't know! Dad probably wouldn't have told her. Poor mom, she was left out of so much... I'm so proud of how far she's come. She's a better mom than lots of others, even if she couldn't relate to me most of my life. We went through complete different experiences yet she powered through to help me. I find myself tearing up, what the hell? I touch my fingers to a tear that spills in confusion. I don't cry...

"Some women can be more emotional after heat," Raphie states, looking over me slowly before putting a plate of toast in front of me.

I blink a few times, willing the tears away. "Oh..." I start to eat my toast.

"You're aren't going to open them?" Raphie raises an eyebrow, actually seeming interested.

"I will after I'm done." I mumble. "I hurt and I'm still tired."

"I'm staying with you today." Raphie states softly.

I nod a little, at least I don't have to face Justin and Parker, hopefully they're resting after their long night.

The presents range from everything to everything. I got candles, candy, books, gift cards to multiple places, a bottle of champagne, and many more things. It's incredible how people got these so quickly.

There's a knock on the door while I'm opening my presents and I get it instead of Raphie. A little girl is there with who I'm assuming is her mom.

"Luna?" The little girl asks. I nod and she holds out a card. "I felt it," she frowns. "Mummy said it hurt you much more than anyone else in the pack. I'm sorry."

I suddenly felt terrible. They felt pain because of me? I gingerly hug the little girl, the stupid tears threatening to spill again.

"Thank you very much. And I'm sorry for making you go through that." I sigh, pulling away and accepting the card. Her mother hands me a gift and I smile kindly at her. "Thank you both."

"Your very welcome Luna." Her mother smiles before taking her daughters hand and helping her down the steps.

I go back inside and read the card, it makes another tear slip. Raphie doesn't comment, he just helps me open the present which is a box of chocolates! Yum.

"What would you like to do today?" Raphie asks when I finish opening them.

"Eat candy and chocolate and binge watch something on Netflix." I snort.

"We can do that." Raphie states. He cleans up all the gifts, moving them to his room. Leaving the sweets for me. He comes back with a bowl of popcorn as I'm choosing what to watch.

He sits next to me and almost smiles, I can see the start of one, though it doesn't follow through. "Alright Ariel, what are we watching?"

***

My body hurt more the next day. And Raphie got the pack doctor to come check on me. Apparently it's normal. Some girls heat is more painful than others, apparently just the fact I stayed awake the whole time was rare but normal. But that's what made him think I simply was one of the rare occasions where heat lasted longer than a day.

It left your body in pain instead of burning. The doctor said my wolf should be helping with the pain, and I knew he meant to heal it. But goddess, if she helped, I think I'd never walk again.

Raphie did everything for me, even after I got mad at him. He was annoying me more than anything, he blamed it on the 'more emotional due to heat,' I blamed it on the 'YOU AREN'T LEAVING ME THE FUCK ALONE.'

I just wanted to call my mom in private but Raphie wouldn't let me be alone. He kept saying if I needed something, or something happened, he needed to be there. After a while he stops saying anything as I curse at him.

"Your mother should have stuffed soap in your mouth." Raphie mutters.

Without warning, my wolf snaps out, threatening to take over and sending me into waves of pain. This was almost worse than heat, or the burning part of it. This was like the pain of my first shift being sent in periodical waves.

Raphael felt it to.

"Let her calm down!" I say through gritted teeth. "Leave!"

Then I can feel his pain through our bond when he realizes he can't comfort me. He doesn't know how. "I promise I'll find out how to fix the pain with your wolf." Raphie says as he leaves the room.

The pain subsides slowly as she recedes to the back of my mind. Where she belongs. And Raphael doesn't come back, even though he knows it's over. I smile to myself, I guess Raphie can be strangely kind sometimes.

I pick up the phone, happy to call the one person back home who cared.

"Hi mom."