Chapter 80: Chapter 80

I dragged my body out of bed, and the room was so warm I didn't even shiver while walking out. Then my eyes flickered to the fireplace only to see that Aiden had made it for me. A smile curved around my lips, eyes alight as I stared at the tea tray.

He did all those things for me, and the knowledge spread warmth in my chest, settling in my belly. Suddenly I was reminded of the harsh words that come after his actions, my toes curling.

No. I cannot let him fool me with these sweet gestures anymore. Maybe the Alpha was doing it out of pity after the things he witnessed in my old packhouse. That might be it. Straining my ears, I tried to listen to Aiden, who left the room a few minutes ago. Who could it be at the door?

My curiosity got the best of me, and I rushed out in search of Aiden.

Exhaling softly, I followed the corridor with slow steps, listening out, pulse accelerating as soon as I caught Aiden's voice, fortunately, just a few doors down.

The Alpha was not alone.

Aiden was standing by the edge of the front door, his knuckles white as he gripped tightly on the door. Who was he talking to? I thought, trying to peek through, but the Alphas body covered the person in front of him.

"Aiden? Who is it?" I asked.

He stilled, slowly turning around to meet my eyes. A loud breath whooshed out of him, body slightly angling towards me but still blocking the door.

"R-Rose! You should be resting."

"I don't think I will need to sleep for another week now."

With that, I moved towards him, only to notice out of the corner of my eyes a familiar figure staring back at me. My heart started jackrabbiting in my chest, lips parting in a low gasp. It's Zain. How did he get to this territory? Colour drained my face, and before I could say anything, the Alpha touched his fingers to my cheek, drawing my attention.

I was too late to notice him leaning in, pressing a kiss to my parted lips.

I shrank back so violently that I almost stumbled on my feet, but Aiden's arms were quick to reach out and wrap around my waist. He steadied my body. The Alpha narrowed his eyes towards me, motioning at the other Alpha in front of the door.

My brow furrowed at that, my expression slightly confused, but my eyes kept flickering between Aiden and the other two. What was he trying to say? He grabbed at my waist, pulling me flush against his body, a broad smile plastered on his face. It's fake. I could tell right away, judging by the way his nose flared and eyes stayed glued to the front.

"Rose," My Alpha called out again, his head tilting towards me for a second as I  fought the urge to flinch. "This is my closest friend, Damon. He is a Pack Alpha, and our pack helped him during the war.”

Oh. I let out a shaky exhale as Zain kept staring at me. My heart was still beating fast, hands turning clammy as seconds ticked by. Why was he here again? The question whirled in my head, but I held back, pushing my feet stubbornly against the ground.

“Right, you told me about him….” I left at that, open-ended. In reality, Aiden only mentioned him in passing, so I had no idea about their bond or anything else. It was awkward standing in front of his friend, having no clue what to say.

"Yes,” Aiden cleared his throat, sucking in a deep breath. “I did. And Zain is here with him, who you already know.”

Tension sizzled in the air, so thick that you could cut with a knife. My tongue clicked as I raised my head, forcing my lips to stay pressed together as Damon altered his eyes between us. The Pack Alpha twisted his lips, his arms coming to cross against his chest.

“You both know each other?”

“Yes, we belong to the same pack,” Zain spoke up for the first time in the past few minutes, sounding rough like he had been screaming for a while. Our gazes clashed, and I glared at him, hoping that would make him uncomfortable enough to leave.

“Isn’t that something?” Damon nudged Zain, a smile playing on his lips. “You both have a lot in common then, Aiden.”

“She used to be part of that pack.” My husband emphasised, letting out a burst of deep laughter. “Now, she is Luna of this pack.”

“An incredible feat that!” Damon awkwardly laughed, easing the silence that settled over us like a blanket. He tilted his head towards Aiden, still not moving to step inside the cabin, which I appreciated. “Aiden, why don’t we continue this in your packhouse?”

At Aiden’s silence, I elbowed his stomach, bringing him back to the present. He jumped, dumbly nodding his head, to which the Alpha locked up our cabin and started walking. To say the journey was incredibly awkward would be an understatement. Zain tried to initiate conversations while I barely gave him a word response, my Alpha huffing and puffing at something. Also, he made sure to hold my hand the entire way, his fingers entwined with mine as if I was going to run away.

If Damon noticed the sudden shift in his friends behaviour, he was an angel, not to point it out.

“We are here!” I informed.

“Finally!” I heard Damon murmur under his breath.

I breathed a sigh of relief, spotting more people around us. Before we could go in, Damon pulled Aiden away with the excuse of talking with him. The Alpha turned his head towards me as if silently trying to get my opinion. I shrugged. It’s not like Zain can attempt anything in front of other pack members.

“You both can catch up as well.” Damon smiled, patting Zain’s shoulder before turning on his feet and walking away.

Once they were out of sight, I straightened my back, arms crossing while turning to face Zain. He dared to look me in the eyes, a wide grin breaking out of his lips. “I am so….”

“Why are you here?” I cut him off before he could finish his sentence.

“Rose, can we talk somewhere quiet?” The Alpha looked around, his mouth twisting when he noticed several eyes on us. As expected, the pack members must be curious about why I talked to a stranger in front of the packhouse.

“No, thank you. Whatever you want to say can be said here.”

Besides, I did not want to go anywhere with him. It’s suffocating as it is, being this close to Zain after the way things ended between us. My face still burned with humiliation and anger the more I thought about our past.

“Can you try to be a bit nicer? I came all the way here to make sure you are okay.”

A scoff escaped my lips, eyes rolling as he tried to use a soft tone, trying to guilt trip. I was all too aware of how Zain got things done as we were in a relationship for few months. “Are you joking right now? Do you expect me to greet you with wide arms?” Then after you broke things off was implied, but I did not say it loud.

His hand went to tug at the strands of his hair, a wince slipping past his lips. Zain rolled his bottom lip inside, eyes boring into me, softening. “I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness, Rose, but I thought she was the one for me. You don’t understand how sorry I am for making such a stupid decision—”

“Why are you here?” I cut him off, not interested in knowing about his regrets.

“I-I heard about your mother and saw you leave the house abruptly.” Zain admittedly, his voice dropping low, our eyes clashing. “You did not even hear me as I ran behind the car, so I had to come here and check on you. I know how much her words affect you and make you sad.”

I clenched my jaw, ignoring the last part. “Why does that bother you?”

“Because I realised I still have feelings for you, Rose.”

***