Chapter 83: Chapter 83

/Aiden's POV/

My breath stuttered as I watched Rose from the corner of my eyes, taking a bite, my lips pressed in a thin line when I saw her audibly gulp. The omega was gripping tightly onto the edge of her chair, knuckles turning white and legs bouncing against in the spot. I instantly realised that she had been lying—about not being affected by her allergy anymore.

As someone with the worst experience with my allergies, I did not want her to go through the same pain. Why was she putting her life a risk to prove a point? I thought only to see Zain's eyes trained on her. That pretty much explained to me.

"I think I will have your share too! It is the best thing ever." I abruptly said, taking the plate away from her, a burst of forced laughter escaping my throat. Before she could protest, I had already dug in the fork and started eating from her plate.

"Aiden!" My father narrowed his eyes at me, his face shifting between both of us. "Stop acting like a child. Beth can make you more some other day."

My eyes moved towards Rose, giving her a look which she understood and immediately broke out in a burst of nervous laughter, shaking her head. "It's alright, Alexander. He can have it."

My father shrugged, shaking his head and then we continued with our meal. Rose kept quiet as they commenced with the conversation, my hand reaching out to hold hers. It caused her to jump in the seat, a noisy breath escaping her, but I kept holding her hand, rubbing small circles onto the back of it with my thumb. Her gaze fixed onto the carpet, as if tracing the patterns with her eyes, while Zain could not stop glaring at us.

I listened to what Damon and the others had to talk about, and once I cleared my head enough to take it in, regret flooded me. They started discussing the Council and a new law to aid Alpha power in more miniature packs; supposedly, I had to try very hard not to snort and make a comment. Rose was quiet the entire time, only picking at her food and nodding her head when necessary. That was unlike the omega, but then again, she was in front of Zain and must have many thoughts.

"Thank you for the meal. Please excuse me." Rose bowed down, the sound of her chair scraping against the floor as she stood up. From my peripheral vision, I watched as she disappeared into one of the hallways.

My eyes snapped back to Zain, nostrils flaring upon noticing the line of his vision. As if feeling my stare on him, the Alpha quickly sobered up, looking away.

Damon cleared his throat, a polite smile taking over his features. "Uhh...Do you mind if we retire to our room? It was a long drive, and I need a nap after lunch."

Alexander chuckled, his eyes raking over the table, taking in empty dishes. "I am glad that you enjoyed the food, Damon. Rest all you want. I will see you in the evening."

"Thank you, Pack Alpha."

Rolling my eyes at the snicker Damon directed towards me, I stood up, intending to follow Rose. My hands folded together as I stood on my feet, bowing to my father before walking out of there.

It took me several minutes to trail Rose scent as the packhouse is always filled with different scents. As expected, the omega was hunched over the basin, splashing cold water on her face. Leaning against the wall, I watched my mate as she flinched at the coolness, eyes clenched tight. She exhaled loudly, hands gripping the white faucet, droplets of water sliding down her cheeks.

"Are you just going to stand there all day?" The omega bit out, a flare of annoyance crossing her face as she looked at me through the mirror. Her teeth sunk on the bottom lip. "Or is there an actual point to you being here?"

We were both breathing heavily now, and the omega still refused to turn around. She had a look in her eyes that I had never seen before, lashes clumped together and cheeks flushed. A burst of hollow laughter escaped her parted lips. "You must think I am stupid for eating that salad just to prove a point..."

"No." I firmly whispered, my arms crossed together against my chest. "I don't think you're stupid," The voice came out quieter and less heated than before, and the harsh line of her brows eased up a little.

Rose scoffed, wiping a hand over her face. "Then what are you doing here?"

"What did you both talk about?" The question left my mouth before I could stop myself, stomach twisting as a mental picture of them crossed me. My hands curled around, chin tilted slightly. "When we left...Zain was there with you. Did he say something?"

The omega tilted her head slightly, her eyes narrowing before turning around. Her back was pressed against the sink, hands falling by her side. "Why do you care?"

I cursed inwardly, but there wasn't much I could say in his defence, at least nothing that made any sense. I rubbed a hand over my face, jaw clenching tight as silence draped over us like a sheet.

"I don't care." I breathed out while trying to look at Rose straight in the eyes as I said it. My throat was itchy, my legs feeling shaky, and I half expected Rose to press on, to keep asking, but she just pressed her lips into a thin line and took a few steps forward, never breaking eye contact.

"You know," She slowly started, swiping a tongue over her slick bottom lip after what felt like an eternity of standing in the middle of the shared washroom, "you're not as good a liar as you think you are."

And with that, Rose walked past me, leaving only a whiff of her scent behind. I subconsciously held my breath until I could not hear her footsteps anymore before groaning aloud and rubbing both hands over my face.

***

To ease the tension in my body, I did the only thing I could think of—get a drink. Liam, bless him, stood behind the kitchen counter with a smug smile on his face. I sank on the chair in front, my body almost minutes away from collapsing on the table. Motioning him to get a drink from the shelf, I folded my legs together.

"How about a beer?" He called out over his shoulder, already rummaging through the drawers in search of the bottle opener,

I heaved a sigh. "Works for me."

As I tried to grab the bottle, Liam moved it out of my reach with a concerned expression, lines appearing on his forehead when he pulled his brows together. "What's going on with you?"

"It's hard to explain."

The beta twisted his lips, placing the bottle before me. "Why don't you start from the beginning? Maybe I will get it."

"Tell me too!" A feminine voice called out, breaking me out of my thoughts. Whirling around in my stool, I spotted Ria walking towards me with a grin on her face. My beta cursed something under his breath while I pinned him with a look. Liam did not warm up to her even after these years, and I cannot figure out why.

Ria is talkative, shops a lot and loves to gossip about others, but there are also some redeeming qualities. My friend ran up to me, her arms thrown around my neck, burrowing closer. I almost staggered back in my seat from the impact, my arms flailing like a chicken.

"I missed you, Aiden!"

Liam cleared his throat, causing me to stand up and take a step back awkwardly.

"Ria? Where have you been?" I tried to muster a smile, feeling the betas eyes shoot daggers at my side.

She slyly tucked her hair behind her ear, a smirk tugging on the corner of her mouth. "Why? Did you miss me?"

"Sure!"

“As if…” Liam muttered under his breath.

"It's work. They called me for a silly reason anyway. I am glad that you are back." She beamed at me, ignoring the jab and plopping on the seat next to mine. "Let's have a drink together. Liam, will you get one for me too?"

The beta snickered. "Your legs work fine; go get your own."

Ria pressed her lips at that, huffing under her breath. She opened her mouth to respond when we heard loud footsteps as if they were racing towards the kitchen. The door was burst open, Damon looking dishevelled as he stood at the edge, his hand gripping at the wall.

"Mate!" A growl slipped out of him as his eyes fell on Ria standing next to me, canines digging in the corners of his mouth. The beta also whimpered, her head bent down, and hands clenched tight.

***