Chapter 13
“You don't love someone because they're perfect, you love them in spite of the fact that they're not.” ― Jodi Picoult, My Sister's Keeper
Rose’s POV
I smoothed down my olive-green skirt as I sat down, handing the whiteboard marker to Jake. We were in the library, working through chemistry equations in one of the private study rooms he’d booked. Hours had passed, and I was beyond exhausted. My brain was fried from staring at numbers for so long.
“I think we’ll ace this midterm,” I said with a yawn, reaching for my wallet. “I’m gonna grab us some coffee.”
As I walked toward the coffee shop at the front of the library, I collided with a hard, muscular chest. A jolt of electricity shot through me as strong hands steadied me.
“Rose,” Aiden said in surprise, his hands still on my waist.
His nostrils flared as he took in my appearance, eyes going to my skirt before slowly trailing up my form. Aiden’s eyes darkened, and I felt my skin heat under his gaze.
“Where’s your luna mark?” he asked suddenly, his eyes flickering to my bare arm.
“I hide it with concealer,” I answered, pulling away from his grasp before my racing heart gave me away.
His closeness was dizzying. And for some reason, he didn’t like my answer about how I hid my luna mark. Hypocrite. He was the one that told me to hide it in the first place!
“Who are you here with?” he asked, his hands tightening around me for just a second before letting go.
“Jake,” I replied.
Aiden let out a small growl, his displeasure even more evident.
Only then did I notice that Lexia wasn’t with him.
“What… what are you doing here?” I asked.
“I came to study,” he grunted, but there was something off about his tone.
“The almighty Alpha Aiden actually needs to study?” I teased, hoping to ease the tension.
He gave me a small smile, and my stomach did a ridiculous flip. Before I could think, the words tumbled out.
“Do you want to join us? We’re in room 103.”
My eyes widened at my own stupidity. Why did I ask him that? He probably had better things to do.
“Sure,” he said smoothly, as if he had been planning to join us all along.
And just like that, I found myself buying three cups of coffee, only for Aiden to slide his card over the counter before I could pay.
“I can pay, you know,” I argued, fumbling for my wallet.
“Keep your money. This one’s on me,” he said with another heart-melting smile.
Grabbing his own cup, he pocketed his wallet and waited as I added sugar to my coffee. Three packets. Then a sprinkle of cinnamon.
“You think it’s sweet enough?” he joked.
I made a face at him. “I know some people love the bitter taste of coffee, but I just can’t drink it unless it’s sweet.”
Aiden watched me with a thoughtful expression.
When we got to the study room, Jake barely reacted to Aiden’s presence. Aiden sat down, flipping through his notes while I focused on the whiteboard.
“Don’t see Lexia today,” Jake commented off handedly.
The marker trembled in my hand, making my “2” come out completely misshapen. Cursing under my breath, I erased it and rewrote the number.
“Yeah, well…” Aiden hesitated before continuing. “We broke up.”
My marker flew across the board, drawing a long, stray line as I stumbled in surprise over Aiden’s words.
“What?” I turned around, eyes wide.
Aiden looked anywhere but at me. “We both needed to think over some… stuff,” he said carefully.
“But you love each other,” I insisted, coming to sit in front of him.
“Sometimes it’s important to take time to put things in perspective,” He ran a hand through his dark hair, a nervous habit I’d noticed before.
Jake started gathering his books. “Sorry to hear that. Hey, I’ve got to get to class. I’ll see you guys later.”
He cast me a wistful glance before walking out.
My stomach twisted with guilt.
“Is this because of me?” I asked quietly.
“What? No. Why would you think that?” Aiden frowned.
“I mean, why else would you break up? You guys were fine. It’s because of me, isn’t it? After you found out the condition to stay alpha is to make me your luna, you decided to break it off with her.”
“Rose.” Aiden leaned forward, bracing his hands on the table.
“It’s not your fault I feel what I feel.
I need to figure out how to fight the mate pull and how to tap into your powers without mating.
It’s not fair to her that I feel this pull toward you.
How many times can I blame my wolf when I kiss you or touch you.
It’s not fair to her or you. I can’t, in good conscience, keep seeing her when… ”
He stopped short, his throat working as he swallowed hard.
“Just because the Moon Goddess decreed it, you don’t have to be stuck with someone you don’t want,” I stated.
Aiden didn’t reply. Instead, he stared down at his notes, avoiding my eyes. I studied him from beneath my lashes but decided against pushing the issue. I needed to change the subject before I drowned in guilt over something that wasn’t even my fault.
“What’s your major?” I asked, hoping for a distraction.
“Public Administration,” Aiden responded. He hesitated before adding, “I’m going to get my master’s in the same subject.”
“Do you want to sit on the town council one day, like your father?” The question slipped out before I could stop it.
Aiden looked a little surprised at my response.
“I just assumed,” I said when he didn’t answer right away.
A long silence stretched between us. My eyes flickered to his notes.
“Lexia says it’s not a very practical goal,” Aiden finally admitted.
“But it’s a noble one,” I argued. “You want to help make life easier for werewolves in this town, just like the previous alpha of our pack did. He managed to unite the four packs in this region. It would be… it would be a good purpose, to work toward the advancement of our people.”
I leaned back in my chair, studying his dark eyes, which seemed surprised by my words.
“I want to run for mayor one day,” Aiden confessed. “That’s what my dad wanted. He would have made it if he hadn’t died so early.” His voice held an edge, as if he were daring me to laugh at him.
“It’s okay to dream big,” I said firmly, crossing my arms over my chest. Aiden’s gaze dipped briefly before forcing his eyes back to my face.
He shook his head as if trying to clear his thoughts and returned his focus to his notes.
“Quantitative Methods in Public Administration.” My voice held genuine appreciation as I glanced at his work.
