Chapter 37
"True love, sir, is possessive and cannot bear to share with all the world." -Moliere
Aiden's POV
"Aiden!" exclaimed Lexia happily. She ushered me into the house. I’d called her myself to find out her whereabouts and she’d informed me she'd come home to visit her ailing mother.Lexia was more than eager to invite me over for a talk when she learned I had something important to speak about. "How are you?"
I turned to Lexia stonily, taking in her appearance. She looked startlingly pale and tense. It seemed like the stress of her mother's illness was getting to her. But the eagerness in her gaze was unmistakable. I couldn’t continue to let her delude herself. Besides, I was livid at her.
"You're the one that gave Rose that stupid suppressant medicine,” I stated, looking her in the eye coldly.
Anger radiated off of me and for the first time, Lexia found herself at the receiving end of my contempt.
Lexia took a step back, taken completely by surprise by my cold tone. To be on the receiving end of my fury was something that had very rarely happened to her, if ever.
"I-I…I just thought in case—”
"You had no right to butt into my personal life,” I cut in.
She opened her mouth to speak but I held up a finger to silence her.
"I'll let it slide this time, Lexia, but I'm only going to tell you this one time.
Stay. Away. From Rose." My voice was commanding and unyielding, each syllable laced with warning.
Lexia shakily clutched herself, hugging her midsection.
"So you're with her now?" Lexia said the words on the barest of whispers, inclining her head in defeat. "That's it then, you gave into your wolf, didn't you?"
"I think I'm falling in love with her,” I finally said the words, admitting it to myself more so than to anyone else. "At first—” My voice cracked. "I only liked her, but...after her turn..." I let out a breath.
How was I supposed to put into words what I saw when I delved into her mind and glimpsed her soul?
In that moment, I saw her, not just her thoughts, but the raw, radiant core of who she truly was.
In that instant after the marking, through her memories, I saw the raw courage, the compassion and selflessness within her that I’d been too blind to see before.
And I fell harder than a dead weight, no resistance or hesitation.
I fell completely. Irrevocably. I wanted her with a hunger that eclipsed everything I’d ever known.
I ached for her—body, mind, soul—with a need so profound it hurt to breathe without her.
And more than anything, I wanted her to be mine.
Not for a moment. Not for a night. Forever.
"It's just your wolf,” Lexia bristled. "We've already had this conversation, Aiden. It's just her being newly turned and your instincts. That’s why you think you love her after her turn. There is no way you could ever fall for someone immediately after their turn. Love doesn’t work like that."
I cast a critical eye towards her as she desperately scrambled for an explanation. It sounded more like she was trying to convince herself of something rather than convince me. Regardless, I wasn't going to stand here and argue with her over my feelings. I know what I felt. And who I felt it for.
"Whatever it is, it's no longer any of your business, Lexia. Let us be."
With that, I turned on my heel and saw my self out.
“Aiden please! No. You can’t do this to me! I…we promised we’d reject our mates for each other!”
I shut the door on her frantic pleadings, effectively shutting the door on any future with Lexia. And it felt like shedding a huge weight off my shoulders.
Rose's POV
After an entire day of sitting around completely depressed, I managed to get up the next morning and take a long, hot shower.
I let the hot water beat against my muscles, enjoying the feeling and finally realizing something else: I was aroused.
I was extremely aroused, and couldn’t help but relive the memories from the night of Aiden’s marking.
It felt so good. Unconsciously my hands fluttered up to my neck, feeling puncture marks before skimming down to my breasts in imitation of the way Aiden had gripped them.
There was a red flush across my bare skin that had nothing to do with the hot water pouring down my body in rivulets.
Then, delicately, my fingers found my pussy lips and I closed my eyes, picturing Aiden’s hands on me, his lips on my neck, his fingers flicking my nipples before flitting down to pump my core just like this.
And then I came, drawing in deep shuddering breaths, finding my release and easing the ache between my legs. After cleaning up quickly, I got out of the shower, still shaking from the remnants of my orgasm.
Blinking, I looked at myself in the foggy mirror.
I’d done this before but this time...it felt different.
Were my senses heightened due to the change?
I was becoming more attracted to my alpha.
Even thinking about him made me wet. Afterwards, I made my way into Auntie Hilda's room, searching for a hair dryer since mine was at the alpha mansion. Confused, I realized that my aunt’s room was totally empty of any personal belongings.
