Chapter 79: Chapter 79

/Aiden’s POV/

Zain was calling out my mates name. I could see his figure from the rear view mirror as he kept waving like a fool. So having no choice, I quickly grabbed onto her wrist and managed to distract her. What could he possibly wants to talk with her anyway? Even during our brief meeting, the Alpha appeared seconds away from getting down on his knees and confessing his undying love for her. Zain was her past and should stay her instead of trying to come in between us.

But the way I handled things was borderline stupid, I realised as soon as we sat on the train.

Something ugly seared in my stomach as I thought of how the other Alpha looked at Rose. With fondness and longing, which made me want to gauge his eyes out. He had his chance, from what Rose told me, but instead, he chose someone else over her. How could he do that to her? What possessed him to make such a silly choice? Now that I think about it, if Zain had stayed by her side, then Rose would probably reject me.

The thought caused my throat to clog, hands curling by my side. What was this weird emotion unfurling in my chest?

As soon as we entered the train, Rose settled in the seat next to me and lolled her head back. She must be drained from all the travel and mostly the drama that followed back in her house. I started scrolling through my phone, ignoring the grinning older beta woman in front of me. She has been doing that ever since we sat down.

Engrossed in my phone, I stiffened as something heavy plopped on my shoulder, only to see Rose resting her head. I leaned back and adjusted the hair falling over her face, tucking them neatly behind her ear. Her nose twitched at the action, but she did not wake up. A sigh escaped my lips.

“Are you both newly mated?” A voice echoed in my ears.

Blinking, I turned to the older couple in front of me, slowly nodding my head. It’s been few months, but we did not go on a honeymoon yet, so maybe we fall under that category.

She cooed, nudging her mate next to her. “I told you!”

He merely rolled his eyes and went back to reading his newspaper. Instead of following her husband, the older woman started a conversation with me.

“You both suit each other.”

I glanced at Rose, her warm breathing fanning the crook of my neck, her nimble fingers gripping the shirt sleeves for support. A smile twitched my lips.

“I think so too.”

The woman beamed at me. “How did you two meet?”

It went on for a while before their stop arrived, and she had to get down. Her questions ranged from our beginning of the relationship to the nature of it. Very inquisitive that one. Before leaving, the woman pressed an envelope in my hand as a blessing to us. I tried refusing, but she cleverly dodged and rushed out with her husband in tow.

After that, I didn’t mean to fall asleep, hoping to stay awake and alert and watch Rose, but of course, I nodded off at one point, awkwardly and uncomfortably slumping my head against her. It’s just a shallow slumber that did not even make me feel marginally rested. I was jostled awake by the sudden stop, my body almost jerking in the seat.

Getting my limbs back in order and my body in an upright position, I blinked against the flittering light only to realise we were at our stop. Rose was still asleep by my side, softly snoring.

As I tried to nudge her, she let out a long and pained groan, slapping my hand away.

“Rose”, I breathed softly, patting her cheek, but she snuggled closer towards me. “Hey.”

Then it dawned on me that she had nightmares in her old bedroom and could not get enough sleep. Waking her would not be wise at the moment, so I bent down and picked her in my arms, carrying her out without hesitation.

Liam, my beta who stood outside, started grinning like a madman, his brows wriggling when I merely growled at him.

Biting on my lower lip, I straightened my back. “Go get our luggage from inside.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

***

The beta always received me from the train station with a car, so this was not new for him. However, the pack members started gawking as I walked towards the car with Rose in my arms. Some of them stopped by to make sure their Luna was healthy. I told them she was simply tired from the train journey and nothing else.

Liam teased me the entire way home, trying to get information out of me as if there was something, to begin with. I tried to stay silent the whole way, only indulging and responding with one-word answers. He must have understood the state of my mind as he stopped asking soon after. Once we reached the cabins, the beta helped me with the luggage while still holding onto Rose.

“Make sure no one disturbs us,” I told him as he was about to leave.

Liam grinned. “Got it, Alpha.”

***

There’s a fireplace in my bedroom which I installed but never used, so I had to go down the stairs again to get a few logs, filling the kettle with water while I was at it, then trudged back to the first floor. I should have let Rose sleep in the guest room; instead, I bought her to my room. Peeking at her, I quickly got a fire going, pulling the sheets tighter around her body before stepping out.

I cleaned my hands in the sink until the water running down the drain was clear. Just then, the kettle started whistling, and so I rushed to fill the teapot.

Setting the steaming pot and two cups down on my already overflowing bedside table, I sat down on the edge of the mattress. Before I could make up my mind about waking Rose, she stirred in her sleep. She shifted before slowly fluttering her eyes open, a gasp leaving her lips when she saw me.

“You are awake.”

Rose blinked confusedly, her eyes glancing around, probably taking in the room. I watched as she swiped her tongue over her bottom lip. “I thought we were on the train….” She faltered, sudden realisation dawning her face. “You…carried me here?”

I hummed. “You were deep in sleep, so I decided not to disturb you.”

I did not expect a sudden burst of her giggle to fill the room, but it did brighten my mood slightly. She quickly recovered, wearing a solemn expression, hands wrung in her lap. “I cannot believe you did not wake me up.”

“Consider yourself lucky for no one gets the chance to travel like this.” I teasingly implied, which made her groan. Before I could open my mouth, she cut me off.

“Aiden!” Her clammy hand closed around my wrist, making me stop short. I glanced up, our gazes colliding, watching as her lips quivered. “Thank you for everything.”

Her touch burned, and I swallowed down what felt like my heart beating on my tongue. “It was nothing,” I tried to play it cool, paying no mind to the goosebumps breaking out all over my body. It was like an electric shock, Rose touching me so casually, even though it shouldn’t be a big deal, even though it’s just her fingers encircling my arm.

“Here…I made us some tea,” I tried only to bridge the pressuring silence, hoping that the string of words thrown together would lessen the itch I was undoubtedly feeling inside.

“Oh”, Rose made a sound, her eyes taking in the tray placed on the bedside table. I quickly poured a cup for her, making sure not to fill up to brim as we were on the bed.

“I needed this,” She croaked, wriggling one hand out of her blanket cocoon to reach out and grip the mug. “Smells good.”

Before I could reply, the sound of the doorbell echoed sharply in my ears. With a sigh, I stood up and walked out, wondering who had the gall to disturb us.

***