Chapter 111: Chapter 111

Pain shot through me like lightning, and I barely managed to suppress the gasp that's escaped me. What? My eyes widened, those words echoing in my ears as I silently stood in front of the Alpha.

“T-True, mate?” On instinct, I took a step back, pushing against the Alphas chest as hard as possible to put some distance between us. Silence lingered around; my mouth parted as I tried to take in his nervous expression.

Turning around, I started swimming to the ground, my heart thudding painfully in my chest. Aiden was not the person to lie or make fun of something like this. Why would he reveal this now? Did he know all along? I had so many different questions racing in my mind, my body feeling numb and shivering.

“Rose!” He yelled behind me, the water rippling as the Alpha steadily followed, my pace picking up at that. “Wait!”

As soon as we were back on the bridge, my arms came to wrap around my upper body, teeth chattering. A cold gust of wind blew past me, my toes curling around the wet sandals. I wanted to get out of here, seek a warm place; my throat and eyes were burning from the cold, and I suppressed the urge to scream out a litany of curses at the top of my lungs.

“Please listen to me, baby.”

I tightened the grip around my body, nose flaring as he tried to slip on his shoes. The Alpha stepped in my direction, but I put a hand in front, halting him. Just because he arranged my dream night to confess does not make it okay. Not at all.

“Is it true?” My jaw clenched tight, fingers digging painfully into my arms.

He nodded his head.

A lump formed in my throat, head raising to meet his eyes. His eyes glimmered under the moonlight, demeanour slightly flinching at my accusing glare. “How long have you known about it?”

“Rose…”

“Answer the question!”

“Quite a while now.”

“So you knew when you were planning to mate my sister?”

“Rose, please let me explain….”

Tears formed in my eyes at that, a strange twist to my heart, knees wobbling. If not for my sister's change of mind, Aiden would have gone ahead with the mating ceremony. How could he do that? Why did he do it? The Alpha hid that we were true mates all these months.

“N-No…I need some space right now. Please do not follow me.” A hot tear slid down my cheek, tongue feeling heavy as I tried to answer him. Before he could take a step forward, I turned on my feet and headed towards the lobby.

The sound of his loud exhale echoed in my ears paired with his curses, but I did not turn back. Tears started flowing freely down my cheeks, picking up the pace as I tried to get as far away from him as possible. My omega felt betrayed, used and hurt, all the worst feelings combined. Within a few weeks, I would have found out about my mate, but Aiden knew it all along and still hid it from me.

Finding an empty couch, I slumped down and pushed my head on my thighs. His past behaviour started flashing in my head; the way he treated me and made me feel worthless. A pitiful whine slipped out of my lips, body shivering. Then again, those horrid memories were replaced by the ones that never failed to make my lips twitch. Aiden repented for the mistakes and he apologised, was ready to own up to them and make changes. From what I could see, he was honestly trying his best.

***

It's quiet for a handful of beats before I heard commotion from inside, feet thundering followed by the sound of sheets ruffling. My feet froze at the door, and a second later, the door was wrenched open, and Aiden was standing right in front of me, out of breath and his chest heaving beneath his unbuttoned shirt. His hair was a tangled mess as if he had been tugging on them in frustration.

I had no time even to produce a single syllable before I was hauled by shoulders. The Alpha was warm and solid and painfully familiar, curls tickling the side of my face, arms encircling my body, making all nerves stand on end. He hunched over like he was trying to curl himself around me entirely. I felt his lips against my neck, near the bond mark, scenting me below the ear, letting out low growls.

“I thought you left me.”

I blinked at him, suddenly remembering his fear of being left behind all alone. Guilt swarmed my body, lips rolling in between my teeth as I tried to soak the warmth of his body. Slowly, he moved backwards, shuffling inside, one arm letting go of me to shut the door. I was pressed up against solid wood, a gasp slipping out of me into his shoulder.

“Please do not leave me. I promise that I will never hide things from you again,” He softly elaborated, pressing our foreheads together, making it hard to breathe. Every fibre in my body crawled and twitched. "When you didn't come back for a while, I thought I drove you away with my lie….”

My eyes caught the messy sheets and broken lamp in the corner, cringing internally. It was only two hours. How could he assume the worst? Still, I tightened my grip around him, pressing my nose in the crook of his shoulder.

“I am sorry it took me so long.”

“No!” He breathed, his heartbeat still echoing loudly in my ears. “You do not have to apologise for anything. Besides, it’s my fault for hiding things from you. I was a fool, Rose. All this time. I have been trying to figure out a way to tell you but hesitated every single time, but today, I could not stop myself. Sorry for making you wait so long.”

Pulling back, my hands come up to cradle his jaw, thumbs pressing softly against his cheekbones. “I should not have let you explain instead of running away. Sorry for freaking out on you like that.” I choked on my breath, thinking back to my crying. “I think it was worth the wait, Alpha.”

***

Usually, I never spend my time in bed for no particular reason. Aiden had his arms wrapped around my middle, and I did not want to muster up the strength to slip out from underneath the soft, warm sheets.

My body was heavy yet paradoxically weightless, a pleasant ache stuck to my limbs, and I didn’t have the desire to untangle my legs from my mates, my cold toes brushing along his ankles, seeking much-needed warmth. His body was like a furnace, arms heavy and comforting around me. My fingers had a mind of their own, unable to detach from his skin, dragging tips across until I could be sure there wasn’t an inch left touched, and I could not lift my head off his chest, listening to the solid and steady heartbeat right against my ear.

We have been quiet for a while. But the space created around didn’t need to be filled with words. There are so many things crowding it already; sounds and scents and touches. It might be too much, I thought, desperately trying to drown out yet another wave of arousal as Aiden’s hands that had been innocently drawing circles onto my middle started to slide lower, fingers curious and brash.

I turned my face into his skin, trying to muffle the groan that threatened to stumble over my lips. I felt it all the way down to toes, and it tingled as I breathed hotly over his chest. Once the Alpha was assured that I was not going to abandon him in the cabin, he let go of me.

We sat down and had a long chat, basically Aiden tried to explain his side of story. After Sylvie, things went downhill for him, and he had no interest in omegas. That’s why he tried to stay away from me, make me feel miserable in hopes that it would keep us apart. He failed.

Bending down, the Alpha started mouthing at the spot between my collarbones, blood already coming up to the surface, my mouth parting.

“A-Aiden, stop it.”

“Or what, baby?” He breathed close to my ear, sending a shiver down my spine and adding to the sensations setting my body on fire. My mouth went dry at that.

***