Chapter 23
“There is never a time or place for true love. It happens accidentally, in a heartbeat, in a single flashing, throbbing moment.” – Sarah Dessen
Rose's POV
I sat in what was now supposed to be my room, my knees hugged tightly to my chest. No matter how hard I tried to avoid it, I kept getting pushed closer to Aiden. And one day, he was going to resent me for forcing my way into his life.
A knock sounded at the door, and Josie stepped inside, holding a plate of spaghetti.
“I thought you might be hungry,” she said gently.
Not wanting to seem rude, I accepted the plate.
“You know,” Josie began, “when I first moved in, it took me a while to get used to the fact that this was my room.”
I paused, twirling the spaghetti around my fork.
“You didn’t share a room with your mate?” I asked curiously.
Josie shook her head tightly. “Not until much later. The mate bond is strange that way. It creates a physical attraction whether or not you’re comfortable with each other.
Even though we mated… almost immediately, I wasn’t ready to share a room with someone I barely knew.
” She giggled a little. “Aiden’s father was someone I knew since childhood, but he left the pack for five years.
When he came back to take over at twenty-three, I was nineteen.
He made me his luna, but we still needed space.
It took time before we finally shared a room.
” Josie gave a dreamy sigh. “I still remember the first night he asked me to stay in his bed. He said he loved falling asleep with his arms around me.”
I gave a small, almost wistful smile. “Sounds like you really loved each other.”
“We did,” she agreed. “But it took time for that love to grow.”
I ignored the meaningful look she gave me.
“Hilda told me she makes you pancakes every Monday morning. She was determined to come over tomorrow before you leave for college to make sure you got your Monday morning pancakes,” Josie said quietly, her tone gently chastising.
“She cried, saying you were her everything and the house would be empty without you.”
I let out a breath, the weight of how cruel I’d been to my aunt pressing down on me.
“I was a brat, wasn’t I?”
“You were,” Josie said without hesitation. “But you can make it up to her tomorrow.”
“I wonder what Auntie Hilda’s going to do now that I don’t live there anymore,” I murmured. “I hope she stays with us instead of leaving. She could keep Dad company. He’s going to be all alone in that house.”
Josie bit her lip like she was holding back from saying something. I didn’t pay her much attention, too busy berating myself for how I’d treated the aunt who’d sacrificed everything for me.
“I was just so angry and frustrated. Josie, I get that everyone’s worried, but someone could’ve at least asked me. I don’t want to be a burden on Aiden.”
“Listen, Rose, Aiden was hellbent on making sure this room and bathroom were exactly how you’d want them.
If you were such a burden, I doubt he would’ve stayed up half the night picking out drawer knobs for you.
Knobs. He ordered a big fluffy chair so you could sit by the window and read.
He even ordered new books for the library because of you.
There’s a bookshelf on the way for your favorite books.
Trust me, he’s not doing this out of obligation or because you’re a burden. He wants to see you happy.”
My heart squeezed a little at her words. I remembered what he’d said to me earlier.
I thought… don’t you like it?
He’d done all this for me and expected me to be happy.
“He doesn’t want anything to happen to you,” Josie added. “If Austin were alive…” She trailed off, wiping away a tear.
“How did Aiden's father die?” I asked warily.
No one had ever told me.
Josie smiled sadly.
“ Tanya was only three and followed him outside after breakfast, making him promise to come home early to buy her a new bike.”
I noticed how her hand clenched against the bedding.
“The mighty Alpha of the Bloodfire Phoenix Pack isn’t immortal. His car crashed fifteen minutes later. He didn’t stop at the stop sign outside pack territory. A truck carrying combustible cargo crashed into the driver’s side. His car went up in flames. He died instantly.”
I started. “But anyone who drives those roads knows to stop at that stop sign. It’s muscle memory.”
Josie nodded sadly, swallowing hard.
“Ezra, Aiden, and I decided to keep the next part quiet. Rose, his brakes weren’t working. There’s no way he’d drive with faulty brakes. They were tampered with. The police think it’s speculation, but I know Austin. Someone messed with them.”
“But if someone outside the pack tampered with the car, wouldn’t you have smelled something?” I asked.
“Rogues and lone wolves are harder to scent,” Josie said quietly. She tucked her short hair behind her ears and looked at me with caution. “Especially if it’s someone who used to be part of our pack.”
