Page 33 of His Fated Luna

My stomach twisted with guilt.

“Is this because of me?” I asked quietly.

“What? No. Why would you think that?” Aiden frowned.

“I mean, why else would you break up? You guys were fine. It’s because of me, isn’t it? After you found out the condition to stay alpha is to make me your luna, you decided to break it off with her.”

“Rose.” Aiden leaned forward, bracing his hands on the table. “It’s not your fault I feel what I feel. I need to figure out how to fight the mate pull and how to tap into your powers without mating. It’s not fair to her that I feel this pull toward you. How many times can I blame my wolf when I kiss you or touch you. It’s not fair to her or you. I can’t, in good conscience, keep seeing her when…”

He stopped short, his throat working as he swallowed hard.

“Just because the Moon Goddess decreed it, you don’t have to be stuck with someone you don’t want,” I stated.

Aiden didn’t reply. Instead, he stared down at his notes, avoiding my eyes. I studied him from beneath my lashes but decided against pushing the issue. I needed to change the subject before I drowned in guilt over something that wasn’t even my fault.

“What’s your major?” I asked, hoping for a distraction.

“Public Administration,” Aiden responded. He hesitated before adding, “I’m going to get my master’s in the same subject.”

“Do you want to sit on the town council one day, like your father?” The question slipped out before I could stop it.

Aiden looked a little surprised at my response.

“I just assumed,” I said when he didn’t answer right away.

A long silence stretched between us. My eyes flickered to his notes.

“Lexia says it’s not a very practical goal,” Aiden finally admitted.

“But it’s a noble one,” I argued. “You want to help make life easier for werewolves in this town, just like the previous alpha of our pack did. He managed to unite the four packs in this region. It would be… it would be a good purpose, to work toward the advancement of our people.”

I leaned back in my chair, studying his dark eyes, which seemed surprised by my words.

“I want to run for mayor one day,” Aiden confessed. “That’s what my dad wanted. He would have made it if he hadn’t died so early.” His voice held an edge, as if he were daring me to laugh at him.

“It’s okay to dream big,” I said firmly, crossing my arms over my chest. Aiden’s gaze dipped briefly before forcing his eyes back to my face.

He shook his head as if trying to clear his thoughts and returned his focus to his notes.

“Quantitative Methods in Public Administration.” My voice held genuine appreciation as I glanced at his work.

I reached out, tilting the paper for a better view, and my fingers brushed against his arm. The moment of contact sent tingles down my skin, but if he noticed, he didn’t say anything. Instead, he stiffened slightly.

“Eight thousand four hundred and sixty-three,” I murmured after a moment, pointing to one of the problems.

Aiden turned his head to me, and for a brief moment, I realized how close we were. If I lifted my face just slightly, he could kiss me.

“Funny,” he said, clearly not believing me.

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not kidding.” I jabbed a finger at another problem. “That one’s seventeen thousand two hundred and thirty-one.”

His brows furrowed as he grabbed his calculator and punched in the numbers. 8,463. His mouth went dry. Then he tried the next one. 17,231.

“How…” he trailed off.

I hesitated. I had just wanted to help, but now I wasn’t sure how he’d react. His expression shifted, as if piecing something together.

“That’s pretty cool,” he finally said, a slow grin spreading across his face. The way he looked at me made my stomach flutter.