Chapter 13 #2
Irritation roots deeps, leaving me bitter. I grab my bag from the floor and stalk out of the closet, barely sparing Emitt a glance as he scrambles to follow me from across the hall.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I snap.
Emitt’s smart enough not to push.
Time stretches itself out for the rest of our classes, leaving me to wonder what the fuck went wrong with Julian and me. I still can’t piece it together, but the longer I think about it, the more irritated I become.
I have half a mind to skip lunch by the time the bell rings, but I made a promise, and despite his bullshit, I still want to see him. Fucking mate bonds.
“You promise not to leave me alone with the guy?” Emitt asks, thumbing at his bag straps as we walk towards the cafeteria.
“Yeah, whatever.”
“Can you sit next to me too?”
“Emitt, you’re starting to piss me off.” I barely keep myself from growling. “He’s just a guy with an attitude problem. Calm down.”
“… He’s also your mate,” he mumbles like a kicked puppy.
I force myself to look at him, and he blinks up at me with this hideous expression. His green eyes are wide, and his lips pouted—I think he’s begging.
“Fine, whatever, just stop making that disgusting face.”
He beams. “Thank you, Aiden.”
“Yeah, yeah, go fuck yourself with a cactus.”
He snorts and almost chokes on his next breath, sending us both into a fit of laughter as we walk through the cafeteria doors. It’s enough to lighten my mood. I spot Julian’s table and the blue eyes already on me, but he looks away quickly, refocusing his attention on his friends.
Oh. If Shy Julian is here, then maybe this won’t be so bad.
I bite back a smirk as I approach the table, bringing the conversation between his friends to a halt.
“Hey,” I say.
“Hello,” Isabel greets me while looking from me to Beckett, who shakes his head slightly. “Julian didn’t tell us we’d be hosting today.”
“Well, he’s forgetful like that,” I reply, earning small smiles from the pair, who pointedly ignore Julian’s frosty glare.
When Emitt slides into the space beside Isabel and makes room for me, I hesitate.
I’d been hoping to squeeze next to Julian, but Beckett sits next to him and shows no signs of taking a hint.
Emitt burns a hole into the side of my skull until I sit next to him.
Directly across from my mate, who scowls at me from across the table.
What the hell is his problem now?
“So, in case introductions are necessary, I’m Isabel,” she says, leaning over her end of the table so everyone can see her smile. “I’m the lucky delta assigned to be Julian’s third pair of eyes while he’s out here, frolicking with the humans.”
“Are you sure lucky is the word?” I ask, making the others laugh. My mate does not.
“I’m Emitt,” my beta adds while he pulls a bag of chips from his bag. “I’m Aiden’s beta, but I think everyone knows that.”
“Kinda small for a beta, no?” Isabel asks, not aware in the slightest of the nerve she’d just struck.
“Kinda mouthy for a delta, no?” Emitt fires back. I smile proudly at him and nudge him under the table so he knows it.
“Fair enough,” Isabel laughs, leaning back. “Though Beckett and Julian think I don’t talk enough.”
“That’s a damn lie,” Beckett says, and while she scowls, I watch the pair with a smile on my face. They’re normal. I wasn’t sure what I’d expected from Julian’s closest friends, but this hadn’t been it.
Emitt and I are always lax with our ranks whenever it’s just us, and it seems these three have the same thing going on, which is surprising since Julian’s pack has always been more stringent than mine, quicker to watch and judge than speak. These two aren’t like that.
“How are you two getting along?” Isabel asks, looking between Beckett and Emitt. “You know, both being betas with the merge?”
“We’ve only spoken a few times, but it’s been great. He’s easy to work with,” Beckett answers with a smile that Emitt returns.
With Emitt’s attention on Beckett, I steal some of his chips and shove them into my mouth. He doesn’t notice, and that makes them taste even better.
“I’ve got no complaints, plus the workload’s lighter with someone else, so that’s a bonus,” Emitt adds with his usual liveliness, nerves evaporating.
“So, you’re saying that I’m going to be doing everything?” Beckett asks, and Emitt starts to protest, then realises the guy is messing with him.
“Of course not,” Emitt snipes.
“You okay, Julian?” Isabel asks, glancing at my mate at the same time I do.
“Peachy,” he replies in a near growl. He’s glaring at me. Or more specifically, at the hand I have in Emitt’s chips.
“You don’t sound peachy to me,” I reply as I dust the salt from my fingers and sit up.
His brows sink a fraction deeper. “Well, I am.”
