Page 50 of Alpha Mates

Ilovetouching Aiden. I hate that I do. I hate him, but Goddess, Ilovebeing in his arms and having him in mine.

Alex groans, but it almost sounds like a moan as he pushes forward.If we’re delving into the finer details … then perfection is what happened in the kitchen.

I shove Alex away with a mental battering ram. The last thing I want to think about is that day, but it’s too late. Images of Aiden and the way he looked at me tumble into my mind like rolling snow in an avalanche. Dark eyes filling with hunger and want. My fingers tighten around my wrist like his did. My breath catches, and I can practically feel him pressing against me again. Goddess, his body had felt so good rocking against mine … his lips tracing my skin … his teeth biting my—

“Mr. Heil? Are you with us?”

I jolt, and notice the waiting stares of my teacher and classmates. I blink several times before it registers that class started at some point and I didn’t notice.

“Um, yes. Sorry, I’m here.” I grab my pen and scribble down the mass of problems already on the whiteboard.

When the hell had that gotten up there?!

With an unimpressed hum, my teacher carries on, leaving me to catch up. I’m not surprised to find Isabel frowning at me when I look at her, but I shake my head.

Thisis precisely why I asked Aiden for space.

It took the entire car ride to work up the nerve, and while it’d been hard, it’d been worth it. It didn’t matter that I’d crumbled pitifully at the end and all but begged him to meet me for lunch. I put space between us and gave myself room to focus on my classes, just like I wanted.

Now, I just had to do that.

Tightening my grip on my pen, I clear my mind and get to work.

My steps are slow as I leave my math class, my notes no different than when I walked in. Math was usually safe terrain, but just like with physics, I hadn’t worked through a single problem. Despite my plans and best efforts, my mind won’t leave Aiden.

I want my mate. I want his scent covering me and mine on him, so that this blinding and insistent need that’s turning me into a useless, fidgeting mess goes away.

I thought I’d gotten used to ignoring the bond and its effects, but it’s as if these new feelings have tangled with it and amplified everything.

“Okay, that was your fifth sigh,” Beckett says while we walk towards our next class. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Beckett’s frown deepens and I have to look away to avoid it. We don’t lie to each other—ever—but I barely understand what I’m feeling, so I have no chance of explaining it. And since he isn’t Aiden, there’s nothing he can do to help.

We carry on a little further before traces of pinewood pass under my nose. My head shoots up, and I zero in on the source in a split second. Caught up in conversation with his beta, Aiden walks straight towards me from the other side of the busy hallway.

Aiden.His name comes like a purr in my mind.

My body buzzes, cutting out the circuits to my brain as I bypass the open door of my next class and head for him instead.

“Julian?” I ignore Beckett’s call as I rush towards my mate.

Aiden’s head snaps up when I’m halfway to him and I almost stumble. Those dark lenses hide his eyes, but I can feel his heavy attention focusedsolely on me. I shiver under it as I come to a stop in front of him.

“Hi.” That’s safe, right? People say hi all the time. This isn’t weird.

“Hey,” he says, and goosebumps sprout over my skin. “All good?”

Absolutely not.

“Yeah. What about you?”

“All sunshine and rainbows over here,” he jokes, but his shoulders are like stone.

Is he struggling too? Because if he is, then he won’t mind if we talk? Maybe we could scent each other too? My fingers twitch at my sides as I part my lips, but then the bell rings.

“We’ve got math,” Aiden says as he circles Beckett and me. “Maddox always bitches when we’re late.” I turn and my heart tightens as he backs away. “I’ll see you at lunch.”