Chapter 40 : A Hero's Sendoff

**Arena I laid on a chaise lounge out on the patio, next to an oblong pool. I'd opened up Mateo's shirt to get some sun on my skin, and was now laying topless, in my panties, on top of his shirt. It smelled like him, and that just made me more sad. I thought of tossing it in the water. The sliding of the glass door caught my attention. "Miriam?" I asked, starting to tug Mateo's shirt back over me. "No." Mateo's familiar, velvet voice carried over the patio. I stopped putting the shirt back on and laid back down with a sigh. "What do you want?" I asked, not looking at him. The chaise creaked beneath me as Mateo sat down on the edge. "I want to apologize. I went all Alpha on you, and I hurt you. And I want to tell you where we stand." "Oh," I said, turning my face away from him. Mateo ran a knuckle over my cheek. "Baby, look at me." I didn't want him to see the hurt and tears in my eyes, but I didn't resist when he gently tilted my chin towards him. "Oh… mi tesora…" Mat