Chapter 65: Chapter 65

Ria innocently blinked her eyes, the glow on her face and bright tilt to her lips burning something inside me. I grind my teeth together, silence blanketing us as we kept staring at each other. When did she come back? I thought then rectified myself. Why did she come back?

She leaned forward and touched my elbow, showing off her pearly whites. “I can make you a drink, too. Do you want one?”

I recoiled at the touch, taking a step back, my lips curling in disgust. Why would I ever take anything she has to offer? My eyes shifted towards Aiden for a second, who seemed impassive, staring at his glass and ignoring us.

“No, thank you.” I took a step back. “I don’t drink.”

“You can try tonight.”

“I don’t think so.”

Why was she not letting it go? Maybe the beta wanted me to drink and act out in front of everyone? Embarrass myself?

“Oh, sad. I could have made you something.”

Aiden suddenly stood up, abandoning his drink on the table, not bothering to look at me. The Alpha tugged on her wrist, creating some distance between us. A lump lodged in my throat at that; jaw clenched tight. Why was he holding her so casually? What was going on between them? Am I missing something?

So many questions arose in my mind, but I was trying to quell the curiosity.

“Ria, come on, let’s go meet my dad.”

“Of course.”

The beta let out a breathy chuckle, not bothering to pull away from his hold, fixating her stare on me, a glint in them. “I missed this place. I’ll be back, Rose.”

Please don’t. I wanted to say those words to her face; instead, I bobbed my head. Ria gave me one last look before walking away with Aiden by her side. I watched their backs, something burning inside me as they faded from my sight.

***

Alexander insisted on us having dinner with him before retiring for the night. I had no interest in watching Ria and Aiden plastered together, having drinks, so my feet carried me to the kitchen. I froze as I heard hushed whispers from inside.

“Did you see Pack Alpha and Ria drinking together?” One of them quipped from the group of four. They were all unmated omegas who helped out in the kitchen.

“Of course. They are always doing that. Nothing new.”

Jealously sizzled in the pit of my stomach, face turning pale around the edges, but I made no move. My feet were rooted by the doorstep.

“I thought he would stop acting carefree with her after finding his mate.” An omega with long hair said, leaning against the kitchen island.

Someone snorted from the group. “Please! They have been attached at the hip for so long I don’t think anyone is going to come between them.”

“You know I thought that he would take her as his mate. They both look good together.”

“Me too!” A sigh followed. “She was gone for a while maybe that’s why he had no choice.”

“Hmm”

“Oh, I feel bad for our Luna.”

“Yeah, me too.”

Tears prickled in my eyes, toes curling around my footwear, hands rolling into fists by my side. Truth is often bitter, they say but hearing those words, I had never judged the intensity. Every single one of them prickled at my skin, heart-clenching painfully.

Beth cleared her throat, rushing to swat across their arms and forcing them to get back to work. I cleared my throat, stepping in and pretended not to have heard anything.

After all, that’s all I could do.

***

We all sat down for dinner. I helped out Beth to make some curry she was trying out—a new recipe. Alexander made sure that I was sitting next to Aiden, going as far as reserving the seat for me. I tried to protest, insist that I would have dinner later, but the Senior Alpha didn’t budge.

“Come to think of it, you both did not have a honeymoon.” Alexander cleared his throat, breaking the silence that befell us. He was grinning, eyes flickering between both of us. “It was always one thing or other. Now that Aiden is back, you both can start planning something. Go away for few days.”

"We don't need a honeymoon to enjoy our time together. Right, Rose?" The Alpha placed his hand on my thigh from under the table and squeezed it. I jerked at his touch, my head turning around, eyes wide. What was he doing?

It was a warning, the squeeze, but after all that time from getting nothing from Aiden, this was all too much. I tried to push his hand away, but the green-eyed Alpha gripped tighter.

My hand reached for the water, gulping down and trying not to choke. When his hold did not slip, I realised that Aiden was waiting for me to answer. Sucking a deep breath, I turned to Alexander. “Aiden is right. Right now, we don't need to have a honeymoon. Maybe later." I tried to smile as best as I could, still hazed a little by the touch burning on my thigh.

Alexander shrugged. “It’s your choice after all. I would have appreciated gifting you both with tickets, though.”

Guilt swarmed in my belly. I was aware that Aiden’s father truly cared for us and wanted us to move forward. Especially after he saw how agonised I was and missing my Alpha.

“Thank you for the offer, Alexander.” I tried to muster a smile, my fork digging into the potatoes on the side. With that, Aiden pulled back his hand.

Beth came out with the tray of crushed ice and syrup on top and handed me one of the bowls. The housekeeper warmly smiled at me, her hand resting on the back of my shoulder. “You said that you liked it, so I made it for you.”

“Oh, you like it? I want one too!” Alexander laughed out loud when my whole body stilled in the chair.

That one word struck me, a low gasp slipping out my lips as I recalled the events of the night before. In my drunken state, I asked Aiden to like me back. Not only that, but I also confessed to liking him. A hand slapped over my mouth, the sudden realisation making me cringe.

“I am sorry.” I abruptly stood up, the legs of the chair scraping against the floor. “Excuse me.”

Before anyone could say anything, I turned on the heel of my feet and rushed out of the dining room. I had never felt so small and insignificant before, my heart twisting in my chest. Angry tears slid past my eyes, dribbling down my cheek and rolling down my chin.

My mind replayed the few times Aiden would smile at me from across the table, not smirk but a genuinely warm smile. The Alpha had me swooning hopelessly over his charm. I was dim enough to think Aiden was starting to like me, especially after the gifts he bestowed upon me before leaving for war. It could've been my mind playing tricks on me, but sometimes I caught him looking at me a little too long or staring at my lips.

Have I been living in a delusion all along?

The cold, sharp wind nipped at my skin as I collapsed on the nearby bench. My feet didn’t want to move towards the cabin, afraid of stepping in and breaking down.

I thought about the Alphas deep voice, forest green eyes, perfect brown curls at the end of his hair, the way he looked at me and the way he moved his hands when explaining things, everything about him.  All in all, Aiden had been perfect. That’s what I had been thinking ever since the moment my eyes fell on him.

Stop it! Rose. I chided myself, wiping at the tears in hopes to stop thinking about the Alpha. I was far deep as it was. All this while, I have been craving comfort and attention from someone who only ended up hurting me in the process. It was an inescapable fate for me to start liking Aiden, who had no clue about my feelings. Now that I was halfway there, I didn't know how to stop my heart from hurting the rest of myself.

***