Chapter 105: Chapter 105

/Aiden's POV/

A strange sort of silence settled over the living room as several pairs of eyes directed my way. Ellen and Caden might also be interested in knowing the explanation, but still, their scent in our cabin irked me. It was my fault at the end of the day, so I will have to deal with the slight inconvenience. Taking both her wrists in my hand, I made sure to drag Rose near the couch and sat her down.

"Seeing you laugh and talk freely with Caden made me jealous. It still does." I admitted, my cheeks going red. "He is an Alpha, and it makes me angry that you both hit it off so well. Walking out, I saw him in the training ground, and everything came surging to me."

A low sigh escaped my mates lips at that, her head cast down. My grip loosened, and I narrowed my eyes towards Ellen. The omega seemed so furious on his behalf; it sparked an interest in me. Something was going between them—all I wanted Caden to know was that nothing would ever happen between Rose and him.

"Aiden..."

"I know that's silly, but I will work on that." I breathed out, rubbing on her pulse point, watching her breath hitch. “Please forgive me, baby.”

There was a sound from behind, probably Ellen judging from the light scoff, but I did not care to turn around. Rose had a blank look on her face before nodding hesitantly in my direction. I whooshed a breath I had been holding, fully expecting the omega to give me a hard time. Or worst, cancel our trip because too many things have been unravelling on the same day.

“Alright…” Rose clicked her tongue, lifting her head to meet Ellen’s eyes. “I can let it slide, but you have someone else to apologise to."

Exhaling loudly, I stood up and slowly turned my head towards Caden. The Alpha stood out like a sore thumb in our living room, an awkward quirk to his lips. I guess my honest answer about the nature of the relationship he had with Rose unsettled him. Or that the Alpha had that look on his face all the time.

“I am sorry for losing my cool and hurting you, Alpha Caden.” A ball formed in my throat, jaw clenched tight because I had never imagined apologising to him. “I assure you it won’t happen again.”

He coughed, slowly nodding his head and shifting his eyes to Ellen. The omega remained impassive, almost bored at my earnest apology—the gall.

“It’s alright, Alpha Aiden. You can buy me drinks later tonight.”

Ellen made a noise, sharply punching at his shoulder. “You are hurt! You cannot drink until you recover from the injury.”

I cleared my throat before they could get into any further argument. It’s not like I could treat Caden to drinks in the first place, given my travelling plans with Rose.

“I don’t think it’s possible today, Caden. We have plans.” I motioned towards Rose, sitting on the couch, a weak smile tugging on her lips. What was bothering her anyway?

“Do you now?” Ellen raised her brow.

***

Shortly after discussing with them about our trip, Ellen and Caden left us alone. We had to get ready for lunch as well, so Rose slipped away before I had the chance to talk. Ignoring the heavy feeling in my stomach, I continued with my task, putting on a loose tee and slipping on the joggers as we had quite a long journey ahead of us.

“Are you ready, baby?” I knocked on the door, my feet tapping against the floor.

“Give me a minute.”

I sighed, pacing from one end to the other for a few more minutes until she opened the door. My eyes widened as the omega was wearing one of the cardigans I got for her. Her curves were hidden under the heavy knitted pink material, but Rose got cold quickly, so she snuggled into it.

“You look gorgeous.” I breathed, my mouth parting in awe.

Her cheeks turned pink, a hand coming to press against them as she fondly rolled her eyes at me, “We are getting late. Let’s go already.”

Rose still had difficulty accepting my compliments, but that never held me back from blurting my thoughts. She deserved to know.

As soon as we left our shared cabin, it was a blur, meeting the members, announcing our departure and greeting my father. He wished us bon voyage and whispered something in Rose ears that made her smile. The omega did not disclose that to me even after I asked her several times.

***

Following our three hours journey, we were finally able to land at our destination. The crisp, biting wind was gone and replaced by the pleasant flutter of a tame ocean breeze. We were escorted to the private island on a boat while Rose was still reeling from the flight journey.

The hotel staff greeted us, and the manager had a wide grin on his face. “Sir, everything is ready for tomorrow. Your card is also charged.”

I glared at him as it was supposed to be a secret for my mate. Basically, my way of telling her that we were destined mates and Rose did not have to worry anymore. Her birthday was fast approaching, and I did not want her to find out on that very day and get upset over it.

She overheard us, lines marring her face and a furrow in between her brows. “What is he talking about?”

“It’s a surprise, baby.”

A pout settled on her lips as she tried to blink innocently and pursue me, but I shook my head. It was difficult saying no to that face, but I managed.

Once we settled inside our room and unpacked the suitcase, I thought of exploring before dinner. Rose had the same idea and followed me outside.

My eyes had caught on something far out on the sea — perhaps a boat, I couldn’t quite tell but watched over the water for a moment. At the end of the horizon, the various shades of blue combined into one. Somewhere in the middle, the water appeared in its darkest form, almost matching my mates cerulean eyes.

We started to stroll along the sand, shoes held in our hands. The wind was playing uninterruptedly with Rose long hair, and seemingly unbothered, she let the wisps kiss her face. I pulled my sunshades from the pocket and placed them over my nose.

“The sand is unbelievably smooth. Barely any rocks, huh.” I mused and waited patiently for a response, but when Rose didn’t reply even after a full minute, I slowed my pace and gently tapped her arm, just once, before locking my hands behind my back again.

“Rose, are you okay?”

The omega nervously laughed, reassuring me that it was the long travel and nothing else. We walked almost to the docks in silence, the omega keeping a slight distance and choosing to wade through the ankle-deep water. Along the way, we passed people swimming in the sea and tanning atop their towels on the beach. A group of pups played with a football, all of them at ease under the warming sun.

From the corner of my eyes, I saw Rose face break out in a grin at their sight. She tilted her head in my direction, “Aiden, can I ask you something?”

“Sure”

“What do you think of us having pups?”

Panic gripped my insides at the mention of them, a deep churning in my stomach. The question was inevitable, and as an omega, Rose must be excited about having a pup or two. However, I was not too keen on the idea considering my rough childhood.

“I don’t want them.”

Her face paled at that, lips parting. “Why? You were so good with Fauna!”

“She’s not our pup, Rose. Those are two very different things.”

“I know that, but there must be a reason, right?”

“Do we have to talk about it now?”

“Yes!” She almost exclaimed but lowered her voice, bobbing her head. “I want to know why you don’t like pups.”

“It’s not about liking but having them. My mother left me when I was young, and it drove my father to overwork. He was barely around, and I had to grow up pretty much on my own.” I shuddered at the memory, a painful lump growing in my throat. Talking about those days was pretty tricky, and I rarely tried to think about it. “I would not know how to act with a pup, much less care for it full time.”

“Yes, but you can always learn.” She insisted.

I sighed. “Let’s not talk about it and ruin the mood.”

We headed in the direction of the gelato parlour, and it wasn’t until we sat down, I noticed Rose gloomy expression. The wind had done a bit of a number on her hair, which was askew and severely tousled. What was going on in her mind?

As I angled my body in her direction, my body froze, eyes widening as I caught the sight of a familiar face approaching us.

“Raven.”

***