Chapter 16
Consciousness returns in layers. The whisper of silk sheets across my bare skin. The pleasant, deep ache in my muscles. Aaiden’s cedar-scented soap cutting through the heavy musk of sex, as though he was moving around the room while I slept.
My body lies emptied out but satisfied in a way I’ve never experienced, the Heat fever broken after what must have been days.
I squint at the morning light filtering through expensive curtains.
“You’re awake.”
My head turns to find Aaiden sitting beside me on the edge of the bed, his body dipping the mattress so my body rolls toward him. He wears nothing but black boxer briefs, his bare chest displaying scratches I don’t remember leaving. His hair stands in tufts where my fingers must have gripped it.
He extends a bottle with electric blue liquid toward me. “Drink this. It will help with the dehydration.”
I push myself up on shaky arms, wincing at the soreness that radiates through me. It’s different from the violent pain I’ve experienced before. This ache is connected to pleasure rather than violation. The sheet pools around my waist, exposing my naked chest.
“How long was I out?” The question comes out hoarse, my throat raw from days of pleasure.
“Your Heat lasted three days.” Aaiden unscrews the cap and places the bottle in my hand. “This is the first time you’ve been lucid since it took full control.”
Three days in Aaiden’s bed. Three days with him taking care of me.
The timeline doesn’t add up at first. My Heats are regulated. Controlled. They don’t just… happen.
Then I think about the last few weeks. The stabbing. Recovery. Falling out of my routine, where taking suppressants happened every morning.
And sleeping in Aaiden’s bed.
Surrounded by his pheromones.
I didn’t recognize the early signs because I wasn’t expecting them. Not after everything else. I wrote it off as pain, fatigue, and my body still trying to catch up with itself.
By the time I realized what was happening, it was already too late.
Aaiden’s hand smooths back my hair. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” I lift the bottle to my lips and chug, the sweet-tart liquid cooling my parched throat.
When I lower it, half the contents are gone.
“Better?” Aaiden asks, his green eyes tracking my every movement.
“Yeah.” I hand the drink back and take stock of my body.
My muscles ache in a pleasant way that speaks of thorough use, my dick lies soft on my thigh after days of release, and no trace of fluids or sweat remains on my skin.
“You bathed me.” The words come out uncertain, halfway between a question and a statement.
His lips curve into a small smile. “Of course, I did.”
My gaze drifts down to my chest, where purple-red marks dot my skin like a constellation.
My heart races as my hand flies to the back of my neck, fingers trembling with anticipation as they search for the raised edges where Aaiden’s teeth would have broken skin, where his claiming bite will have left its Mark. The physical proof that I finally belong to him.
I find nothing but smooth, untouched skin.
Icy dread twists in my stomach. I touch the spot again, harder this time, as if I somehow missed the raised edges of a mating Mark.
Still nothing.
I turn to Aaiden, whose jaw tightens as he realizes what I’m doing.
My mom’s warning surfaces.
If Aaiden thought you were his, you wouldn’t be unclaimed right now. You’ve seen it eight times over in the last year. Rockford Alphas don’t leave their Omegas waiting if they’re truly theirs.
Three days of Heat. Three days in his bed. And not once did Aaiden choose to give me his Mark.
All the signs had been there, and I willfully buried my head in the sand, believing Aaiden just needed the right push because of everything stacked against us. Fuck, I’d been so stupid.
The contentment that had wrapped around me like a blanket disintegrates, leaving me naked in more ways than one.
“You didn’t Mark me.” The words scrape out of my throat.
Aaiden’s hand pauses on the bottle before he sets it aside. “Jade—”
“Don’t.” My voice cracks. “Don’t you fucking dare try to explain this away.”
The pain transforms into rage so fast that it leaves me dizzy. I shove his chest with both hands, catching him off guard. He rocks back but doesn’t fall, his superior strength keeping him upright.
I throw back the covers and swing my legs over the opposite side of the bed, pushing myself to stand despite the protest from my overworked muscles. The room spins for a moment, but I lock my knees and refuse to fall.
“Jade, wait. We should talk about this.” Aaiden rises from the bed, his hands outstretched in a placating gesture.
“Talk about what?” I snap, scanning the room for my clothes. I spot my jeans crumpled on the bench at the foot of the bed and stagger toward them. “Talk about how you fucked me through my Heat but couldn’t be bothered to claim me?”
Aaiden circles the bed, moving toward me with the careful steps of someone approaching a cornered animal. “It’s not that simple.”
