Chapter 66: Chapter 66

A familiar figure approached me seconds later while still crying my eyes out on the old bench. I tried to inhale blink the tears, raising my hand to press the tips against my eyes. The Alpha cleared his throat, his stare digging into me. Did he see my tears? I hoped not.

“Rose.” He croaked, his voice barely above a whisper, leaning forward. “What happened? Are you okay?”

At the question, I froze, struggling to make sense of how I felt. Part of me felt like I was purposely thrown in deep waters and trying to kick and flail my limbs to try and go back to the surface.

Opening my mouth to say something, I expected the words to flow out, elaborate, but my mouth twisted instead.

“This is awkward,” I blurted out, my eyes widening and my hand twitching, wanting to fly to my treacherous mouth to cover it. Internally I cringed, not wanting to show my tears to Caden. “You did not see anything.”

Averting my eyes, I stared at the cobblestone sidewalk outside, praying hard for the ground to open up and swallow me down, when a burst of loud laughter filled the air between us. From the corner of my eyes, I saw the Alpha sporting the ghost of a lopsided smile. Caden’s face still displayed hesitance, stoic, but there’s still that gentle little smile, that melody of his deep voice as he laughed, and somehow, I managed to sag my shoulders.

“Are you trying to make up for your crying by acting cool now?” He raised his brow.

“I thought we agreed to forget about it.”

“I never agreed to anything.”

I huffed, slumping against the chair, my nostrils flaring as the icy air nipped at my exposed arms. Caden’s feet accidentally knocked against mine, but hastily, he tucked his feet underneath the bench, a grimace gracing his features.

“Sorry about that.”

I shook my head. “No worries. What are you doing out here? It’s late at night.”

“I could ask you the same question.” I watched the alpha with lines of confusion marring his face, which deepened as I let the silence settle over us. “Shouldn’t you be in your cabin with your Alpha?”

Bitter laughter escaped my lips at the mention of Aiden. I don’t think he considers himself to be my Alpha. Not after the way he acted tonight and hearing it from Caden sounded like a joke.

“What’s so funny?”

I wryly twisted my lips. “Nothing.”

The Alpha exhaled loudly as if he sensed that I was trying to avoid talking about Aiden. He angled his body to my side, arching his brow. “So, how was your training with Ellen today?”

My lips twitched at that, crinkles forming by my eyes. “Your girlfriend can be super friendly when she wants to be.”

“She’s not my girlfriend!” Caden quickly corrected, crossing his arms together, The lapels of his jacket twisting. “When will you let it go?”

“Aww”, I made a sound. “Never. Why don’t you ask her out then? She is pretty and an excellent trainer.”

Caden shrugged, staring into the distance, a blank look on his face. What was his problem? Most Alphas would be arrogant over the fact that someone liked them the way Ellen did. He was truly missing out.

Suddenly I related to Ellen, the fact almost making me recoil. We both liked someone who may never reciprocate our feelings.

“What is it?” I nudged at his sides. “Do you like someone else?”

“It’s getting late, Rose. We should head back now.” Caden abruptly stood up, his eyes looking around, cheek tinted pink, which I assumed must be due to the wind. On cue, I shivered as the cold air slipped underneath my dress. A curse fell from my mouth as I recalled hanging my coat in the packhouse.

“Here” The Alpha handed me his coat as if he read my mind, a smile touching his eyes. “Take it. You must be cold.”

“What about you?”

“Alphas have a high tolerance towards cold.”

“Show off.” I rolled my eyes, trying to make the situation less tense, and it didn’t help that Caden was staring at me the entire time. As soon as I pulled it over my body, his scent seeped into the air, my nostrils flaring. “Thank you, Caden.”

I let out a sigh, my tense shoulders dropping, my entire body practically falling forward at the warmth. Taking a step back, my hands fell to the sides, the tip of fingers brushing against the soft fabric of Caden’s coat draped over me.

“I— I have to go. Thanks for the coat. I will return to you after washing.” I blurted out, then shouldered past the Alpha and walked towards the dark path.

***

My lips pressed in a line when I saw that the cabin was unlocked. Aiden must have come back from the dinner. Schooling my features, I inhaled sharply, fully intended to confront him after the way he behaved tonight. My knees buckled as I opened the door and softly closed it behind me.

The thick scent of the Alpha clouded me, my fingers fisting the material of the coat. I noticed light casting a shadow from under his door, so my feet carried to his room.

“Alpha?” I knocked on the door, suddenly throat going dry at the thought of confronting him.

The door was pulled open, Aiden holding the handle, his eyes boring into me. My mouth parted when I realised his hair was sticking out, eyes blinking at me. Was he sleeping all this time? My heart squeezed painfully, an ache forming in between my ribs and spreading all over. Like a fool, I sat on the bench and kept hoping that he would follow me, ask me the reason I stormed off and then we will walk it out.

His eyes suddenly widened, the grip on the handle tightening until his knuckles turned white, a low growl escaping. “You couldn’t even wait for a day, huh?” The Alpha took a step closer, his breath falling on my face and reeking of alcohol.

I gulped at the bitterness in his voice, the hateful eyes settling on my throat. “What are you talking about?”

Aiden let out a chuckle, shaking his head. “How long are you going to keep this act?”

“I don’t understand what you are talking about.”

The Alpha scoffed, his arm reaching out and grabbing my wrist, fingers curling around. A wince escaped my lips as his nails pierced my skin. “You were with that Alpha trainer, weren’t you?”

I tried to pull my arm away, gritting my teeth together. “Why do you care?!”

He tugged on my arm, causing me to collide against his chest. My nose nudged his clavicle, tears brimming in my eyes at the impact, but I blinked back. The Alpha made a distress sound, using his other hand to tilt my head. “Are you not going to defend yourself right now? Give a lame excuse as to why you are wearing his coat?”

His hand tugged on the sleeves so hard that the sound of cloth tearing echoed around. The Alpha still didn’t let go of my arm. My eyes burned with tears, but I didn’t blink, steadily meeting his empty ones. “Will you even believe them?”

Aiden was silent for a few seconds too long, his grasp loosening to which I released my hand and took a step back. Rubbing on the nail marks, I met his eyes, teeth grinding together. “Don’t ever do that!”

Aiden appeared like he had been slapped, his face hardened, and his jaw clenched tight. “Why? I thought you liked me. Did you suddenly change your mind?” He mimicked, repeating the words from my drunken state. “I wish you would like me back, Alpha.”

My face flamed at those words, humiliation poring into my skin like hot wax, the back of my neck prickling. I let out a breath, taking a step back, something breaking inside me at that moment. “I don’t have a lot of regrets, Alpha, but now I do. Thanks to you.”

Aiden didn’t say anything, just kept staring at me, and I was embarrassed, tired and angry to look at his face. I turned on my heel, giving a look over my shoulder, biting on my lip to control the storm raging inside me. “Don’t worry about my feelings anymore, Alpha. After what you did today, they won’t be around for a long time.”

With that, I hurriedly rushed to my room and slammed the door shut.

***