“Are you?” I press, staring right into those darkening blue eyes.
“I just said I was, didn’t I?” he says, growling now, and it’s enough to send my patience tumbling over some fence in my mind to free my temper instead.
“What the fuck is your problem today?”
“You are,” he snaps. “You and your clingy little friend.”
My eyes widen behind my shades. Emitt goes corpse white and is failing miserably at hiding behind Isabel.
So he was right—Julian hates him. The look on his face is the same one he used to give me before all this mate stuff. And when his eyes dart back to me, the look doesn’t falter.
It’s that look—that way-too-familiar look that washes away my hurt and brings with it all the disdain that once defined our relationship.
“I don’t know what the fuck is wrong with you or who force-fed you beef this morning Julian, but it wasn’t me.
I came here for you, to spend time with you, but I’m not sitting here and taking this shit because you’re in a shitty mood.
” I grab my bag and get to my feet. “Whatever the fuck has gotten into you, deal with it, and don’t take that shit out on me or Emitt. ”
Emitt is already on his feet, and hustles behind me as we leave the table that we never should’ve gone to in the first place.
Fucking Julian. Up and down, he’s like a fucking yo-yo, except he came round to club you in the eye when you just started to have some fun.
“Aiden,” Julian calls, but I ignore him as I leave the crowded cafeteria.
I’m on edge enough as it is. If I stayed in this place any longer, I’d break something, and it wouldn’t be good if that something was one of the little humans staring at us.
“Wait, Aiden!” Julian shouts, rushed steps coming after us while I march down the halls “Will you please just wait!” he groans.
I don’t intend to, but he catches me by my wrist and forces me to face him. When I do, I make sure I’m in front of Emitt, shielding him from any more of Julian’s nonsense.
“What?” I snap, tugging my arm free. “You want to pull some more of that crap?”
“No,” he groans as he looks around at the few stragglers in the hall. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—” His gaze shifts over my shoulder, and his jaw sets. “Can I talk to you alone?”
I see fucking red. “Why the fuck—”
“Aiden, please.”
In the most infuriating way, my anger wavers under that pleading look in his eye and the word please that trips me up every time.
I think you should talk to him, Emitt offers through our pack bond, whispering as if Julian might hear him here. I don’t want to be in the middle of this, and clearly, I am.
I huff, wanting to ignore Julian and leave with Emitt, but I already know Emitt will whine about it if I do. As annoyed as I am, I don’t want to leave things out of place between Julian and me.
“Fine.” I give Emitt a nod to let him run off and escape the impending wreckage Julian and I are catapulting towards.
Julian grabs my wrist and pulls me into the closest classroom. He looks nervous. Good. He sure as hell should be.
The second the door shuts, I don’t hold back. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
“I’m sorry,” he says quickly. “I don’t know why I got so mad.”
“You don’t know?” I scoff. “Yesterday, you wanted me here, and now you’re treating me like some unwanted mutt?”
“I did—do want you here. Aiden, I’m sorry.” He comes closer, reaching for me, but I move away. His face crumples. “Aiden.”
I feel it too, the need to touch as strong as the need to reconcile, but I’d let the bond sway me enough already.
“No. You’ve been a complete asshole today. Tell me why.”
He clams up. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“You don’t want to talk about it?” I repeat, baffled. “You can’t just pick and choose, Julian. What happened to us talking about things and being honest with each other?”
His eyebrows pinch and big, guilty eyes lift to find mine. “I meant that.”
“Did you?” I challenge. “Because I’m trying right now, and you’re not. You were rude to me and to Emitt, who did not deserve that. He said you hated him, but I thought he was just being an idiot because Emitt is a fucking idiot, but then you pulled that shit.”
Like a match struck, the nastiness flashes back in his eyes.
“It’s because he keeps tou—” He bites his lip, stopping himself from saying any more.
“What?” I press. “He keeps what?”
“Nothing,” he spits, and Goddess fucking help us.
I want to shake him until sense rattles lose, but stubborn is his middle name and he isn’t going to talk unless he wants to.
“Seriously, Julian, just tell me because I’m pissed off enough as is,” I warn, but he just shakes his head.
Sighing, I walk further into the classroom and card my fingers through my hair.
My eyes burn. I’m used to being angry and dealing with that shit—especially when it comes to him—but I’m not used to being upset with my mate, or feeling so frustrated because I can’t fix it, and I want to. Goddess knows I want to.
Something’s clearly bothering him. But I don’t know what that something is, and he isn’t too keen on helping me figure it out.