“It is, though.” My hands shake as I yank on my pants, not bothering with underwear. “You either want me, or you don’t.”
“Of course I want you.” The admission comes out rougher, frustration breaking through. “What happened between us—”
“Was sex.” I zip my jeans with more force than necessary, almost catching myself in the process. “Just you doing your duty, taking care of the family burden during his inconvenient Heat.”
His face hardens. “You know that’s not true.”
“Do I?” I spot my T-shirt near the bathroom door and move toward it, keeping distance between us. “Because from where I’m standing, you got to fuck me without any of the commitment.”
“That’s not fair,” Aaiden says, a warning note creeping in.
I snatch my shirt from the floor. “Life isn’t fair.”
My shoes lie scattered near the door to the hallway. I grab them without bothering to put them on, needing only to escape this room, this man, this crushing disappointment.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Aaiden demands, anger breaking through his composure.
“Away from you.” I pull my phone from my jeans pocket, relieved to find it still holds a charge.
“You can’t leave. Not like this.” Aaiden moves to block my path to the door. “You just came out of Heat. You need rest, food—”
“I need to not be here.” I sidestep him.
His hand shoots out, gripping my bicep. “Wait.”
“Let. Go.” Each word drops between us with finality.
His fingers loosen, but don’t release me. “Jade, please. Let me explain.”
“Explain what? Why I’m good enough to fuck but not to Mark?” The words tear from my throat, raw with hurt. “I don’t need your explanations or your excuses.”
“You don’t understand—”
“Oh, I understand.” I wrench my arm free and move to the door. “You made your choice, and now I’m making mine.”
I unlock my phone with trembling fingers and open my message app, typing quickly to a contact I’d hoped never to need. But I have to get out of here, and with Tony’s people hunting Rockford Omegas, I can’t do this alone.
Jade
I need a pickup. ASAP.
The reply comes right away.
Unknown
On my way. 10 min.
I grasp the door handle as Aaiden calls out, “Jade, wait. You can’t go out there like that!”
I don’t look back.
My bare feet slap on the cold marble of Rockford Manor’s hallway as I storm toward the grand staircase.
Behind me, Aaiden’s hurried footsteps grow louder, calling my name with increasing urgency.
The pristine corridors that once felt like home now stretch before me like a prison I need to escape, each step taking me further from the bedroom where my heart shattered only minutes ago.
“Jade, stop!” Aaiden’s shout echoes off the walls. “You’re being irrational!”
I don’t slow down, clutching my shoes and shirt to my chest. “Irrational? Fuck you, Aaiden.”
His footsteps quicken, fabric rustling behind me.
When I risk a check over my shoulder, he’s still fighting with the belt of his hastily donned robe, the soft material flapping open with each stride, baring flashes of his naked chest. Any other time, the sight would stop me in my tracks. Now, it fuels my anger.
“You can’t walk out on me.” He drops into that Alpha register he uses when he expects to be obeyed. “We need to talk.”
“We‘re done talking!”
Our shouting draws attention, and a door clicks open ahead. Sebastian steps into the hallway, his scarred face tight with concern. Behind him, I catch a glimpse of his mate, Micah, hovering in the doorway of their suite.
“What’s going on?” Sebastian asks, his attention flicking between us.
I push past him without answering. More doors open from the opposite end of the wing.
Caleb emerges with Oliver at his side, the journalist’s hazel eyes widening as he takes in my disheveled appearance and Aaiden’s state of undress.
A second later, Damien’s head pops out of his suite, with Phoenix peeking out at his side.
“Is everything okay?” Oliver asks, soft with concern.
I ignore the question as I turn and start jogging down the stairs. Fuck, why does this place have to be so big? I could have taken the elevator to avoid this public drama, but that would have given Aaiden more time to catch up while I waited for it to arrive.
As I reach the second floor, more family members appear, drawn by the commotion. Liam appears with Milo tucked into his side. Nolan steps out of his suite, with Leo bouncing their baby on his hip. Gabe and Saint appear next, along with Ezra and Ren.
My cheeks burn with humiliation. Everyone will know now what happened between Aaiden and me, and that he didn’t claim me.
I reach the second flight of stairs, gripping the polished banister like a lifeline. Below, the massive entry hall waits, the front door my target. Beyond those doors lies freedom.
“Jade.” Aaiden catches up, his hand closing around my upper arm. “Come back to the suite so we can talk like adults.”