Page 64 of His Fated Luna

“Hilda told me she makes you pancakes every Monday morning. She was determined to come over tomorrow before you leave for college to make sure you got your Monday morning pancakes,” Josie said quietly, her tone gently chastising. “She cried, saying you were her everything and the house would be empty without you.”

I let out a breath, the weight of how cruel I’d been to my aunt pressing down on me.

“I was a brat, wasn’t I?”

“You were,” Josie said without hesitation. “But you can make it up to her tomorrow.”

“I wonder what Auntie Hilda’s going to do now that I don’t live there anymore,” I murmured. “I hope she stays with us insteadof leaving. She could keep Dad company. He’s going to be all alone in that house.”

Josie bit her lip like she was holding back from saying something. I didn’t pay her much attention, too busy berating myself for how I’d treated the aunt who’d sacrificed everything for me.

“I was just so angry and frustrated. Josie, I get that everyone’s worried, but someone could’ve at least asked me. I don’t want to be a burden on Aiden.”

“Listen, Rose, Aiden was hellbent on making sure this room and bathroom were exactly how you’d want them. If you were such a burden, I doubt he would’ve stayed up half the night picking out drawer knobs for you.Knobs. He ordered a big fluffy chair so you could sit by the window and read. He even ordered new books for the library because of you. There’s a bookshelf on the way for your favorite books. Trust me, he’s not doing this out of obligation or because you’re a burden. He wants to see you happy.”

My heart squeezed a little at her words. I remembered what he’d said to me earlier.

I thought… don’t you like it?

He’d done all this for me and expected me to be happy.

“He doesn’t want anything to happen to you,” Josie added. “If Austin were alive…” She trailed off, wiping away a tear.

“How did Aiden's father die?” I asked warily.

No one had ever told me.

Josie smiled sadly.

“ Tanya was only three and followed him outside after breakfast, making him promise to come home early to buy her a new bike.”

I noticed how her hand clenched against the bedding.

“The mighty Alpha of the Bloodfire Phoenix Pack isn’t immortal. His car crashed fifteen minutes later. He didn’tstop at the stop sign outside pack territory. A truck carrying combustible cargo crashed into the driver’s side. His car went up in flames. He died instantly.”

I started. “But anyone who drives those roads knows to stop at that stop sign. It’s muscle memory.”

Josie nodded sadly, swallowing hard.

“Ezra, Aiden, and I decided to keep the next part quiet. Rose, his brakes weren’t working. There’s no way he’d drive with faulty brakes. They were tampered with. The police think it’s speculation, but I know Austin. Someone messed with them.”

“But if someone outside the pack tampered with the car, wouldn’t you have smelled something?” I asked.

“Rogues and lone wolves are harder to scent,” Josie said quietly. She tucked her short hair behind her ears and looked at me with caution. “Especially if it’s someone who used to be part of our pack.”

“Someone who…” I trailed off, then realization hit me. “You don’t think Jake’s mother would kill her own brother?”

Josie shrugged.

“I don’t think she would. She loved her brother. But I can’t say the same for her husband. For a while, I thought it was odd you ended up living in the same area as Jake. I wondered if Austin sent you there, but if he did, he never told me. Even after he died, she barely contacted me unless it was about Jake’s college application. And another thing—you kept saying Jake’s so smart. If he is, why did he come here? A small, obscure university in a small town.”

“He said his grades dropped. Said I helped him when we were in high school…” I trailed off, not sounding convincing even to myself.

Josie sighed heavily.

“Look, Rose, these are my theories. All Aiden knows is that someone tampered with his father’s brakes. Why do you think heinsisted on driving you to that frat party? He doesn’t want you going anywhere alone because whoever’s trying to hurt our pack is a killer. They haven’t gone after Aiden yet, but now I think they will. Please, Rose…” She reached out, placing her hand over mine as I clutched my plate of spaghetti. “Please help take care of my son. If you go through with the marking, you both can look out for each other. And once we can connect with our elders again, we’ll be better prepared.”

I nodded, swallowing hard. I remembered how adamant he’d been about driving me home, how he’d checked his car so thoroughly before we left the frat party…