Page 36 of His Fated Luna

Jake’s expression turned guilty. “I know.”

I blinked. “You…you knew?”

“I knew,” he confirmed, his mouth grim. “I was an idiot in high school, Rose. I knew, and I used it to my advantage. You were so smart, always helping me, explaining things I didn’t understand. When you told me you were leaving, I wasn’t upset that you were going—I was upset that I’d have no one to help me anymore.”

“Oh.” My voice was flat.

A cold, heavy feeling settled in my stomach. Numbness crept through me, spreading like ice. So that’s what I was to him. To all of them. Just someone to help, never someone to love. The only time I’d spent with Aiden was helping him with homework in the library. And now? He wanted me to help with the pack account books.

“That’s why I asked for your number and email,” Jake continued. “But later, I realized it would be selfish of me to take up your time when you were trying to adjust to a new school, a new place.”

So that was why he never reached out. All those times I checked my phone, my email, hoping to hear from him—it was never going to happen.

My phone rang. Blinking away unshed tears, I grabbed it, answering without looking at the caller ID.

“What’s wrong?” A deep, masculine voice asked.

I froze. Alpha Aiden.

“N-nothing,” I stammered.

“It’s not nothing when I suddenly feel like Christmas got canceled,” he said. “Since nothing happened to make methissad, it must be you.”

I didn’t know how to respond. My pulse pounded in my ears. He could feel my emotions. Panicking, I hung up. It rang again. I declined the call.

“Hey…hey,” Jake said softly. “Rose, I was an idiot. I’m not like that anymore.”

I swallowed hard, pushing down the lump in my throat.

“I…I have to go.” I scrambled to grab my things. Humiliation burned through me. Of course Jake never liked me. I was an idiot!

“Rose—Rose!” Jake called after me, but I ignored him.

By the time I reached my car, my hands were shaking too badly to drive. My phone buzzed again. This time, I answered.

“Now really isn’t the right time,” I huffed.

“I’m on my way,” Aiden said firmly. “Don’t try driving.”

“What? How did you—?” My confusion tangled my thoughts. “How do you know where I am? How do you know what I’m feeling?”

“This mate pull has its uses,” he said, and I couldhearthe smirk in his voice. “I can vaguely feel whatever you’re feeling.”

“That still doesn’t explain how you know mylocation,” I pressed.

A pause.

“I saw you on campus grounds on my way to the library,” Aiden admitted. “You were reading some book.”

I frowned. I’d been sitting here foran hour. If he saw me, why hadn’t he come over?

“I’m leaving the library now,” he said.

“It’s not necessary,” I insisted. “I’m fine now.”

“Too late, Princess. I’m already on my way,” he replied smoothly. “Tell me where you’re parked.”

I muttered my location, biting my lip as I hung up. The last thing I needed was to deal withanotherguy. But sometimes, when I lay awake at night, I remembered Aiden’s lips against mine, the way he kissed me—slowly, deeply. I remembered his abs pressing against me when he leaned in after shifting back into human form. I’d run away then. But in my head, I rewrote it. In my head, I kissed him. And in the darkness, my hands would reach out, searching for something—someone—only to grasp at air.