Chapter 7
"Give in to love, or live in fear." – Rent
Aiden’s POV
She gasped in surprise and I took the opportunity to plunge my tongue into her mouth.
She tasted so good. Rose was soft and pliant, moaning into my mouth as my tongue swiped across her bottom lip before biting down slightly.
Finally, we pulled away for air and I noticed that my hand clutching the back of her head had completely messed up those deep mahogany curls.
Her bejeweled band was now hanging drunkenly midway through the length of her hair, and my fingers itched to clutch fistfuls of it.
Her hair felt so silky, I wanted to run my hands through it, completely undoing it so it fell in wild disarray.
Leaning forward, my eyes darkened with primal desire, my mouth perilously close to her neck where the mate mark would go. I inhaled deeply, my nose brushing against the scent glands behind her ear, breathing her in.
Then, in a hot whisper, I murmured into her ear, “How’s that for a kiss?”
Rose looked up at me, her lips trembling. I could see it in her eyes, her body was aching to lose itself in the moment. My nose twitched as I smelled her arousal. My gaze burned with need, locked onto her lips, ready to claim them again.
Before I could, headlights flashed behind us. Lexia had finally pulled into the driveway in my car. Both of us jolted back, Rose scrambling to fix her hair while I struggled to regain control.
My eyes widened in horror. What had I just done? I had just kissed Rose when I had a girlfriend! I can’t back away from my commitments with Lexia now, I scolded myself.
I hadn’t expected my wolf to take control like that and force me to kiss her. But afterwards, I hadn’t wanted to stop. The mate pull was stronger now due to her impending turn, but I needed to be strong enough to fight it. Shit. I would have to tell Lexia what happened!
“Um…” Rose cleared her throat tentatively, snapping me out of my thoughts.
I turned to her sharply, still reeling from the kiss.
She fidgeted with a tissue in her hand, one she’d pulled from her purse.
“You’ve got some of my lipstick on your…
uh…” She trailed off, turning a lovely shade of pink, clearly embarrassed to say it outright.
I grabbed the tissue quickly, rubbing at my mouth. A coral shade smudged onto the tissue.
“Is it off?” I asked, glancing back at her.
She hesitated, reaching slightly before stopping herself. Instead, her slightly trembling fingers motioned toward the corner of my mouth.
“Just a little bit, right there.”
I wiped at the spot and looked at her again in question. A loud bang indicated that Lexia had slammed the car door shut and was now walking toward us.
“I think you should go inside and see your family,” Rose whispered, hastily taking the tissue back from me. Despite whatever was happening between us, she clearly didn’t want to cause problems for my girlfriend. “I can drive myself home. I’m on pack territory now. I’ll be fine,” she assured me.
I looked at her, unable to find words, swallowing hard.
“We need to talk tomorrow,” I finally grunted.
Lexia stood back, hesitant. She was a smart girl. She’d picked up on how my wolf reacted to Rose. She was trying to give me space.
With a sigh, I got out of Rose’s car and turned, watching as she slid over into the driver’s seat and started the engine.
My gaze lingered a little too long as she climbed over the seats, eyes catching on the smooth curve of her thighs before I quickly looked away.
Every instinct in me protested at the sight of my mate driving away from the safety of my home.
Something deep inside ached for her to stay.
“Do you still want me to stay the night?” Lexia’s hesitant voice came from behind me, wary.
She could smell Rose on me. It was obvious we’d kissed, and Lexia knew it. But she was choosing to ignore it.
Guilt weighed heavy on my chest. When I finally spoke, my voice was firm. “I think it’s better if you go home and see your family tonight, Lexia.”
I needed time to process everything. To clear my head.
“I know your wolf is controlling your actions…But what do you want? Do you still want to be with me?” she asked in a whisper, her voice trembling on the brink of tears.
“Lexia,” I said softly, pulling her into my arms. “Of course I want to be with you. It’s just that I need to figure out how to stay true to you despite the bond,” I told her honestly. “My wolf instincts are stronger than I anticipated. That doesn’t change the fact that I want you to be my luna.”
However when I said “my luna”, it wasn’t Lexia’s face that came to mind. It was Rose’s. Goddess, what was happening to me?
I pushed the image away, forcing a tight smile.
“I just need time to figure out how to fight the bond. And I don’t think we should be together tonight. I don’t know how strong this pull is now with Rose. I don’t want to cause her any undue pain,” I explained.
Lexia nodded in understanding. We both knew what happened after two destined mates met.
If either of them was intimate with someone else, the other would feel physical pain.
Before, Rose’s wolf had been dormant. She wouldn’t have felt a thing when I was with Lexia.
But now? Now that she was on the brink of her first shift, my wolf had recognized her as my mate.
And if her reactions were anything to go by, her dormant wolf had done the same.
My wolf could sense hers. This overwhelming pull toward her—it wasn’t just me. Some of it belonged to Rose, too. It was like a tether, pulling us together.
I closed my eyes, exhaling in resignation.
After her first shift, the urge to mate would become even stronger. It was already practically unbearable. If Lexia stayed the night, and we ended up having sex, there was a real possibility that Rose would feel pain because of it. I couldn’t do that to her.
“Take my car,” I said at last. “I’ll get my luggage from you tomorrow. I have enough clothes here to last me one night.”
I pressed a chaste kiss to Lexia’s forehead before waving her off.
Then, bracing myself, I walked inside to face my family.