Chapter 103: Chapter 103

/Aiden's POV/

As soon as I stormed out of the door, my heart started thudding loudly, almost painfully. My skin felt hot to touch, rage coiling in my belly at the betrayal. At least that's how it felt like knowing Rose talked to two other people, confided in them before revealing her secret to me. How could she do this to me?

Not only that, but the omega talked with Caden of all Alphas. That annoying punk. He doesn't even greet me properly and acts high and mighty as if he owns the place. The thought of his smug face only intensifies the anger swirling inside me.

Hot-headed, I marched straight towards the training ground, slamming the door on the way. If that managed to startle some of the lounging wolves on the side, I did not pay attention. From the corner of my eye, I saw Caden trying to coach the guards, my nose flaring at sight.

"Hey!" I motioned towards him, the silence that followed after almost chilling.

He slowly peeled his attention away from the ongoing task and gave me a bored look. There was no greeting as he slowly arched his brow, not making any moves.

“How about a friendly match?”

“With you?”

The way he said, in such a condescending manner, had few heads tilted in our direction. Already we had a few pack members gawking at us, the tension sizzling between us. I nodded with an innocent smile curling around my lips. “Oh, don’t worry! I will go easy on you, Alpha Caden.”

He huffed, taking long strides and closing the distance between us. Our eyes clashed, a sneer forming on his face. “But I won’t!”

With that, my canines bared, standing on one side of the circle. I could feel the eyes of several pack members, the ones idly lounging also watching us with acute interest. It was rare for me to challenge a pack member, nonetheless an Alpha trainer at that.

My eyes narrowed in his direction, claws jutting out and ears twitching. I could hear the sound of his erratic breathing and heartbeat pounding, sweat clinging to his forehead. As soon as the howl echoed, I lurched forward, not going easy at all.

Somehow I managed to wrap my arms around his body, tightening my grip while tackling him to the ground. My lower ribs erupted in a shock of pain, and I breathed deeply as Caden scrambled back, trying to escape. Brave, I thought under my breath. Not many members would have the guts to do what Caden did, and I honestly found this unexpected nerve entertaining.

Rushing forward, I wound my arms around his neck, constricting his airflow, but he's still the one with bared claws. The Alpha tried to use his sharp razor ones, but I slashed him down the arm, my nails tearing through layers of clothing. Caden let out a howl of pain, crashing to the ground while blood dripped down my fingers to the ground.

Gritting his teeth, the Alpha staggered to his feet and stalked toward me, making a pitiful attempt at attacking. A stream of curses spilt his lips, earlier confidence and swagger nowhere to be seen as I dodged the blows coming my way.

“I think that’s enough for today!” Liam’s voice boomed throughout the room as he sprinted in our direction. Pinning me with a glare, he stepped in between and faced Caden, who was bleeding.

Shame filled me immediately as I realised the extent of the situation going overboard, cheeks burning from embarrassment. A few seconds later, I heard murmurs ringing around. The beta was quick to get control of position and dispersed the members. He apologised to Caden and immediately rang for the medic so that he could be treated.

“Are you insane?” Liam shrieked as soon as we were all alone, his face going red. “What were you thinking beating him up like that?”

I scoffed, “You are making it sound as if I attacked him or something. It was a fight.”

“You might as well have with the way you were taunting him.”

I glared at him, stalking to the nearest bench and plopping down, wincing as I felt pain under my ribs. That son of a…He got me pretty bad, but it will heal in a day or two. However, I could not say the same thing about his arm.

“He had it coming!” I muttered under my breath while ruffling through the bag to find a bottle.

Liam placed a hand on my arm and twisted it, making me wince. The beta met my eyes, his lips set in a firm line. That was the face he made when he was severely disappointed. I lived with that face for years, so I knew very well about it.

“What?” I twisted my mouth.

“Did you fight with him purposely? What is going on, Aiden?”

I let out a sigh at the question, my shoulder slumping down. Out of my peripheral vision, I saw that we were all alone by the benches. Assuming that I told Liam about my outburst with Rose and a secret she told me. Of course, I did not reveal the secret because I had no idea if my mate wanted everyone else to know.

Crossing his arms against his chest, Liam straightened his back, chewing on his bottom lip. “So let me get this straight…you are mad at our Luna for something she did not tell you first? It sounds very childish even for you, Aiden!”

“That’s not the point!” I groaned. “It’s a huge secret, Li, and she told that trainer punk before she confided in me.”

“So?” He blinked.

I opened my closed my mouth. “So?! I am hurt by that. Why are you not taking my side?”

“Because you are being silly right now.” Liam rolled his eyes, his voice lowering. “No offence Aiden but you were kind of an ass to her in the beginning. Did you think of that?”

My lips parted at that, opening and closing like a fish.

“It’s a miracle she gave you a chance after the shit you pulled and that Ria thing. Don’t go ruining it because of your jealousy with Caden.” He continued.

Realisation dawned on me, a ball forming in my throat as I started reminiscing our old days. Liam was right. Even if Rose had told me about it, I would have made fun of her or laughed in her face. The omega had a lot many reasons not to approach me with such a precious secret.

My head fell forward, and I let out a guttural sound, thinking about how I did not bother listening to her a few minutes ago. Liam shifted closer to me.

“What did you do now?”

“I-I might have stormed out of the house.”

“What are we going to do with you?” Liam made a tiring sound.

***

I went through different tasks in a daze, taking a quick shower and letting the hot water wash the metallic smell of blood off my body. There's a slight bruise under my ribs which will fade in a couple of hours, and some scrapes on my palms, but I was otherwise unscathed. Quickly changing my clothes, I rushed back to the cabin only to find it locked. Weird.

Stepping inside, I noticed it was empty. Panic surged through my body, my feet staggering towards the bedrooms. Both of them were untouched. Where did Rose go? I couldn’t help but remember the tears in her eyes, and it made me still.

Did she leave me for good? A lump formed in my throat which I painfully swallowed and descended the stairs. I cursed under my breath, fingers curling into fists and stomach swooping. How could she leave without informing?

Just then, I heard the knob wriggling, and my heart started pounding.

Rose pushed in through the doors, pale and looking sickly like she had seen a ghost. Her pupils dilated when our eyes clashed, the omega freezing in the spot. Without thinking, I rushed to her and threw my arms around the omega, my eyes clenched tight. Her scent tickled me, my body going lax in the hug.

“Oh, baby, I thought you left me.” I exhaled loudly. Pulling back, my hands cradled her cheeks in between, thumb stroking her tenderly. “Where have you been?!”

***