Page 8 of Alpha’s Twins (Alpha Kings Island #3)

So, Aiden has talked to them about me. Did he ask them to come here? The question feels safe, though, like a familiar patch of ground, so I grasp on to it. “Yes,” I say, “I have a store on the mainland. A friend is looking after it.”

“Will you open one here?” Sarah asks, glancing around at the flower arrangements beginning to take shape in the previously derelict yard.

I pause for a moment, all the questions I’ve been asking myself over the last few days swirling around in my mind.

I’ve just been dropped here in this strange pack; I don’t know if they even need a florist like me on the island, if I’d be welcome, or if my new mate would even allow it.

I feel my heart racing as their eyes all turn to me.

Their expressions are friendly, but in my experience, you never know what people’s real intentions are.

“Perhaps,” I reply, “I’m just finding my feet. I’m not sure what Aiden would say.”

“Ha,” Cate scoffs. “You just have to tell that one what you want to do; he won’t mind.”

The others all laugh, and it feels good-natured, but something about the way she said it makes me think perhaps she knows Aiden quite well.

Maybe really well. I don’t know why that makes me feel so strange inside, a sinking feeling that I can’t explain.

Aiden is so attractive, and Cate is stunning.

Of course, they’ve probably been together, but they might still be together.

Whatever Aiden is doing with me is purely business between packs.

Everyone knows that, and if I let myself get caught up in imagining things are different, it will only lead to heartbreak and embarrassment.

I refuse to give these people any reason to ridicule and bully me the way my old pack did.

So I stuff down my feelings and laugh along.

As much as I feel awkward and want to find a reason to doubt them, the women seem really friendly, and we chat for the next hour as they fill me in on all the pack gossip and information about Malik’s attacks that I hadn’t heard on the mainland.

I didn’t realize he’d been on the island so long or that he’d had a brother who had nearly destroyed him before he killed him instead.

He obviously wanted to rule the island himself.

However comforting it is to be welcomed here, Malik sounds just as terrifying as I imagined, and it does nothing to calm my nerves about being on the island. They’ve been through so much here.

If possible, I almost sense him before I see him.

Aiden steps into the garden, and the attraction I feel for him is immediate and almost overwhelming.

His eyes meet mine, and the easy-going smile on his face seems so at odds with how I feel here.

The women all stand and greet him as Sarah packs away the leftovers.

“We’ll get out of your way,” she smiles before adding, “There’s a market this weekend, you should come with us and check it out. ”

I know Aiden has heard, as he pauses, greeting the other women and looks at me encouragingly. “That sounds lovely,” I reply, even though the thought of being out with probably the whole pack makes me feel sick.

“Lovely,” Cate concurs. “You should come too, Aiden, it will be a great day.”

Cate seems genuinely friendly, and deep down, I know I shouldn’t let it bother me, but I can’t shake the feeling that there’s something between her and Aiden. The women say goodbye, but I feel so tightly wound as Aiden closes the gate after them that as he turns, his face drops.

“What’s up?” he asks. “Did they upset you? I thought it was going well.”

I look down, searching for the right words, but all I feel is envy gnawing at my insides. “Are you and Cate…you know?”

He almost laughs, a quick huff of surprise, but he stops himself, reading my expression. “Cate? No. That was a long time ago.” He steps closer. “I’m no angel, but we’re just friends. That’s it.”

I want to believe him, but the jealousy feels like a separate entity, something writhing and alive that I can’t pin down. “Okay,” I say, but my voice is tight. I hate how exposed I feel.

Aiden watches me, his eyes narrowing, like he’s trying to figure out what’s really going on. “You’re not convinced.” It’s not a question, and I’m not sure how to respond.

“It’s fine,” I say, but it’s not, not really.

“Serena,” he says softly, but there’s a firmness to his tone. He tilts my chin up, forcing me to meet his gaze. “If I wanted Cate, I’d tell you. Right now, I’m wanting someone else.”

He leans forward, his eyes locked onto mine, and my heart races.

All I can think is that he’s going to kiss me.

No one has ever kissed me before, and I’m convinced this is just a sick joke; that any second now he’ll pull away, laughing at how easily I believed him.

I feel like I might shatter. In a panic, I push him back with more force than I intended.

“Don’t,” I say, my voice sharp and uneven. I see the surprise on his face as I turn, fleeing toward the house. I don’t look back, afraid of what I’ll see, afraid of what I won’t.

Inside, the air is cool, and I lean against the door, trying to catch my breath.

The quiet feels deafening, and I press my hands to my mouth, feeling the heat of embarrassment creeping up my neck and into my cheeks.

Why did I run? Why couldn’t I just stand there and let him—why can’t I just be normal?