Page 102 of His Fated Luna

Jake actually took a step away from me.

Aiden looked up immediately, locking eyes with me as I stalked toward them. He quickly stepped away from Lexia, his hands sliding into his pockets like he hadn’t just been letting her touch him. Lexia looked right at me, displeasure etched into her face, knowing full well it was me who made him pull away.

Driven by something raw and instinctive, I walked straight up to them. He’d told me they weren’t together—but that didn’t look broken up.

Aiden was putting space between himself and Lexia, and I could tell he liked the reaction he got from me. He looked… smug. Like he liked that I was getting territorial.

“How nice to see you, Rose,” Lexia greeted, her voice fake-sweet but her eyes were all venom.

Something inside me snapped. I leaned in with a small, icy smile. “I didn’t see you at the concert, Lexia.” I knew those photos of Aiden kissing me were all over social media. Just bringing it up reminded her: he’s mine.

“I’ve been busy studying,” she replied coolly. “But I guess Aiden found a way to keep himself preoccupied.” She gave a sharp little hum and narrowed her eyes at me.

“Let’s… go,” Aiden cut in, clearly uncomfortable now.

He looked… hollow. Like whatever he’d hoped to feel just never came.

“Yes, Aiden, take me home,” Lexia purred, rubbing his bicep with a possessive hand.

He flinched away from her, almost like her touch burned him. I saw it—and it gave me a strange, savage kind of satisfaction.

“Rose?” he asked, turning to me.

I looked at him, still angry but nodded. I waved at Jake and followed Aiden to the car. I just needed to get him away from her.

Lexia's POV

“Way to move in on my man,” I hissed as I watched Rose leave with Aiden.

Jake gave me a confused glance. “He said you guys were broken up.”

“He’ll get back with me eventually,” I said, voice dripping with certainty. “He just needs time. He told me he needed to figure things out… how to fight the mate pull.” I conveniently left out the part where that conversation was four months old. “You don’t actually believe they’re together, do you? Even if they are, it’s just his wolf. When he learns to fight it, he’ll leave her. They haven’t even slept together—it’s so obvious. And if there’s one thing I know about Aiden…” I smirked. “He loves sex. He probably finds her absolutely sickening if he hasn’t touched her yet.”

Jake stared down at me for a moment. “And what makes you so sure they're not just waiting until they’re more comfortable with each other?”

I scoffed. “Their instincts are screaming at them to mate. I can smell the pheromones.” I turned to Jake, eyes narrowing. “You like her, don’t you?”

He nodded. “It’s no secret. I’ve told her plenty of times.”

My eyes gleamed. I’d just discovered my next move.

Rose's POV

Back in Aiden’s car, I sat trying to process what had just happened. Jealousy wasn’t even the word for what had consumed me.

Possessivenesshad curled up into my insides, aching to claw out the eyes of the woman who dared touch my mate.

“It didn’t… hurt you, did it?” Aiden asked, glancing over at me. “I didn’t let her kiss me.”

“What does it matter?” I replied bitterly.

I knew I was being a brat. But I was so angry, so wound up over what I’d seen—it was drowning out any rational thought.

“It… it was a mistake seeing her,” he finally said.

“Didn’t look like you thought it was a mistake,” I bit out.

Where had the rational, mature version of me gone? The one who believed in his freedom to choose? That version was gone—burned away in the heat of seeing Lexia’s hands on him.