Page 60 of Alpha Mates

There’s the barest quirk of his lips, small enough to miss, but I spot it.The butterflies come roaring back, fluttering around, refusing to die while I search my mind for a distraction.

“Um,” I start, fiddling with a slice of avocado. “I’m supposed to go back to my pack at the end of the week.”

“Yeah, I know,” Aiden mutters, smile drifting away as quickly as it’d surfaced.

“I was wondering …” Putting this small question together is somehow more difficult than blurting out my feelings earlier. “I was wondering if you wanted—I mean, you don’t have to, but … um, would you … want to come with me?”

When we’d learnt that we were free from the “mate awareness” back when things had been less, well, volatile between us, the plan had been to stay in our own packs until they were officially joined. Until then, we were supposed to alternate, spending a week in the other’s pack each month. Nearly two weeks have passed since the coronation, and I thought I’d look forward to sleeping alone in my own lands. But after barely making it through seven hours without Aiden, I can’t imagine lasting days without him.

I glance up, only to scowl at his damn shades still in place. Why does heinsiston wearing them? Especially when I’m trying to gauge what he’s thinking.

“You don’t have to,” I add, in case shock isn’t what’s keeping him quiet. “It was just a thought since we’ve been together since the coronation, and things have been …”

“Things have been?” Aiden prompts, lips tilting up.

“Never mind,” I grumble, standing with my bowl.

I’m almost at the sink when firm hands catch my waist, stopping me short before I can escape my embarrassment. My back hits Aiden’s chest as he slides his arms around me and squeezes me against him.

“Hey,” he whispers, taking the bowl from me. “Don’t get mad so quickly. I was only teasing.” He sets it down before he pulls me in again. Pressed close, he rests his chin on my shoulder and slides his hands over mine, “I would love to come with you, Jewels.”

I stare down at our hands, unable to look away while my embarrassment redirects itself for reacting so delicately. I’ve never been anything other than level-headed, especially emotionally, but with Aiden, it’s as if some hidden switch had been flicked, and now, everything is spilling out.

“Okay,” I mumble as he turns me around to face him. I want to remove those shades again, but that would require letting go of his hands.

“Okay,” he agrees. “Maybe okay will be our—”

“You are not quotingThe Fault in Our Stars.”

“It’sa good movie,” he says, almost pouting, which isnotcute.

“It’s a good book,” I correct. “The book is better.”

“Have you even seen the movie?”

“No, but I know the book is better.”

“Of course it is.” He fakes a gag. “Wait. How did your sheltered ass read that?”

“I am not sheltered. The library in school is non-discriminating.”

He cackles, shaking his head. “Well in that case, I say we wash up and watch the movie now. I’m in the mood to cry.”

“Oh yeah?” I ask, chuckling. I can’t quite imagine Aiden crying over a movie, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to see it. “That sounds nice, but—”

“No! No buts!”

“But,” I continue and when he groans dramatically, I can’t help but laugh. “I have work to do.”

“Work?” he echoes, nose wrinkling.

“Homework,” I say, spurring another dragged-out groan from him. “I missed a lot of classes, and I need to catch up. Not to mention, I’ve got to go through the reports for your scouting trip this morning.”

“Boo. Here’s a good idea. Why don’t we skip school tomorrow, and you do all that in the morning?”

“Your solution for my workload is to skip more school and acquire an even larger workload?” I ask with a raised brow.

“Yes.”