The closet was filled with some formal outfits, but that was it.
Had Auntie Hilda moved out and not told me?
Unbidden awareness sparked inside of me…
Dad had been sent to check out Tanya's pack.
Why had Auntie Hilda gone with him? Purposefully, I made my way to dad's master bedroom, tying my terrycloth robe tighter around me.
Walking into the master bathroom, wary green eyes fell on the drawers of the vanity.
Sliding one open, I found Auntie Hilda's dryer. Opening the glass medicine cabinets, I found most of Auntie Hilda's hair products. Stalking over to the closet in the master bedroom, I flung it open to see one half filled with men’s clothes while the other was filled with…my aunt’s clothes.
The sound of the downstairs door opening was discernible to my werewolf hearing.
Aunt Hilda’s laughter and Dad's deep baritone chuckles filled the downstairs hallway.
How could I have been so stupid as to think the only reason my aunt was living here was because of me?
Was Aiden right? Was I really the spoiled, pampered girl who'd thought that the world revolved around her? How had I missed this?
Anger flared anew. When did they plan to tell me? Were they ever going to tell me?
“Rose!” Auntie Hilda's cheery voice floated around the upstairs hallway.
“Rose, where are you? Alpha Aiden called us back early to be with—” Her voice stopped short when she entered the master bedroom to see me sitting on the bed, completely stunned, and then her eyes flicked towards the closet—and saw the blatant evidence of guilt.
I turned my eyes to my aunt accusingly.
“You've been hiding things from me.”
“Rose…” Auntie Hilda began guiltily.
“Were you going to keep this a secret, laughing behind my back about how oblivious I am to everything?” My voice was loud, shrill, and I was on the brink of hysteria.
Dad came running, wondering what was wrong. A quick glance at his closet and me near tears most likely gave him the main idea.
“How could you keep something like this from me?” I asked brokenly. A lone tear slipped down my cheek. I slapped it away angrily.
“We…we thought it’d be best to wait—” Dad began speaking.
“Wait? Wait for what?!” I asked as a hysterical laugh bubbled up within me . “Wait for me to leave before you started this torrid affair?”
I was being nasty. Auntie Hilda flinched.
“It’s not an affair.” Dad's voice was harsh. He looked over at my aunt with soft eyes and my eyes followed his gaze. “I love her.”
“Love?” I choked out. I felt like I was suffocating. “You love her, so you hide her away like some secret mistress?”
“Rose, it was my decision to keep it a secret,” Auntie Hilda burst out, hands spread out before her as she pleaded with me to understand. “Your father wanted to tell you. We wanted to have a mating ceremony—”
“It's that serious?” There was a roaring in my ears. More tears ran down my cheeks. “How long?” I asked in a choking voice.
My request was met with silence.
“How long have you been sleeping together?” I demanded bluntly.
“Since we moved back here,” Auntie Hilda choked the words out, guilt laden.
“And you never once thought to tell me?”
The roaring in my ears was getting louder, the weight heavier on my chest. I needed to get out of here. I needed to turn again and compartmentalize these emotions in my wolf form. I couldn’t handle—
I shifted, ripping my robe. I had lab today, but there was no way I could go in this state.
“Rose…wait! Wait!” Dad called, but I bounded down the stairs and was relieved to see that the main door was open. I head-butted the door, making my way out and into the woods.
I couldn’t remember how long I ran, but at some point, my wolf ended up at the alpha residence.
Home…
No, no…that wasn’t my home.
But my animalistic instinct was telling me that home was wherever my alpha was…
And then I smelled him, walking out of his house and towards the woods where I was crouching.
“Rose? Where are you? What’s wrong?” Aiden was here.
His footsteps were wary. And when I saw him,my heart constricted. He had bags under his eyes like he hadn’t slept all night. His face was tense.
“Tell me what happened? I smelled you out here. Please…come inside.”
He had mind-linked me. Because even if I blocked him out of my mind through our mate-bond, I was still part of his pack. And pack members could mind-link.
“All any of you have ever done is keep secrets from me and lie to me. My entire life was a lie up till I turned eighteen and even now…everyone keeps lying!”
Why was I telling him any of this? I was supposed to be angry at him.
“Come inside,” he cajoled, bending down to scratch behind my ears.