Chapter 106: Chapter 106

My brows knitted together at the shift in Aiden’s mood, his scent turning slightly bitter. I followed the line of his vision to see a young woman walking in our way, her lips quirked in a smile. The Alpha almost crushed the cone in his hand, a wince slipping past him before he threw away the entire gelato in the bin.

“Alpha Aiden.” The stranger bowed down in front of him before straightening up and turning to face me. Her lips pressed in a thin line.

“Do you two know each other?” I asked, pressing closer to the Alpha.

“Yes”

“No”

They both replied in unison, making me shift my eyes between them. I arched my brow at that, noticing Aiden’s jaw clench. Before he could reply, the beta woman in front of us broke the silence.

“I am Raven and used to be in his pack. There’s another one, Sylvie, but she is not here with me today. We were all close friends.” She chirped, her voice unkind and a fake twitch to the round lips. “And you are?”

I couldn’t help but notice the way Aiden went rigid at the mention of another woman. He stood there, hands folded behind and staring at the clear skies. What was going on with him? Why did he refuse to interact with his old pack member? Did something happen between them?

“Excuse me?” The beta cleared her throat. “Hello! I asked you a question. It’s rude not to answer.”

My mouth opened and closed at the blunt nature, especially her attitude towards me, all entitled and shameless. Not that I owed her an answer, to begin with. I opened my mouth, but Aiden beat me to it.

“She’s my omega. Can you stop bothering us?”

Colour drained her face at that, eyes going wide as she turned in my direction. A surge of emotions filled her, teeth-gritting together as she crossed her arms. “I can’t believe this! You already moved on from Sylvie? How could you do this to her?”

It was not difficult for me to connect dots after that. Her friend used to go out with Aiden, and not they broke up, but Raven was still in denial. Still, that did not give her any right to treat me so poorly.

“Is it because of this omega?!” The beta pointed an accusing finger towards my chest, rage flashing across her features.

I huffed, pinning her with an impatient look. Something unexplainable surged in me, and I could not hold back anymore. “Okay, that’s enough. I don’t know your problem, but you are ruining our holiday. I don’t care if you are an old friend, but get that attitude in check and get out of the way.”

Her mouth slacked at that, not expecting me to retort and take all this time quietly. Embarrassed, she turned to Aiden, her lips folded together. “Are you going to let her talk to me like this?”

“You had it coming.” Aiden rolled his eyes. “Treat others you want to be treated, Raven. We are done talking. Excuse us.”

With that, the Alpha wrapped his hand around my wrist and started walking towards the dock again. All this while, I could feel her intense gaze penetrating my back but did not turn back. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Aiden exhale a deep breath, his head cast down and shoulders slumping in relief.

“Are you okay?” I asked quietly.

“Raven used to be a good friend but always had a nasty personality.” He admitted with a twist of his lips. “I am sorry you had to hear that. She doesn’t know when to shut up.”

My lips twitched at that. “That’s alright. I think I can handle her.”

“Well, you did. That was impressive.”

At that genuine praise and awe in his voice, my cheeks turned pink. I don’t know where that came from but hearing her talk made me see red. With a bashful smile curling on my lips, I looked away from him and focused on the beautiful view in front of us.

***

I was itching to ask Aiden about his ex-girlfriend and that crazy Raven, but instead, I let it go. The Alpha would tell me on his own, or so I wanted to believe instead of pushing him. We had a nice dinner in the hotel before retiring to our room.

Back in our cabin, we stayed in different rooms, but I had the chance to sleep in his bed far too many times. This felt different. Exhaling loudly, I changed into my nightgown and laid on the bed, legs aching.

The whole day was crazy, right from the beginning. From finding out I was pregnant to a crazy encounter with a woman from Aiden’s past. On instinct, my hand rested on my stomach, trying to feel something. I should find a clinic and get an official confirmation before thinking about the next steps.

I heard the heavy footsteps of the Alpha approaching me, the bathroom door clicking shut. He took place beside me, the bed dipping under his weight. Aiden extended his hand and, slowly, started to run his fingers over my bare arm. My toes curled around tightly at the touch.

“Can I?” He murmured, his voice deep and syrupy.

It didn't take more for him to tug away from the thin blanket I had used to cover myself with. Goosebumps were breaking out all over my skin, not from the cold, but from the way the Alpha was looking at me, his engaging gaze visible even in the dim light of the room.

His fingers began to trail up to my neck, now, then moved down again, spanning my chest this time. He had barely even made a move, and I felt like I was coming undone already. My breathing got erratic; my heart started pounding loudly. Aiden was leaning over me now, but still, the only part of him connecting to me were his fingers as they caressed my body.

“Aiden”, I stuttered out, helpless, but he didn't pay me any mind, instead of running his fingers over my hips, then slowly inching towards my stomach.

My arm shot out and stopped him before he could touch my belly, fear creeping inside. “Can we cuddle instead? I am tired.”

“Okay, baby. Whatever you want.”

I let out a sigh, nuzzling into his thin shirt, my eyes rolling back. I breathed it in unabashedly, letting the scent seep into my insides and ease the tension in my limbs. My breathing went shallow as he wrapped his arm around my waist, tugging me closer and igniting another level of panic.

His arm stayed there, unmoving, forcing me to let those worrying thoughts drift away, sinking back into his hold and letting his soft breaths lull me into a sleepy, content state. I savoured the feeling of being wrapped in the arms of an Alpha, lips curving in a smile.

***

Aiden shifted slightly, snuffling in his sleep. I could feel his lips brush over my hair gently, making me shiver at the warm feeling. Uncurling my fingers from holding onto his shirt, I started to flex them with a wince. I had been holding on so tightly, and now my fingers felt sore and numb.

Blinking against the light streaming from the window, I slowly looked at the clock only to realise it was eight in the morning. As I tried to shift, I noticed a heavy arm still wound around me. It made me fondly roll my eyes at his display of affection.

I tried to lift his arm while at the same time trying not to wake him up. The loud pounding of my heart underneath his palm ultimately stirred the alpha awake. Aiden tugged at our linked hands and held them up near his face. I watched him with a furrow in between my brows as he slowly pressed a soft kiss to the back of my hand.

My cheeks flushed, my omega preening at the show of tenderness.

“Good morning, baby.” He rasped, his voice gritty and deep as his other hand pressed to my cheek.

“Morning,” I breathed, voice muted. I let out a small sigh before turning over, so we were facing each other. “What are we doing today?”

Aiden grinned. “Oh, you have no idea the things I have planned for us!”

***