Chapter 90: Chapter 90

My body froze upon noticing the intruder as he was none other than Alpha Caden. He had a glimmer in his eyes, with his back straightened and staring at Aiden without any fear. The Alpha was rooted on the same spot for a few seconds now, his hands falling by his side. Caden did not even bother greeting the future Pack Alpha, his body fully angling towards me. I shifted awkwardly on my feet, my head cocking between the two of them, lips pressed in a straight line at their staring contest.

“How could you interrupt us like this?” Aiden lowly growled, his eyes turning stormy and fingers curling into fists. “Did you not learn any manners when you were young?”

A sudden silence befell us at the rage in his voice, my inner wolf tensing at his sudden shift in behaviour. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Caden and how unaffected he appeared, merely tightening his jaw at the question aimed at him.

“Well? Speak up already!”

I flinched as his pitch got louder, folded hands coming to rest against his chest. The Alpha was shooting daggers at Caden, and if looks could kill, he would be on the floor already.

“I have business with Rose, actually.”

“How many times do I have to remind you that call her Luna?”

“And how many times do I have to remind you that she is my friend, Alpha?” Caden retorted sweetly, blinking innocently.

They started staring into each other’s eyes again, the air sizzling with tension and strong anger pheromones radiating off their bodies. It almost made me whimper, but I straightened my back, taking a step

in their direction. The last thing I wanted was the fight to be escalated and get physical.

“Caden”, I coughed, hoping my voice was not wavering. “W-What are you doing here?”

The things Aiden said a few minutes ago were still sitting in my throat like a lump challenging to swallow. Of all the things I thought and imagined, not a single one proved to be true. He asked me for forgiveness after the way he treated me, and hearing those words felt nice.

“Rose!” A sharp voice broke me out of my thoughts, blinking several times before I stared to meet the source of the voice.

“Hmm? Sorry, I zoned out.”

Aiden lips curled in a barely hidden smile, smugly turning towards Caden with his brows raised. He came to stand next to me, a little too close. “You heard her. Now get out of here.”

My head raised towards Aiden, pinning him with a glare before letting out an exasperated sigh. “I did not listen to a thing he said. Can you stop?”

“Ella is missing, Rose. We were supposed to meet for dinner, but she did not show up. I am worried for her.” The Alpha quickly spluttered before Aiden could interrupt again, lines marring his forehead and panicked expression taking over his face. I opened my mouth to answer but quickly folded my lips, suddenly aware of Aiden standing close.

The omega trainer was out because of me, but I could not tell him the Pack Alpha. It would raise more questions, and that’s not what I wanted right now.

Aiden made a face. “That’s awful, but why are you bothering us over it? How could Rose help you with this?”

With my shoulders slumped, I took a step in Caden’s direction, turning to the Alpha with a sneer, offended. “I am not that useless, Aiden.”

A groan slipped out of his parted mouth, shaking his head frantically. “No! That’s not what I meant. I trust you, and I am sure you are more than capable—”

I held a hand in front, cutting him off before he started rambling. My cheeks heated up, knowing that the Alpha meant the things about trusting me. “Please stop. I am walking with Caden...” I trailed off, not sure what to say after the way things got interrupted between us.

“We can continue our talk later in our cabin, Rose,” Aiden said as if he read my mind, making sure to emphasise our part while looking straight at Caden. I refrained from rolling my eyes, watching as he started gathering the basket and all other items.

My breath stuttered at that, and I barely managed to nod my head when Caden nudged me along. Giving Aiden one last look, I turned on the balls of my feet, my heart still thumping loudly while walking away.

***

“About Ella…” I started as we started walking along the road leading up to the pack house, filled with dirt and rocks. The moon was bright in the sky, providing a light to the barely lit path and making my wolf preen. “She went to meet a healer wolf like me in the woods. We want to explore more of my powers, and that wolf is the only one who can help me.”

“I am sorry for not informing you earlier.”

Caden let out a loud breath. “Oh!” His head rested in between both hands, groaning into them. “I was worried sick! Why would she go in the middle of the night?”

“Awe, look at you being so worried for her!” I poked at his shoulder in a teasing manner, my brows wriggling. “It’s Ella. She can kick anyones ass with ease. Do not worry, silly Alpha.”

The Alpha cleared his throat, huffing and looking at our shadows. “I am not worried about her! I was only asking because we have some things to discuss.”

I rolled my eyes. “Sure!”

“Enough about this.” Caden abruptly cut me off, the smile falling off my face. I was hoping to tease him some more because I rarely get the chance. “What was all that about? Did the jerk say something to you again?”

My mouth twisted at that, hands gripping at the material of my shirt. “I know you hate him for me, but he is still our Pack Alpha. Give him a little respect.”

The Alpha suddenly halted, his eyes narrowing together, hands coming to cross against his chest. “Are you seriously defending him? He has been nothing but an asshole to you!”

“I know that!” I huffed.

The ugly reminder did nothing but poke at my wounds. My nose scrunched as a sudden image of the Alpha flashed in front of my eyes. Especially the one where he apologised and asked me to give him a chance. The way he looked at me was so genuine and heartfelt that I wanted to believe him again.

“Rose”, Caden bumped his shoulder against mine, breaking me out of my thoughts. “What happened? Did he say something hurtful?

For a second, I considered telling him everything that went down between Aiden and me but stopped myself. Something in me was reluctant to let him know, at least after the decision I made. Shaking my head, I put on a smile, hoping it reached my eyes. “No! We were having dinner together and talking about some things. That’s all. You don’t have anything to worry about, my friend.”

Caden hummed, “Fine! Let’s walk together to your cabin. I’ll see you off.”

***

Slipping inside, I pushed open the door only to find Aiden sleeping on the couch, his chest rising and falling softly. How long was I out? I tiptoed my way to the kitchen and grabbed at the nearest kettle more forcefully than intended. Gripping at the handle tightly, my hand trembled as I filled it with water.

It’s enough time for everything I pushed to the back of my mind to come crashing back down on me. My shoulder started to tingle, remembering Aiden’s delicate touch against my face, the smile tugging at his lips but even more evident in his eyes.

Breathing in deeply through my nose, I dumped a teabag in my cup and walked over to the fridge to get the milk, my neck rigid. Suddenly as I got back up with the milk carton in my hand, a body crowded me against the door of the fridge.

I lost the train of thought almost instantly, my mind going fuzzy all of a sudden, forcing myself to keep breathing, to keep calm and swallow. Aiden’s cold breath fanned my face, toes curling as he bored his eyes into mine.

“So…” The Alpha breathed. “What did you decide?”

***