Chapter 47: Chapter 47

When Aiden stared at me, his eyes going wide, it made my heart beat faster breath hitch. For a second, I couldn't believe that those words slipped past my mouth. A blush tinted my cheeks, hot and red, as I tried to avert my eyes from his handsome face.

The feeling was so overwhelming, melting my insides. Aiden asked me to go shopping with him and even let me get whatever I wanted from the never ending aisles. Just to appease him, I threw random items in the cart.

I have never been able to switch off my brain—a habit that's been awful as a child, loud and brash and unable to stay still with my mind providing a constant stream of thoughts. The sole reason I continued to get into trouble, mostly because I hadn't been able to keep my mouth shut, hadn't been able to keep these thoughts to myself. It's unsettling, honestly.

A smirk overtook his features as he stilled in front of me, raising his brow. "You'll miss me?"

I spluttered, dumbly shaking my head. "I meant...I will miss having you around."

A horrified gasp escaped my lips as the smirk on his face grew into an amused smile. Chewing on my bottom lip, I turned around on my feet, cringing internally. What was wrong with me? I was unable to meet his eyes any longer, my entire face feeling hot at this point. No doubt the Alpha was finding this situation funny.

I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole, free me from what will be my most embarrassing moment. My heart thudded against my chest, fingers digging into my sides painfully.

Aiden huffed a laugh seconds later, lowly whispering. "You are something else, Rose."

I sighed, shoulders sagging as I had no idea if he meant that in a mean way or a funny way. My eyes widened as his fingers nudged my elbow, almost making me jolt in the spot. Shivers ran down my spine as I slowly turned around.

He was staring at me intently, a furrow in between his brows, lips pinched tight, and eyes glimmering under the moonlight.

"It's getting late. Let's go."

Disappointment curled into my belly as those words sank in. I was hoping to spend some more time with him. If not for Ria spoiling our mall plan, we would have been picking coats together. Bobbing my head, I dragged my feet along, ignoring the sliver of a gap between our bodies.

***

A couple of cabins were alight as we started to walk down the same path, the wind blowing past us. The snow on the trail mostly disappeared by now, leaving behind nothing but brown mush and slippery surfaces. Aiden was quiet, staring into the dark road ahead of us, his hands gripping bags by his side.

As soon as we stood by the doorstep of our cabin, stomach clenching at the thought of going inside. The Pack Alpha produced the key and opened it, efficient in handling bags by his side.

"Come on"

Silence stretched between us as I stood on the porch, eyes flickering between Aiden and the opened door. Slowly, the Alpha moved towards me, shuffling closer, one arm resting on the door. I had no time to produce a single syllable before the Alpha hauled me by my shoulders. A whimper slipped past my lips as I realised his body crowded me against the solid wood, leaving me nowhere to go.

Aiden was warm and solid and painfully familiar, his curls tickling the side of my face, arms encircling my body, making all nerves stand on end. He hunched over like he's trying to curl himself around me entirely. We were still practically out in the open, cool breeze nipping at our skin.

"What are you doing to me?”

I opened my mouth to answer but stilled when his eyes focused on my glistening lips. My stomach flared with unsaid desire, palms clammy and throat dry all of a sudden. His scent tickled my nostrils, surrounding us like a bubble.

A low buzz started to ring in my ears, blurring too sharp edges until everything felt soft and light.

"A-Alpha", I whined as he closed the distance between us. Every fibre in my body was crawling and twitching as our torsos meshed together. My eyes fluttered close on their own, heart racing at the thought of having his lips on me.

Just like that, his body heat disappeared, clearing his throat and looking away. “I-I need to….umm….start packing."

Aiden twisted walked past me, taking away all the warmth that surrounded us a while ago. I let out a sigh, bitterly smiling and blaming myself for harbouring these kinds of feelings.

***

When I opened my eyes and light flooded across the bed, I almost jumped out of my skin in panic. The Alpha would be leaving for his trip soon. Sitting up, I let the sheets slide off my body.

I dragged my limp, tired body out of bed, and the room was so warm I didn't even shiver as I walked to the cabinet to examine the clothes. Most of them were still in the washing machine, in desperate need of a wash, while others are drying out on the window sill.

Pulling some random mismatched pair of loose tee and pants, I wandered out of the room. The trousers were oversized on me as they belonged to my sister, sitting low on my hips, so I rolled them up at the ankles to not accidentally step on the hems.

I followed the corridor with slow steps, listening out, pulse accelerating when I heard the Alphas voice, fortunately, just a few doors down. I didn't hesitate, didn't think twice before pushing the door open.

And just like that, my world froze.

Aiden was not alone. He's sitting at a round table, a tray with steaming tea right in the middle, and Ria on the other side.

They were holding hands. Mostly she was affectionately patting the back of his hand, leaning forward in her chair.

My breath caught in the throat, and I couldn't help but glare at them. Especially at that woman who purposely left me in the mall. What was she doing here early in the morning?

The Alphas shirt was still crinkled and not done up all the way; hair mussed up as he rolled out of bed. Most of the loose strands fell on his forehead. There are pillow marks on his cheeks which only made my heart beat louder.

Both of them were looking at me, one pair of eyes assessing in mere curiosity while the other one giving me a stinky eye.

"Rose," The Alpha breathed, and the legs of his chair scraped over the floor. Aiden moved towards me, but I only noticed out of the corner of my eyes, gaze frozen on Ria, who was still observing me with an innocent smile.

My heart was thudding in my chest.

I shrank back so violently that my legs almost gave away, my back colliding with the doorframe. Aiden's brow furrowed, his expression slightly confused, but my eyes keep flickering between him and his friend. He must have sensed the thoughts going in my head because the Alpha grabbed my hand, stilling me before moving the both of us into the hallway, shutting the door as we slipped away.

"Rose," He whispered again, reaching for me, and I fought the urge to flinch back again. “It’s not what you think. Ria is here to apologise for yesterday after I talked to her."

I let out a shaky exhale. My heart was still beating fast, but here between just us, it's starting to calm down again. “Oh”

***