I reached out, tilting the paper for a better view, and my fingers brushed against his arm. The moment of contact sent tingles down my skin, but if he noticed, he didn’t say anything. Instead, he stiffened slightly.
“Eight thousand four hundred and sixty-three,” I murmured after a moment, pointing to one of the problems.
Aiden turned his head to me, and for a brief moment, I realized how close we were. If I lifted my face just slightly, he could kiss me.
“Funny,” he said, clearly not believing me.
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not kidding.” I jabbed a finger at another problem. “That one’s seventeen thousand two hundred and thirty-one.”
His brows furrowed as he grabbed his calculator and punched in the numbers. 8,463. His mouth went dry. Then he tried the next one. 17,231.
“How…” he trailed off.
I hesitated. I had just wanted to help, but now I wasn’t sure how he’d react. His expression shifted, as if piecing something together.
“That’s pretty cool,” he finally said, a slow grin spreading across his face. The way he looked at me made my stomach flutter.
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.
“Wait a minute…” His voice trailed off as if a memory had just clicked into place.
I knew exactly what moment he was thinking of.
Bet you don’t know five plus one? Tanya had challenged.
No, I don’t think I do, I had played along.
She had proudly announced the answer, and I had high-fived her. Then Dylan had tried to challenge me with a bigger number, and I had let him figure it out on his own, praising him when he got it right.
Aiden had been there. He had scoffed at me, mocking my supposed ignorance in math.
Now, he looked at me differently. As if the pieces were finally falling into place.
“You already knew the answer to Dylan’s math problem,” he said slowly, his gaze locked onto mine.
I waved a hand dismissively. “Oh, the kids were having so much fun. I didn’t want to ruin it. It encourages them when they think they know everything.”
“You didn’t even say anything when I made fun of you,” he accused.
I shrugged. “Again, it would have ruined their fun.”
His eyes narrowed slightly. “How does Tony know?”
I tensed. “Know what?”
“I caught those looks between you two.”
I barely had a second to react before his hands slammed onto the table, claws elongating. His canines sharpened as a guttural growl ripped from his throat.
“Have you been seeing my brother?” His voice was raw, filled with something possessive and dark.
“No!” I gasped, alarmed by the sudden transformation.
His fingernails were now claws, his teeth lengthened. The rest of him was still human—for now. But I had a feeling if he didn’t calm down, that would change quickly.
“I help Tony with the pack account books! We go over them together to make sure the accountant isn’t making any mistakes.”
Aiden took slow, deep breaths, trying to steady himself. Why was he so volatile when it came to me?
“Helped,” he corrected. His voice was clipped, still sharp.
“What?” I asked, confused.
“You helped Tony,” he repeated. “You don’t anymore. Now I’m the one looking over the books. You’ll be helping me from now on.”
I scoffed. “Well, since you asked so nicely.”
Aiden suddenly laughed—a real, unrestrained laugh that transformed his entire face. It was the first time I had seen him like this, so free, so unguarded. The sound was infectious, and despite my irritation, I felt my own scowl threatening to turn into a smile.
“Now come on, Princess.” He slid his notes over to me. “You can’t reveal your superpower and then not expect me to ask for help.”
My pulse quickened at the nickname, but I kept my composure. With deliberate ease, I picked up a pencil, and together, we bent our heads over the work.
We could call it studying. But with the way Aiden kept unconsciously sniffing me and the way I let my arm brush against his, I felt as if it was something else entirely.
Aiden’s POV
The low hum of the engine filled the car as I drove down the winding road toward the building where we transacted all pack related business matters.
The sun had begun to set, painting the sky in streaks of orange and violet, but my mind was elsewhere—lost in the chaos of emotions I had been battling for weeks now.
Lexia. Rose.
Two names that refused to leave my head, both wrapped around my heart in ways I couldn’t untangle.
I gripped the wheel tighter, my jaw clenching as frustration bubbled under my skin.
It wasn’t supposed to be this way. I had made a promise to Lexia—to love her, protect her, marry her.
She was my commitment, the one I was meant to stand beside for the rest of my life.
And yet, ever since Rose came crashing into my world, everything had shifted.
The bond between us was undeniable. It was raw, electric, consuming in ways I had never imagined possible. Every moment I spent with her only made it harder to resist the pull, made it harder to lie to myself. Because deep down, I knew the truth.
I wanted her.
I wanted Rose.
The thought made my stomach twist with guilt.
I exhaled sharply, running a hand through my hair as I forced my eyes to stay on the road.
I was split in two. On one side, there was Lexia—the woman I had built a relationship with, the woman I had always believed would be my future.
Leaving her wasn’t just a betrayal of our bond, it was a betrayal of everything I had ever known. But on the other side…
Rose.
The way she looked at me, the way her touch sent fire racing through my veins—it was intoxicating.
With her, I didn’t have to pretend, didn’t have to force myself to feel something that wasn’t there anymore.
And the more time I spent with her, the more the thought of going back to Lexia made my stomach churn with something close to revulsion.
I had told myself I would figure out a way to break the mate bond with Rose. That I would find a way back to Lexia. But the longer I tried to convince myself of that, the more it felt like a lie.
My thoughts weren't going to end soon, so, I pulled up my car in the parking area for board members who oversaw the business aspect of Bloodfire Phoenix Inc.
I was the CEO, and here we transacted all financial related matters when it came to running the pack.
The massive stone building loomed ahead of me like a judgmental shadow.
Tonight was supposed to be about the pack, about my responsibilities.
But my heart was somewhere else entirely.
I turned off the engine and leaned back against the seat, closing my eyes for a moment.
"Get it together, Aiden," I muttered under my breath.
But how could I? How could I pretend that everything was fine when I was being torn apart from the inside?