65. Aiden
65
Aiden
Waking up in a sparsely lit room with someone’s hands hovering over me has me snapping my eyes open and grabbing their wrist instinctually. The person gasps and flexes in my hold to try to snatch their arm away from me.
I hold steady, blinking my eyes a few times to clear the cloudiness from my vision.
“Let her go, Aiden.”
At the sound of my mate’s command, I instantly release my fingers.
The older woman stumbles back, holding her arm to her chest with a frightened look on her face. Raine stands from where she’d been sitting on a stool over by the door. She has a set expression on her face that only seems to soften when she reaches out and touches the other woman’s shoulder gently.
“I’ve got it from here. Thank you, Eris,” she says.
The older woman nods carefully, glancing back at me once before hurrying out of the room and leaving Raine alone with me. My body aches sitting up, and I can still feel the impressions of another alpha’s teeth clenching around my neck, even long after the wounds have healed.
Getting into a fight like that…hasn’t happened for a long time. Not many people tend to step up and go toe-to-toe with an alpha king—not unless they want to lose their life by the end of it.
I’m lucky Raine broke it up when she did, even if she shouldn’t’ve had to. My pride, along with my ego, are both bruised.
Raine’s quiet footsteps catch my attention, drawing my eyes over to her to see her come closer to the bed I’m lying on. The room we’re in is some kind of medical facility, complete with all the tools and dressings used to patch up an entire pack.
She keeps some distance between us when she finally stands by my side. It hurts my heart to see her so far away. I reach out, expecting to grab ahold of her arm, only to catch air when she moves away from me.
“Raine…” I mumble.
She sighs. “I can’t do this with you, Aiden.”
My chest tightens. “I’ve come to bring you home. You can’t be here.”
“And where is home to you, exactly? Pollis? I distinctly remember you kicking me out like a stray.”
Wincing, I say, “I’m sorry.”
“I’m sure you are.” Her hand moves to splay across her belly, now visibly swollen. “I’m sure you were really torn up when Delilah came to you and told you I got sold. That’s what happened, right? You felt obligated to come save me?”
“No.” I shake my head. Carefully turning on the bed, I let one leg drop down and then the other. The wound on my neck screams at me moving so much. It must’ve been only a few hours since everything happened. “Yes, she did come to tell me. But I also discovered that Daniel lied to me about you.”
She scoffs. “And yet you couldn’t believe me when I told you. You believed my best friend.”
“It’s not like that, Raine.”
She doesn’t seem to hear my words, already shaking her head. “Whatever your reasons for coming here, I’m sorry to tell you, but you can forget about it. I’m not leaving.”
She looks well, even if she’s been held captive here as a breeder. With her still being pregnant, that means Calloway most likely hasn’t lain with her yet—more than likely waiting until she gives birth.
After that, she’ll probably become his full-time breeder.
“Has he really brainwashed you so much that you don’t want to go somewhere you won’t be used for your womb?” I ask.
For some reason, she looks offended. “He hasn’t.”
“Not yet.”
“It’s not like that, Aiden. Not that I need to share anything with you.”
“I’m your mate,” I growl out. “You belong with me.”
“And where was this energy weeks ago? Where was my mate when I was at his doorstep, begging for sanctuary?” Her eyes begin to water. “You threw me out like trash.”
“I’m sorry, Raine.”
“No! You don’t get to say that. You don’t get to come here and apologize and pretend like everything is fine now. You wrecked me , Aiden. Do you know what a rejected bond does to a person?”
I don’t. I know what it feels like to be separated from your fated mate and to punish yourself for being the one to make that decision. But being rejected and having that bond shatter around you is not something I think I’ll ever experience.
Raine’s much too kind to wish that on me. Another reason I do not deserve her.
My heart yearns, anyway.
“Look.” I pull in a deep breath, trying to remain calm amongst my raging thoughts. “I was lied to. Your pack alpha was incredibly convincing and falling for his trap is my own fault, I know. I want to fix this, Raine. I don’t want to be separated anymore. That baby is mine, too.”