“This is stupid, Julian,” I say, as I push my shades into my hair to rub at my eyes. “I don’t want to fight after we just fixed things yesterday. Please just tell me what’s wrong.”
When I face Julian again, the spark of resentment is gone, replaced by budding concern as his fingers curl into fists at his sides.
“I-I can’t,” he whispers, and I sigh again, but I nod as I do. I tried.
“Then find me when you get over whatever the fuck this is,” I say, heading for the door.
“No,” Julian says, rushing to block my path. “Don’t go, Aiden.”
Max whines, the ache and desire to comfort him bone deep, especially when he’s so distressed, but he’s the one causing it.
“Then tell me!” I yell as the last of my patience flies out the window. “Now, Julian!”
“Ughh! I-I got mad because you and Emitt were way too close!” he yells back at me.
“You were sharing drinks and food and touching all the damn time! You kept sitting by him and—and laughing with that stupid laugh every time he does anything!” He heaves, taking a breath, but only so he can keep going.
“You only spoke to him this morning, barely remembering that I was there, by the way.” He laughs but there’s no humour in it.
“You two share everything—your food and drinks. You did it this morning and just now at lunch, and … and the touching.” He groans that one out as he glares at me, eyes burning behind his contacts.
“I can’t stand the touching because you smell like him. When I saw you earlier, I smelt him all over you, and it pissed—no! It pisses me off to smell another guy on you when I’m your mate.”
By the time Julian finishes, his canines are out, and he’s panting for air like there’s none left in the room. All the while, he looks at me like he’s about to rip my fucking throat out with his teeth.
… Holy shit.
Never in my life have I seen Julian blow up, let alone react to anything like this. The guy exploded a few times on me in the past, but not like this—this was some next-level shit right here.
“Um …” I blink a few times and think carefully about my words, well aware that they might be the last I ever speak if I’m not careful. “Are you saying—and don’t hit me for this because I may be wrong—but were you … are you jealous?”
Julian’s eye twitches, and my arms lift automatically to protect myself.
“Yes, Aiden! I’m jealous!” he shouts, fuming so much that steam practically blows from his ears. “I don’t like it, but I am!” He fists his hair as he paces in front of me. “I know it’s stupid, but I can’t help it! I tried to ignore it, but I can’t when you keep walking around smelling like that!”
“I didn’t know I smelt like him—”
“Of course you didn’t know!” he snaps, whirling on me. “You’re a fucking imbecile!”
Oh, shit. Cursing? Julian never curses.
“Okay, okay.” I step in and grab his shoulders, rub them comfortingly to cool him down before he pops a vessel. “I’m sorry. It’s my fault. Breathe.”
He holds my gaze, his eyes molten and furious, before he finally closes them. He breathes slow and deep. When he looks at me again, I’m glad to see familiar, calm irises staring back at me.
“Don’t say sorry,” he mutters, sounding far more like himself. “I’m the one acting crazy.”
“I mean, I pushed you to that level of crazy, so it’s my fault,” I say with a small smile that I hope eases things. He doesn’t return it, so I drop it. “I didn’t realise that I was making you uncomfortable. I should’ve, and I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine,” he says with a dismissive wave. “I know you guys aren’t actually… like we are. The bond just—”
“It can distort things,” I finish, and he nods. “I get it.”
“I don’t want you to stop speaking to Emitt. I just … just tone it down with the touching, please,” he says, his blue eyes flashing behind his contacts before he takes another breath. “I don’t like being controlled by emotions like this, especially when they involve you.”
“What emotions?” I ask as I squeeze his shoulders. “You mean the jealous ones? Because you got jealous over me?” I tease. He frowns, but his cheeks flush.
“Shut up,” he grumbles, stepping closer to me.
“Why? I think you’re kind of cute when you’re jealous,” I say, sliding a hand to his cheek.
He opens his mouth—definitely to tell me not to call him cute—but I shut him up with a kiss.
He freezes, shock holding him taut before he tugs me closer.
I smile against his lips, groaning my pleasure as he tilts his head and kisses me back, gifting me with that addicting rush of electricity that rattles through me.
I press closer, trying to deepen the kiss, but Julian pushes me away before I can.
“You still smell like him,” he says. He straightens his clothes and slips that detached mask back on. “Don’t kiss me when you smell like another man.”
Julian slips from the room without another word, leaving me lost, hard, and far too needy for him again. I drag a hand over my face to stifle my groan.
I’m really not cut out for this mating shit, but fuck if I don’t love it.