Chapter Sixty Three

*Ivan*


My heart stopped. It seriously just stopped. I never knew she felt that way about me. Since we were little. I couldn’t catch my breath. I have loved Ari forever. It was part of why I called her princess. It was never meant to be an insult and she never took it that way. I was the only one that called her princess. But she was. She basically was a princess. In our village Drake was basically the older King. Ari and Keo’s Mom was like the Queen even though she was Drake’s daughter. I always looked at Keo and Ari as the little prince and princess. I’d never called Keo a prince, he’d probably punch me in the face.
My eyes were glowing blue. I looked lovingly at Ari.
“I’ve loved you since we were kids too.” I told her.
“Shut up. Really?” She asked, shocked.
I couldn’t help but laugh, “Yes, really. Since I met you, I’ve known I loved you.”
“But you never said anything and you always seemed a little..well standoffish at times.”
“I’m sorry about that. I’m standoffish with everyone at first. But I knew I loved you. I just didn’t want to scare you. We were little kids and I was older than you.”
“So you’re saying you fell in love with a fetus.” Ari laughed.
“What? No. That’s…” I stammered, flushed.
“I’m just messing with you, Ivan.” She laughed.
I kissed her, “Mean. So mean.” I laughed with her.
“You’ve really loved me since we were kids?” She asked.
“I really have. There’s more to it though, Ari.” I said, shifting uncomfortably.
I was worried about telling her. I didn’t know how she’d take it. It didn’t happen often with us. Since we were separated from most of the world, it didn’t happen often. The world was scared of us. Of the Navi. So we all just kept to ourselves.
“Ivan, you can tell me.” She said, taking my face in her hands.
I took a deep breath. “I just don’t know how to tell you. I don’t know how to explain it without just ripping off the bandaid. I don’t want to freak you out. I wish I could just show you.”
Her eyes lit up, “I think you can show me. Caleb did.”
“Yeah but wasn’t that while you were already in your head?” I asked her.
“It was but I don’t think it would be that much different. I can ask him or Drake if it’s possible. Maybe we can do it. Then you can show me.” She offered.
“It’s worth a shot.” I said.
Ari got a distant look on her face for a second and I knew she was talking to one of them. It didn’t last for very long. Her eyes refocused and she looked up at me beaming.
“Caleb and Drake tried to explain what you need to do. They said they weren’t sure if it would work but they think you can do it. Caleb said you have to put your hand on my head, think of the memory you want me to see and then try to push it to me.” She told me.
“I hope this works.” I said as I placed my hand on Ari’s head.
I closed my eyes and thought back to the night I shifted for the first time. How terrified I was when I first shifted and how it felt like my body was going to explode. I felt rage and fear all at the same time. After I shifted I noticed how destroyed my room was. I was so scared and didn’t know what was going on. I knew I was a wolf and I knew I had shifted but I didn’t know what to do. I went to Ari’s room because she was the one person that seemed to put me at ease. I felt bad for waking her up but I was so scared. When she touched the top of my head she made me feel so at ease. I felt like I was going to make it through this. Even though I was alone. Even though my parents were gone. I felt like I could make it. She was so sleepy I had jumped up into the bed to stay close but to let her sleep. As soon as she put her head on my shoulder she fell back to sleep scratching my head. It felt good and I felt more at ease that I fell asleep right after her.
Then her Mom busted into the room and I thought she would be extremely angry at me for climbing into her daughter’s bed. It wasn’t that I was going to do anything weird but I was scared and I didn’t want their Mom to hate me. But I wasn’t met with anger. I was met with fear. Ari’s Mom was scared that I wasn’t in my room. She was scared FOR me. She was worried about me. When she saw me with Ari, I saw her relief.
I focused on trying to send that to Ari and by putting myself in that memory I felt it connect and go to Ari as it replayed in my mind.
- -
*”Ivan, let’s you and I go find Drake. Think you can find him with your nose?” Ari’s Mom grinned at me.
I hopped off the bed and followed her out of the room leaving Ari to get ready for the day. I looked up at her, unsure of what to do.
“Try sniffing the air and see if you can catch Drake’s scent. I don’t know how it all works so Derek will have to teach you as much as he can but I know that everyone has their own scent.” She told me.
I sniffed the air. I could smell Ari behind us in her room. I could smell Ari and Keo’s Mom next to me. I tried remembering their scents. I could smell a scent that smelt almost the same as Ari but it was up ahead. That must be Keo. There was another scent that was coming from outside. That must be it. I walked towards it and their Mom followed me.
As we walked outside, Ari’s Mom brushed my back with her hand.
“I wanted to talk to you for a second, Ivan.” She said to me.
I looked down. I was waiting for her to be mad at me. I sat down in front of her waiting to be yelled at.
“Oh, sweetie, I’m not mad at you.” She said, lifting my head up to have me look at her.
Their Mom never ceased to amaze me. She was so kind and loving and when Caleb and I came to their home they took us in with open arms. I started to look at her like she was my Mom, but I was old enough to remember my Mom so I didn’t know how to act around her. In the end, I seemed more standoffish with everyone. I tried to still play and laugh and be friends with Keo, Ari, and Caleb but I wasn’t sure how to act sometimes. It wasn’t that we weren’t friends. We were all friends. But I would go through my moments.
“Are you ok, Ivan?” Ari’s Mom asked me.
I bowed my head in response. I wasn’t sure how to communicate with them.
“You were scared last night, weren’t you?” She asked.
I whined in response. I was terrified last night. I didn’t know what to do and I wasn’t sure how to shift back. Ari’s Mom hugged me in response to my whine. She was trying to comfort me and I appreciated it.
“Ivan, I wanted to talk to you. Derek is going to have to confirm it, but typically when a wolf shifts for the first time their eyes are always yellow. Most of the wolves have yellow eyes. They adjust slightly to the color that they typically have when they’re human, but it’s more on the yellow side when they’re in their wolf form.”
I cocked my head to the side. Ari had said my eyes were blue. If every other wolf’s eyes were yellow. Why was mine blue?
“Your eyes are blue. I’ve only heard rumors on what blue means. Ivan, when you’re with my daughter, do you feel a sudden calm come over you if you are scared or angry?”
I nodded my head, I wasn’t sure what she was getting at.
“I’m just gonna ask, Ivan, do you love my daughter? Do you love Ariya?” She asked me.
I wasn’t sure if I could blush but if I could I definitely was. I nodded my head again in response to her question.
“Do you feel compelled to protect her no matter what?” She asked.
I growled and nodded my head. I couldn’t let anything happen to Ari. I would destroy anything that tried. Ari’s Mom laughed at my response as she scratched my head.
“Like I said, Derek is going to have to confirm. But Ivan, I’m pretty sure you’re mated to my daughter.”*