Chapter 113: Chapter 113

imp a/n at the end

***

The Alpha exhaled sharply, leaning up to suck a slick kiss from my raw, barely bitten lips. “I don’t want to let you go, baby.” But his hands left my lower body and reached up to touch the edges of my jaw. From up close, I could see that his eyes were darker, pupils dilated as they found mine.

No words escaped my mouth at that, throat going dry. All I knew right then was that my lips throbbed with a dull ache, wet and raw from my mate's mouth and teeth. My entire body felt as though in a state of incompetence, muscles soft, and bones unreliable under me. For all I knew, my knees would give out within a minute.

Aiden narrowed his eyes, a noticeable quirk to his lips like he enjoyed the slight change in my breathing, cheeks red. There’s the ever-present unabashed hunger, sometimes revealed in a glance or a once-over or his jeans-clad knee periodically brushing against mine.

“How about we do some shots?” The Alpha asked, slowly taking a step back. A glance across the shelves behind the wall says there’s a variety of liquor to choose from. But I cannot. Not because my body goes lax from one drink, but I had a pup or two in my belly. The thought of drinking something rose bile in my throat.

“Umm…I don’t think so.” Nerves gripped my insides. It felt as if my body had too much energy drumming within me to the point I wanted to jump out of my skin almost. It led to me tapping my leg up and down—shifting incessantly as I tried to avoid his stare.

“Why not?” The Alpha pulled a face. “It’s fun. Besides, I will do it with you.”

A nervous laughter escaped my lips, looking around as the couples continued with their slow grinding. I put a hand on his bicep, feeling his warm skin and body almost going lax in my hold.

“Aiden, I want to remember this day and also not wake up with a hangover. You can drink if you want and I will stay by your side. Hmm?”

He huffed. “There’s no fun in that. Fine, we can leave early if you want.”

I let out a breath I had been holding. The Alpha did not press for more questions even though I expected him to grill me more. I have refused to drink any alcohol since the moment I stepped here.

“Thank you, Alpha.” I pressed a kiss on his cheek and quickly tugged on his arm.

The image of our dancing flooded my brain, and I couldn’t stop shivering at the fresh memories that had only just been created.

***

When I woke up the following day, Aiden was not next to me. Panic gripped me tightly, and I sat up so quickly that my head spun and vision blurred out. Blindly, I tore the sheets away from my body, but they twisted around, almost making me stumble.

Where did the Alpha go?

My feet carried me to the attached living area of our room only to find my mate there. Tension lingered in the air, the hair on the back of my neck standing up. I opened and closed my mouth, unsure how to start the conversation. Aiden was sitting at the round table, a white tray with steaming tea right in the middle, face blankly staring at the wall in front. I noticed that his shirt was still crinkled and not done up all the way, hair mussed up and lips red. Did he sit here all night?

At my curious footsteps in his direction, the Alpha tilted his head to my side, eyes widening.

“Rose,” He whispered and then the legs of his chair scraped over the floor. The Alpha moved towards me, but I only noticed out of the corner of my eyes, gaze frozen on the packed pieces of luggage. I could hear the sound of my heart pounding loudly in my chest. Aiden touched his fingers to my cheek, drawing my attention in. “I got a call from Liam, and we have to leave for the pack house now.”

My breath caught in my throat at that, sensing the desperation and agony in his voice. Blinking, I placed a hand on his shoulder, slowly nudging him. “What happened?”

“M-My mother…the old Luna of the Pack, is back.”

***

The ride back home was a blur of events. I tried to talk with Aiden, but he kept it all to himself, still reeling from the news. My brain was too numb to process sudden changes of events as well. Why did his mother come back so sudden? There must be a hidden agenda for her arrival, and my mate must be thinking about the same.

Dropping me off to our cabin, the Alpha bid me a goodbye and went to see Liam. I understood that he was not in a suitable space and let him go. Still, I did not want to stay back when the entire pack was probably just as taken back as us. I locked our cabin and started heading towards the pack house. Beth would have some answers.

“Here.” The housekeeper said with a weak smile as she placed a cup on the table in the kitchen.

“I’d have preferred something stronger, you know?” I said with a small sigh staring at the chamomile tea, hands wrapping around the mug. “Still, thanks for the tea.”

“Thanks, Luna.”

“Speaking of Luna, I heard that Aiden’s mother is back. Where is she?”

Real smooth, Rose. I thought to myself as I innocently blinked in her direction. Beth took a step forward, plopping on the barstool opposite mine.

“Who told you?”

“Aiden. Was it supposed to be a secret?”

The housekeeper sighed again. “We are trying to keep the information contained at the moment.”

“Who’s we?”

“I, Pack Alpha and Liam.”

“Got it! So where is she?” My eyes roamed around the packhouse in hopes of catching a glimpse.

“She is not here. You don’t have to worry for now. The old Luna only met our Pack Alpha, and he has fallen sick ever since. If must be the shock of seeing his mate after so long.” Beth made a pitiful sound.

“Alexander is sick?” Panic gripped my insides at the information. What could have Luna possibly said to him?

“Mhm. He is resting in his room now.”

“There’s something else.”

“What?”

“Follow me.” The housekeeper’s stool creaked as she suddenly stood up and turned on the heel of her legs.

Without a word, I got up and followed her to the small hallway and towards the back door, where it led into the garden. There were a few pairs of dirt-crusted boots and empty flowerpots standing on the terraced section, some weeds poking through cracks in the stones as we walked along. With quick but strangely enough timid and unsure strides, Beth made her way down the stretch of damp grass.

“Look at this.”

There was a sizeable chunk of fence missing, wooden planks lying on the grass, splinters sticking to the ground. Beth kept chewing on her lips, her arms folded in front of her chest. She remained quiet, knowing that she didn’t need to explain anything further.

I waited for a moment, breathing in and out, trying to pick scents before walking closer to the fence to inspect the area. It had rained so much over the last day and a half that all traces that could have meant are most likely washed away already. A sigh escaped my lips. I stepped around the pieces of wood, ignoring the shed, for now, trying to find something.

“When did this happen?” I asked, taking a few careful steps ahead, ground squelching beneath his boots.

“I’m not sure of the time,” Beth replied wearily, her shoulders sagging. “But everything was fine last night.”

“We should all be more careful.”

“I just don’t understand,” Beth exhaled, wringing her pale hands. “Why did the old Luna come back? Do you think she is hiding something?”

“Beth, we all are in the same situation here.” I quickly cut her off. Ellen may be helpful in this kind of situation. I should go and see her so that we can work together on this. “But I will be working on getting to the end of this, I promise.”

“That’s not all….” Beth chewed on her lips, her eyes darting to the shed a few feet away, and I could tell that she was mulling over in her head. “An omega is missing as well,” The housekeeper pressed out after a minute and unlaced her fingers, rubbing her hands up and down her arms to suppress a chill that has nothing to do with this dreadful weather.

“What?!”

***