Page 69 of Alpha Mates

“You don’t sound peachy to me,” I reply as I dust the salt from my fingers and sit up.

His brows sink a fraction deeper. “Well, I am.”

“Are you?” I press, staring right into those darkening blue eyes.

“I just said I was, didn’t I?” he says, growling now, and it’s enough to send my patience tumbling over some fence in my mind to free my temper instead.

“What the fuck is your problem today?”

“You are,” he snaps. “You and your clingy little friend.”

My eyes widen behind my shades. Emitt goes corpse white and is failing miserably at hiding behind Isabel.

So he was right—Julian hates him. The look on his face is the same one he used to give me before all this mate stuff. And when his eyes dart back tome, the look doesn’t falter.

It’s that look—that way-too-familiar look that washes away my hurt and brings with it all the disdain that once defined our relationship.

“I don’t know what the fuck is wrong with you or who force-fed you beef this morning Julian, but it wasn’t me. I came here foryou, to spend time withyou, but I’m not sitting here and taking this shit because you’re in a shitty mood.” I grab my bag and get to my feet. “Whatever the fuck has gotten into you, deal with it, and don’t take that shit out on meorEmitt.”

Emitt is already on his feet, and hustles behind me as we leave the table that we never should’ve gone to in the first place.

Fucking Julian. Up and down, he’s like a fucking yo-yo, except he came round to club you in the eye when you just started to have some fun.

“Aiden,” Julian calls, but I ignore him as I leave the crowded cafeteria.

I’m on edge enough as it is. If I stayed in this place any longer, I’d break something, and it wouldn’t be good if that something was one of the little humans staring at us.

“Wait, Aiden!” Julian shouts, rushed steps coming after us while I march down the halls “Will you please just wait!” he groans.

I don’t intend to, but he catches me by my wrist and forces me to face him. When I do, I make sure I’m in front of Emitt, shielding him from any more of Julian’s nonsense.

“What?” I snap, tugging my arm free. “You want to pull some more of that crap?”

“No,” he groans as he looks around at the few stragglers in the hall. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—” His gaze shifts over my shoulder, and his jaw sets. “Can I talk to youalone?”

I see fucking red. “Why the fuck—”

“Aiden, please.”

In the most infuriating way, my anger wavers under that pleading look in his eye and the wordpleasethat trips me up every time.

I think you should talk to him, Emitt offers through our pack bond, whispering as if Julian might hear him here.I don’t want to be in the middle of this, and clearly, I am.

I huff, wanting to ignore Julian and leave with Emitt, but I already know Emitt will whine about it if I do. As annoyed as I am, I don’t want to leave things out of place between Julian and me.

“Fine.” I give Emitt a nod to let him run off and escape the impending wreckage Julian and I are catapulting towards.

Julian grabs my wrist and pulls me into the closest classroom. He looks nervous. Good. He sure as hell should be.

The second the door shuts, I don’t hold back. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“I’m sorry,” he says quickly. “I don’t know why I got so mad.”

“You don’t know?” I scoff. “Yesterday, you wanted me here, and now you’re treating me like some unwanted mutt?”

“I did—dowant you here. Aiden, I’m sorry.” He comes closer, reaching for me, but I move away. His face crumples. “Aiden.”

I feel it too, the need to touch as strong as the need to reconcile, but I’d let the bond sway me enough already.