My brows knitted together at the shift in Aiden’s mood, his scent turning slightly bitter. I followed the line of his vision to see a young woman walking in our way, her lips quirked in a smile. The Alpha almost crushed the cone in his hand, a wince slipping past him before he threw away the entire gelato in the bin.
“Alpha Aiden.” The stranger bowed down in front of him before straightening up and turning to face me. Her lips pressed in a thin line.
“Do you two know each other?” I asked, pressing closer to the Alpha.
“Yes”
“No”
They both replie
I watched as the Alpha sliced into the water and resurfaced a good dozen feet away, blinking against the water sticking to his lashes. Tiny waves rippled the water, sunlight glittering on our bodies, the shadows of little fishes darting around our feet. A relieved sigh escaped my mouth, turning onto my back, face into the sun, and closing my eyes, floating.When Aiden said he had planned the whole day for us, I was taken back. The stress of telling him the news hovered and paired that with the constant anxiety of Aiden finding out on his own. So when my husband suggested a swim, I readily agreed, my body begging for a distraction.“Hi,” I heard a hushed whisper, almost startling me. Turning around, I spotted his familiar grin having melted into something smaller, more private, a smile around his eyes.&nbs
From the corner of my eyes, I saw a tall, muscular man dressed in all black barrelling toward us, presumably a bouncer, but it was not the one Aiden spoke earlier that afternoon. I rushed towards the Alpha and grabbed a fistful of the back of his shirt, nudging him. He saw the line of my vision, letting out a curse."This is not over!" The Alpha warned, narrowing his eyes into slits at the Ricky guy standing in front of us.Was he for real? I thought under my breath. After punching the guy, which he deserved, Aiden also gave him a warning. My head spun around as two more bouncers started racing towards our direction, scowls plastered on them.I stumbled behind Aiden, heart pummelling quick and fast against my ribs as I threw a g
/Aiden’s POV/“I’m going to kiss you now. Is that okay?”Instead of responding, her eyes fluttered shut, fanning her cheekbones. That was all the permission I needed as my lips crashed against hers. Our lips melded together in a way that left flickering embers tingling up my spine and the omega parting her thighs, beckoning for me to fit between them.I placed a hand on her hip, then, my hand warm on her skin as I turned us around, leaning Rose up against the nearest wall to the bed. Our kiss deepened, and my leg pressed up against the space between her thighs. I bit at her bottom lip, making Rose gasp in surprise for a moment before licking into her delicious mouth, my tongue moving against her with intent.Rose said that she wanted to move on, forget about the dumb mistakes we m
The thought of having Aiden’s knot made my legs clench, but I held back. I didn’t want him to find out about my pregnancy, not before I find a way to tell him. So when the Alpha made me stand on my shaky legs, I made an excuse of being tired. He understood. Of course, he did.The Alpha started gathering his articles of clothing scattered around the bed and couch, suddenly halting. He turned to me, a grin spreading on his lips as he held my lacy bra in between his fingers."I liked this on you.”My cheeks turned bright pink at that, and I whined in response to his teasing, reaching out to retrieve, but he grasped at my outstretched hand. He pulled me in so fast that I was left breathless as I blinked up at him.
Pain shot through me like lightning, and I barely managed to suppress the gasp that's escaped me. What? My eyes widened, those words echoing in my ears as I silently stood in front of the Alpha.“T-True, mate?” On instinct, I took a step back, pushing against the Alphas chest as hard as possible to put some distance between us. Silence lingered around; my mouth parted as I tried to take in his nervous expression.Turning around, I started swimming to the ground, my heart thudding painfully in my chest. Aiden was not the person to lie or make fun of something like this. Why would he reveal this now? Did he know all along? I had so many different questions racing in my mind, my body feeling numb and shivering.“Rose!” He yelled behind me, th
/Rose POV/A succession of heavy blurred sounds and unfamiliar faces haunt me in my sleep that remain imprinted onto my mind even when I open my eyes again. They did not make sense, but they seemed so real that I could not forget about any of them, fisting the sheets. It took me a surprising amount of strength to manage to roll on the other side, search for Aiden.“Bad dream?”I hiccuped, “I….”“It’s okay….” The Alpha murmured, bending down slightly and reaching around my shoulder, pressing me tightly to his chest. “I am here, baby.”A thumb brushed across my cheek for a blissful moment; it made me feel weightless, mattress giving in slightly underneath our combined weight mo
imp a/n at the end***The Alpha exhaled sharply, leaning up to suck a slick kiss from my raw, barely bitten lips. “I don’t want to let you go, baby.” But his hands left my lower body and reached up to touch the edges of my jaw. From up close, I could see that his eyes were darker, pupils dilated as they found mine.No words escaped my mouth at that, throat going dry. All I knew right then was that my lips throbbed with a dull ache, wet and raw from my mate's mouth and teeth. My entire body felt as though in a state of incompetence, muscles soft, and bones unreliable under me. For all I knew, my knees would give out within a minute.Aiden narrowed his eyes, a noticeable quirk to his lips like he enjoyed the slight change in my brea
/Aiden's POV/I ran a damp hand through my ruffled hair while staring at the thick layer of dust around the bench, subconsciously hoping that it’ll come crashing down and bury me with the rest of the weight I carried. Panic curled in my chest, something I hadn’t felt in years, not since that one fateful day my mother walked out on me. My mother promised to be back, and that has haunted me my entire life, clinging to every inch while I grew up.Making up every inch of me.I refused to break down on the way to the training ground while my mind seemed dangerously close to the edge. It’s not the time to be melodramatic about things I cannot change anyway. There has to be a reason why she came back after all these years, some hidden agenda. De