“Someone who…” I trailed off, then realization hit me. “You don’t think Jake’s mother would kill her own brother?”
Josie shrugged.
“I don’t think she would. She loved her brother.
But I can’t say the same for her husband.
For a while, I thought it was odd you ended up living in the same area as Jake.
I wondered if Austin sent you there, but if he did, he never told me.
Even after he died, she barely contacted me unless it was about Jake’s college application.
And another thing—you kept saying Jake’s so smart.
If he is, why did he come here? A small, obscure university in a small town. ”
“He said his grades dropped. Said I helped him when we were in high school…” I trailed off, not sounding convincing even to myself.
Josie sighed heavily.
“Look, Rose, these are my theories. All Aiden knows is that someone tampered with his father’s brakes.
Why do you think he insisted on driving you to that frat party?
He doesn’t want you going anywhere alone because whoever’s trying to hurt our pack is a killer.
They haven’t gone after Aiden yet, but now I think they will.
Please, Rose…” She reached out, placing her hand over mine as I clutched my plate of spaghetti.
“Please help take care of my son. If you go through with the marking, you both can look out for each other. And once we can connect with our elders again, we’ll be better prepared. ”
I nodded, swallowing hard. I remembered how adamant he’d been about driving me home, how he’d checked his car so thoroughly before we left the frat party…
It all made sense now.
“Josie, I’ll do everything I can for Aiden and for this pack,” I said softly. “Don’t worry.”
Even if it tortures me to be so close to him, knowing I can’t have him. I’ll play my part for as long as I’m needed.
Aiden's POV
It was past midnight. I was sitting on a stool by the marble countertop, a bowl of cereal in front of me, lost in my own brooding thoughts. Why did I always mess everything up when it came to Rose?
“You’re still up?” a new voice asked. I could hear how hesitant she was.
I turned around, surprised to see Rose standing before me, an empty plate in her hands.
My eyes traveled over her without meaning to—the silk shorts and matching tank top catching my attention.
I recognized them immediately. One of the new pajama sets Hilda had picked out for her using my card.
It wasn’t lost on me that she’d chosen to wear it tonight.
Maybe a kind of truce, on her part. Like she was acknowledging, in her own quiet way, everything we’d done for her.
If she expected me to react, I didn’t. I just turned back to my cereal.
“I was hungry. Not all of us can have hot meals sent up to our rooms,” I replied dryly, realizing Mom must have brought her up a plate of food so she wouldn’t go hungry tonight.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her wince at my tone. She knew I was still upset over how she’d talked to me earlier.
“Well, that’s just because I’m Josie’s favorite,” she teased, trying to lift the heaviness lingering between us.
I didn’t respond, biting back a smile. She was right though. She was Mom’s favorite. I clinked my spoon against the edge of the bowl in silent agreement.
“I can warm up something for you, if you want,” she offered, stepping toward me.
“No… no… I know how to warm up my own food, Rose.” My voice came out quieter than I meant, almost pensive.
She moved over to the sink, rinsing her plate. I heard her pause when she tried to open the dishwasher, surprised it was already running.
“Mom turns it on at night. Lorraine takes out the dishes in the morning,” I told her without looking up.
“Oh,” she murmured.
“In our home, the dishes are cleaned and put away almost immediately after dinner.” Rose gave an explanation and moved toward the washbasin.
Out of the corner of my eye, I watched her scrub at her plate. I wasn’t even touching my cereal anymore—just staring at her, stuck in my thoughts.
“You don’t have to eat it if you don’t like it,” she said gently, looking back to glance pointedly at my uneaten cereal before resuming the cleaning of her plate.
I looked down at my bowl for a fraction of a second before sighing and looking back up at her. I didn’t even know why I was about to share this with her, but here went nothing.
“Do you know what hyperemesis gravidarum is, Rose?” I asked, my voice low.
She nodded hesitantly, clearly unsure why I was asking. “It’s when pregnant women get really sick. They’re always throwing up and are at risk for dehydration.”
She placed her plate on the rack, drying her hands with a towel.
I gave a tight nod, my eyes back on the cereal.
“My mom had it when she was pregnant with Dylan. She couldn’t keep anything down. Spent most of the pregnancy in bed. Dr. Danvers prescribed bed rest, but even then, she ended up in the hospital more than once.”