Her hand rubs over her stomach again. “It won’t be.”
My brows furrow. “What’s that mean?”
“Nyx has staked his claim over it.”
What?
I’ve never heard of that before, not when an alpha has plenty of females to conceive with. What’s the point in claiming another male’s offspring when you can have your own? Not to mention the battle that keeping the child away from their rightful parent would create.
What the hell is Calloway thinking?
To get back at me for some reason?
That’s the only way he’d dare to claim another alpha king’s child, one day hoping that he could use it against me. I wouldn’t put it past him to have some kind of diabolical plan like that in the works.
How he found out about Raine carrying my child is beyond me—but that may be a question I’ll have to look to Daniel to answer. He seems more involved with this puzzle than all of us originally thought.
“He can’t, Raine. That baby is mine,” I tell her.
“Not if you rejected me. Not when you still have those fake letters ‘proving’ that it’s someone else’s.”
My teeth grind together. “You’re being ridiculous.”
“No, I’m just telling you that this is how it’s going to be. You want this baby so badly? You’re going to have to wait until it’s born to lay claim to it. Nyx already wants it and has been helping me through this pregnancy, unlike you.”
“Who the hell is going to decide who gets to keep it? You?”
“I’m sure both of your elder councils can work it out. After all, that’s why you have them, right?”
I rub my hands over my face. This entire thing is ridiculous. I always knew Raine would be stubborn, but I didn’t think she’d actually be delusional in thinking Calloway would have her best interests, or the baby’s, at heart.
She has to know this was all a setup. That he’s simply using her in order to plot a bigger scheme.
“Raine, he doesn’t want our baby to raise it. He’s going to try to use it against me. That’s why he wants it.”
She rolls her eyes. “Well, considering he didn’t even know you were the father until two hours ago, I’d say that’s not exactly accurate.”
Alright, now I’m even more confused.
She continues, “Anyway. You’re going to stay here if you want to try to claim the baby. If not, you need to leave.”
“I want you too, Raine. Not just our baby.”
She falters for a second, her eyes widening at my confession. Just as soon as that happens, her gaze hardens once more. “I wish I could trust that, but I can’t. I’m sure you’ll change your mind on a whim again. I need to protect myself and my baby. And right now, Nyx is taking care of us.”
“Let me.” I slide off of the bed, reaching my hand out to her. “Come home with me to Pollis. I’ll show you that you’ll be safer there.”
“No, Aiden.”
“Raine, please,” I beg.
I can’t leave here without her. It’ll kill me, especially now that I know Calloway is gunning for our child and her.
“I was stupid to let you go. Please let me make up for that.” I get down on my knees in front of her, pleading.
She stares at me with wide eyes, uncertain.
“Please,” I repeat. “I’ll do anything.”
“Anything?” she murmurs.
“Yes.” I reach for her again. This time, she allows me to take both of her wrists. “Anything, Raine.”
Her eyes watch me carefully for a long moment, both of us simply existing inside of the same room with nothing but our shared breath breaking up the tense silence. She seems to be searching for something in my expression.
I wish she would let me in so I could reassure her that I mean it. I mean all of the words coming out of my mouth. My life has been a mess since I let her go, and I don’t intend to do it a second time.
Letting her leave was the biggest mistake of my life, and I intend to grovel for it for the rest of our lives.
“Prove it,” she finally says to me.
Confused, I ask, “What?”
Raine gently tugs herself out of my grip. “Prove to me that you mean it. And maybe I’ll change my mind.”
She turns to the door, leaving me kneeling on the floor as she leaves the room.
Staring down at my hands and feeling the tingles racing just under the surface from being able to touch her after so long has a new fire lighting within me.
Prove it.
Oh, I will do more than just that.
I’ll make her see that we are the ones written in the stars, and that no one will get in the way of us being together again.