As the winter bled into spring, the sky grew more explicit and the clouds turned bright, unlike the gloomy days we had so far. I was nostalgic seeing the snow gone, but spring was a time of rebirth, a new beginning that I eagerly welcomed.Striding down the aisle, I twisted my head, staring at the faces that gazed at me and smiled. There were Alphas, betas, and omegas everywhere, and every single one of them sported an expression of joy and pride. Never in my life did I expect that this day would come, but it's happening.In the very front row, I spotted my father, my chest tightening painfully. My stepmother passed away a year ago, finally succumbing to her illness. Cara, along with her husband, had visited her in the last few days, but she humiliated both of them, not wanting to see their faces. I received the same treatment in the past, but still, it sadde
/Aiden's POV/Everything hurts. That's the first thought that dawned on me as I slowly drifted into consciousness. My hands twitched helplessly, and even though I could flutter my eyelids, they felt too heavy to open my eyes.My chest felt strange, uncomfortable sensations filling it up and throbbing in my ears, alongside horrid sounds that made it impossible to concentrate.I tried to open my eyes, just a little, and it's bright, blindingly so. It had been peaceful and dark seconds away, then an intense pressure in my chest made me hit the ground.I realised I was on a bed, covered by a thick duvet, sunlight spilling through the open windows at the opposite side of the room, so bright that it
/Rose POV/As soon as the dull thud echoed around the woods, it sent a searing pain through my skull. I was unable to move, taking a few more seconds to process that Aiden was on the floor, unconscious.With my sight going fuzzy around the edges and limbs twitching and shaking uncontrollably, I tried to work my muscles. Once that was under control, I put my body weight onto the palms, which burned and felt numb at the same time.Standing up, my chest lurched, and soon after, my stomach jumped violently. A fit of loud coughs escaped my lips, throat constricting, instinctively curling in."A-Aiden..." The sting was sitting deep inside as I finally scrambled forward, heart hammering
/Aiden's POV/My world stopped at that moment, mouth dropping open in shock, breath knocked out of my throat. I could feel the heat of my skin, feet automatically staggering back in the process. The people in front, the trees surrounding us, everything went blurry, a rush of memories surging through me, and suddenly I remembered.That strange encounter in the forest, his mark on my body and a promise to find me soon, those dreams with blurred faces and deep voices. It all made sense now."I-Its you..." My throat was burning, words jagged and breathy, tears were in my eyes. "Ronald," I uttered the name with so much venom that it made him chuckle. At the familiar sound, my hackles rose, goosebumps pricking.
/Aiden's POV/I had no idea what was it that woke me up. Suddenly, I was sitting up in bed, the sheets sliding off my chest along with my mate's arm and every last bit of fatigue that had been clinging to my body. It's still dark, no light shining in from outside and no ray of sun pouring inside.Instead, the window was still wide open, puddles of water covering the ground right in front of it.I slipped from beneath the duvet and got to my feet, mind-wiped blank and steps steady but languid as I made my way towards the window. When I looked ahead, far away in the distance, a hint of light on the horizon stared back at me, a line in the darkened sky.For a moment, I soaked the silence around me, the chilly a
/Aiden POV/I didn't know where I went wrong in my life. No. I was aware but did not want to acknowledge it for the sake of my mind. However, the problem is that I cannot change anything now. Staring into Slyvies desperate eyes only made me realise how much of a fool I have been.Rose was right all along. I sent her away in hopes that my guilt towards Sylvie would ease. When in reality, she's a pawn from Reece side, thrust into my life for my failure. Even though she had no choice but to surrender to fate, I couldn't help the resentment gnawing in my chest.I would never be able to trust her on anything again. As harsh as it may sound, I did not want to be fooled by her again.
A frown settled on her face, the hold of her hand loosening around my wrist. "Why? Do you not like chicken curry?"I let out a chuckle at her child-like pout, running my thumb across the plump of her cheek. "No, it's not that, baby. I love anything you make except for that pasta.”A squeal escaped her lips and she slapped lightly at my arm as if recalling the incident. Even though I almost died, it’s fun to tease her that the first dish she made gave me an allergy. The omega gets truly flustered every single time.“Don’t remind me of that ever again.”“Alright.” I fondly rolled my eyes.“Tell me why don’t you want
/Aiden's POV/Damon insisted on calling his mate to inform her that we were leaving for the clinic. I asked him to tell Rose about my location, not wanting to worry her. Along with my beta, we both stepped inside the room, finding Slyvie on the bed.The doctor bowed as soon as he saw, greeting politely. I waved at him, my eyes flickering towards the frail body of the omega. My heart clenched at sight, guilt swarming in my belly as I recalled the way I behaved with her in our past meetings. I should have given her another chance to explain instead of letting it go."H-How is she now?" I croaked, turning to the doctor, my hands falling by my side.
/Aiden's POV/To distract myself after the near depressing talk with my father, I decided to visit the training ground. I silently leaned against a tall pole while observing the guards shoot with a bow. Their targets were dead birds carcasses strapped up in a low hanging stand, and the goal was to hit either three or four within a few minutes.Crossing my arms together, I watched as one of the guards shot an arrow—with the wrong technique, of course, it missed and flew feet away from striking any bird. I could sense the tension in the air that vibrated in waves from the guard from being observed. With the war looming over us, we had no choice but train.I felt sick to my stomach as I watched him completely mess up the whole process.&nb