Page 60 of His Fated Luna

I faltered.

“I thought…didn’t you like it?” I asked curiously, scratching the back of my head.

“Why has all my stuff been moved here?” Rose asked in an eerily calm voice.

I could feel the tide of anger slowly washing over her.

“Well…I…we…the Council of Elders decided it was best for you to move in so I could keep an eye on you,” I said warily.

Why was she so upset? Didn’t she appreciate everything we’d done to make this room hers?

“They decided this?” Rose asked disbelievingly. “And what about what I want? Who gave you… a bunch of men,” Rose spat the words out venomously, “permission to decide things without asking me? Who said you could dictate where I live?”

I turned from friendly to harsh in an instant. How dare she insinuate that I had no right to keep her safe? Didn’t she know that’s the only thing I wanted to do? And that if she was in danger, the entire pack was in danger? Goddess, if anything happened to her…did she not value her safety at all?

“You’re part of this pack, Rose, and as part of this pack you have no choice but to go along with what your alpha and our council decides.”

My voice was frostier than a walk-in freezer. I didn’t care that I was pulling rank on her. I walked out angrily. I had wanted her to be happy. I had hoped to look at her eyes full of appreciation. I’d hoped for a hug, and for her to tell me she loved everything.

I hadn’t expected her to look at me as if I was doing something illegal. I personally went to pick the new vanity for her bathroomand picked out the tub, hoping she’d like the jacuzzi jets attached to the inside. I’d even paid double to have it all ready before she arrived. Instead, she was angry.Whywas she so angry? Was the thought of living with me that abhorrent?

I immediately left to go for a run, my wolf whining in my head that we had to be near our mate.

Chapter 22

“Pleasure of love lasts but a moment. Pain of love lasts a lifetime.” – Bette Davis

Rose's POV

I watched Aiden leave, brushing away the tears streaking down my cheeks. He didn’t want me. He didn’t want to be with me, and now he was being forced to have me in the room next to him, playing the part of his luna.

A rational voice in the back of my head whispered, isn’t this exactly what you suggested from the start? Weren’t you the one pushing for this arrangement?

But I was too upset to listen. I felt trapped in this situation. It felt too much like forcing someone to be by my side. Aiden hadalways said he would reject me because he loved Lexia and only wanted to live with her. Yet here he was, forced to fix up a room for me—a room that should have been Lexia’s.

After showering, I yanked on one of my old outfits, shoving aside the expensive designer dresses and polos still hanging with their tags. Then, I headed downstairs. It didn’t matter that I had pushed for an arrangement like this before. That had been for after my turn. I hadn’t even turned yet. My birthday wasn’t until September.

On my way to dinner, I ran into Dylan and Kyle.

“Brad’s already downstairs eating all the garlic bread,” Dylan grinned at me.

They didn’t even seem surprised to see me coming from the alpha’s floor. Had everyone known about this move except me? I shoved my hands into the pockets of my capris, walking alongside Dylan and Kyle as they rambled about some action movie they wanted to watch.

“Once I graduate high school,” Dylan declared as we entered the dining room, “I’m not gonna have as much time to hang out with you. I’m starting my werewolf training with Aiden. He’s gonna train me to be his gamma and I’m going to go to college to become an accountant so I can do the pack accounts.”

“I thought I was gonna be his gamma!” Brad blurted out, his mouth full of garlic bread.

“You’re too busy eating all the time,” Aiden joked from his spot at the head of the table. Then his eyes landed on me. He took in my appearance, his gaze flicking briefly to my lips before finally meeting my eyes. He turned away just as quickly, looking toward Dad, who sat to his right.

Dad smiled warmly, relief clear on his face. Getting up, he walked over and pulled me into a tight hug.

“Rose, I’m so happy you’re doing better,” he said.

He led me to sit next to him. The dining table had eight seats, and I noticed Dylan standing back awkwardly. There wouldn’t be enough room for everyone. Josie, ever the peacekeeper, wisely directed Kyle, Brad, and Tanya to eat in the kitchen since we had guests. They complied without complaint, Brad looking thrilled to go straight to the stove and get his spaghetti.

Auntie Hilda sat across from dad, while I found myself across from Josie, who smiled warmly and passed me a plate of garlic bread as we waited for the spaghetti.

“So,” Josie said loftily, “when do you kids want the mating ceremony to take place?”