Forty- four

I picked up my phone to check the time. Even though Aiden had done it before, I was still nervous. I had no doubt he would be able to do it, I wondered what would happen if my father found him sleeping in my room.

A boy sleeping in my room. One who wasn't even my boyfriend, not that that would have made any difference. But even as I repeat those words in my head, they sound really bad.

Aiden was so damn worried his mate was going to reject him. I honestly thought he was being overdramatic but somewhere I could see where he was coming from. Does that even make sense?

He was worried that his playboy past would hurt his mate and would force her to reject him. In all honesty, his reason was completely practical. Didn't I hate Harper before, because of his playboy ways? The number of girls and women he has slept with still unnerved me. It would probably take us a long time to get over it. Never mind the other problems that constantly come our way.

I wanted to be there for Aiden in his time of need. Friends always provide each other moral support and I wanted to be by his side. I wanted to show him that his friendship really mattered to me and I wasn't just doing it because I was his Luna.

He was reluctant to accept my help at first and I wasn't the least bit surprised. It must have been really hard for such a proud and egotistical male to open up to a girl. I was surprised he told me anything in the first place, even though I was hoping for it.

In the end, thanks to my blackmail and persuasion methods, he finally relented and let me help him and so we came up with a plan. If he stayed in the pack house for the night, he would probably catch the scent of his mate as soon as he wakes up.

So, to solve the problem and delay the inevitable, I invited him to stay the night at my place. He contemplated my suggestion for some time and finally volunteered to sleep on the floor. 

I had not told Harper about it, simply because I knew he would go all bat shit crazy and show his possessive side. Or his wolf could take control. Neither of which would help Aiden's already troubled mind.

Exactly at 1 a.m., I heard a tap on my window and I immediately scrambled from my bed to open the window.

Instead of Aiden's soft brown eyes, I was met with a pair of green eyes and I nervously gulped. What was he doing here?

Before I could say another word, Harper swiftly climbed into my room, followed by a very fidgety Aiden. I eyed both of them while they were casually talking in my room.

"So, when were you going to tell me that you invited my best friend for a sleepover?" Harper asked with a stony expression and crossed his arms over his chest. His large arm over his overly muscled chest which was only covered by a thin cotton t-shirt. Chest, I loved to roam my hands all over.

"I didn't tell you? I could have sworn that I did." I feigned ignorance but I was pretty sure he caught my act.

He raised a very unamused eyebrow and sighed. He then eyed Aiden who was looking everywhere except the two of us.

"You're going to sleep on the floor." He spoke.

My eyes snapped up to meet Harper's and a sort of understanding flashed in his eyes. We had some sort of silent communication and I knew that Harper had a vague idea why Aiden was here and he didn't want to make the boy uncomfortable by asking any questions.

Aiden visibly relaxed after listening to Harper's words and gave both of us a feeble smile. 

I grabbed a blanket that I had earlier set aside for Aiden and handed it to him. He took it and arranged his makeshift bed on the floor. 

Harper tugged on my hand and pulled me to my bed, ready to sleep. He took off his shirt and I watched the scene with hungry eyes. His arm muscles bunched when he moved and his abdominal muscles flexed and I couldn't help but gawk at him.

So, help me God! If Aiden hadn't been here!

"Just please don't have sex when I'm here." My cheeks flamed as I remembered that I wasn't alone in the room with Harper. 

Harper smirked at my flustered expression and Aiden laughed hysterically while clutching at his sides. I rolled my eyes at their immature behavior.

I slid under the covers and Harper followed suit while Aiden switched off the lights. 

"You know, all this will be for nothing if Cory turns out to be Aiden's mate." Harper casually said.

I choked on my spit and looked for Aiden's body which had gone completely tense under the dense covers on the ground.

"I'm not gay!" Aiden mumbled and I couldn't help but smack Harper in the chest. His rock-hard chest. Probably did more damage to me.

Harper laughed and pulled me close to his body. I scooted towards him breathed in his masculine scent and took comfort in it.

"I know, I'm only joking." I felt my lips twitch in a smile at their friendly banter which helped alleviate the tension a little bit.

I smiled and felt my eyes closing while being surrounded by Harper's arms and his body heat.

***

Fortunately, my parents didn't check up on me that night. They would have thrown a hissy fit if they had seen me in bed with Harper, while another boy slept on my bedroom floor.

As soon as I woke up, I looked at Aiden who was sniffing the air, probably searching for his mate's scent. Turns out Cory was not his mate. Words can't even describe the relief I felt. I don't even know who was more relieved by this fact.

The boys climbed out of the window after using my en suite and making me ten minutes late. I huffed inappropriately and banged on the door, urging them to hurry up. It seemed I looked quite cute when I was angry and they enjoyed teasing me a lot. 

The three of us piled into my car and made our way to the school. I could see Aiden nervously fidget through the mirror and I couldn't help but think how lucky his mate would be. I turned around and put my hand over both of his large ones. He seemed to relax at the gesture and gave me a small smile in return. 

We soon made it into the parking lot and I gave a reassuring smile to Aiden. Probably, this was it.

Before I could open my door, Harper opened it for me and helped me out of the car. It was at times like these that my inner feminist and romantic was at war.

He entwined our hands and I stood on my toes to plant a peck on his lips. He gave me his billion-dollar smile and I swear something inside me melted a little.

I turned around to watch Aiden and check if he showed any signs of finding his mate. His body was still tense and his fists were clenched hard, so much so that his knuckles were turning white.

"You will feel it when he finds her," Harper whispered in my ear. I jumped at the sudden proximity and looked at him in confusion.

"Come let's get to class." Aiden sighed and started walking ahead of us. 

Since the announcement, every wolf in the pack had accepted me as their Luna and as Harper's girlfriend. I sometimes got jealous looks from girls but nobody did anything disrespectful. We were totally past the stage of being stared at and I was really happy about it. People still cleared a way for us as we walked and I suppose I would just have to get used to this royal treatment.

I didn't share my first class with Harper, much to our disappointment. But I did share it with Aiden, which would probably help me a lot today.

Harper accompanied the both of us to the class and left before planting a chaste kiss on my lips and hugging me. 

I could feel Aiden sniff subtly and I could feel the anticipation rolling off of him in waves. We entered the class and took our seats beside each other. 

The class was pretty much full and I looked curiously at Aiden. The teacher wasn't here yet because there was still some time. We had walked a couple of halls and scanned the parking lot. What if Aiden's mate wasn't even in this pack?!

"She's not here." Aiden's voice floated above the chatter of my class fellows and my eyes snapped up to meet his. Only he wasn't looking at me, he was looking at his desk.

His form was less tense now but I could see he was disappointed. Although he was nervous, he had looked forward to meeting his mate. 

I sighed and messaged Harper that Aiden's mate was a no-show. 

My phone pinged again. It was a message from Natalie.

Outside your class.

I looked up to see both Nat and Sam waiting at the door for me. Sam was waving at me and I waved back. She motioned for me to come over and I got ready to get up from the desk.

I felt Aiden tense up beside me. My gaze snapped up to see him but he was looking at the doorway where my best friends stood.

Before I could realize what was happening, Aiden spoke the one word I had not anticipated he would speak anytime soon. "Mate."

My gaze moved over to my best friends who were equally shocked and rooted to their spots.