Page 11 of His Fated Luna

But he didn’t see what I saw.

Aiden wasn’t interested in me—at least, not in any romantic way. Now that I lived in the pack and attended high school here, I got to witness firsthand the epic love story of Aiden and Lexia. She was the daughter of an alpha from a neighboring pack. They had gone to high school

It was exactly what I had always wanted for myself.

I was a hopeless romantic.

Sometimes, during class, I’d wonder about the what-ifs. What if no one had tried to abduct me as a baby? Maybe Aiden and I would have grown up together, fallen in love naturally, knowing we were fated to be mates from the start.

But that wasn’t how things worked out.

He loved someone else.

In all honesty, I didn’t love him. It was just the thought of what I had lost—the opportunity to love him—that made me wistful.

Still, I couldn’t deny the slight sense of relief when Aiden announced he was leaving to pursue his studies abroad in the spring of my senior year. Lexia was going with him. He had enrolled in an exchange program for his bachelor’s degree that required two years of study in Europe. Tony and Ezra would run things in his absence. He would be gone for two years before enrolling into the local university to finish his degree.

On the eve of his departure, the pack threw him a farewell party. That’s when Aiden pulled me aside, leading me to the back lawn of the alpha residence.

“How are you doing, Rose? Do you like it here?” he asked, his gaze meeting mine.

I hesitated before answering. The evening was unusually cold for June. Carefully, I sat down on the metal swing situated on the back lawn.There was a small slide attached to it, and I pretended to study it. It was easier to think when I didn’t have to stare into his deep blue eyes—the color of the sky after a thunderstorm.

“I’ll be starting University in the fall, and thanks to the college level classes I took, I’m actually a sophmore,” I finally said slowly, keeping my eyes averted. I was pretty proud of the fact that I would graduate within three years with a bachelors in pre-med. “I’m passing my time by getting familiar with members of the pack. Josie is helping me. Everyone in the pack has been really nice.”

I wondered what he wanted. He had spent months ignoring me, so why was he suddenly interested in speaking to me tonight? A sinking feeling settled in my chest. I looked up at him sharply.

“Do you…do you want me to leave?” I asked warily.

“No, Rose, I don’t want you to leave,” Aiden assured me softly. “I just wanted to make sure you’re okay. Listen, Rose—” He exhaled before pushing forward. “We still don’t know who’s been planning to harm you since you were a baby…or whatever half-werewolf infants are called.”

I studied him as he came to stand in front of me. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes… something flickered in them. Out of nowhere, he reached down and clasped my hands in his.

A jolt shot through me, searing and electric.

Aiden flinched, dropping my hands as if they had burned him.

I gasped. “What was that?”

“Nothing,” he said quickly. Too quickly. “It was nothing, Rose.”

“No.” I stood abruptly, the metal swing hitting the backs of my knees, eyes wide. “I know you felt it too, Aiden.”

His expression darkened. “That’s Alpha Aiden to you,” he growled.

Something in his voice sent a shiver down my spine, but I refused to back down. I shouldn’t have called him by his name. We weren’t friends. But he didn’t have to be so mean about it.

“Alpha Aiden,” I corrected stiffly. “I’m sorry to have disturbed you and brought you out here only to end up yelling at you.”

I made sure my tone was pointed—after all, he had pulled me aside.

For a second, it almost looked like he wanted to laugh. But he didn’t. His whole body was tense, his mood sour. He was avoiding me for a reason. And now, I had a feeling I knew why.

The mate bond. That electrifying jolt had been because of the mate bond.

“Look,” he said, running a hand through his dark hair. “I just want you to be careful while I’m gone. Your father has been given additional authority as Alpha Regent. Tony will make sure no one targets you. You’re in good hands, but keep your guard up.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded. “Thank you, Alpha.”