Page 75 of His Fated Luna

I thought back to the day Aiden had called me when I’d kissed Jake. He’d said it felt uncomfortable. Remembering that made me think of other things. Aiden could sense my feelings, but I couldn’t sense a thing about what he was feeling.

“I can’t feel anything,” I said, clearing my throat. “But he can vaguely sense my feelings. Enough for him to guess what’s going on with me. How come?”

Tony shrugged. “Maybe it’s because you haven’t turned yet, Rose. Half-human mates aren’t very common, and the rules are a little shady when it comes to them.” He turned his head to look at me, a little surprised by this news. “But usually, even human mates can sense if their mates are intimate with someone else. Once two mates meet and the more they spend time with each other, the stronger the bond... the pull gets. You’re living together now. If he does anything, you’ll feel it now. It’s not an intensely excruciating feeling if the bond isn’t solidified, but it’s rather disconcerting from what I’ve heard.”

I looked at Tony, puzzled. I was pretty sure Aiden was at least kissing Lexia, and I hadn’t felt any uncomfortable cramping or tugging around my navel like Aiden had described.

“Hmm,” Tony mused. “Interesting. Judging from your reaction…you haven’t felt a single thing. Well they haven’t officially been together for a few months. Ever since Aiden found out he couldn’t be Alpha unless...”

Tony trailed off and my eyes lit up with understanding. I remembered how he’d admitted to me in the library about howhe felt things he shouldn’t feel because of the mate pull. He’d distanced himself from Lexia because he didn’t think it was fair to her. But eventually, he’d get back with her. He’d said as much the other day.

So maybe Aiden wasn’t doing anything with Lexia, and that’s why I couldn’t feel that uncomfortable tugging. I knew Aiden definitely felt it when I’d kissed Jake.

I jammed the last bit of bread into my mouth, not wanting to dwell on this topic any longer. I cleaned up after myself while steering the conversation with Tony toward lighter topics. Afterwards, I left to go see dad and Auntie Hilda. Since Aiden had classes Tuesdays and Thursdays, I wouldn’t have to worry about running into him today. He’d informed me that Layla would go with me on Wednesdays and Fridays while he would accompany me on Mondays and Thursdays.

That was fine with me, except for the fact that my stomach lurched oddly knowing that the only reason he went to campus on Mondays was to see Lexia.

It had been an entire two weeks of stilted conversations with Aiden, him stoically buying me coffee every Monday before retreating to go his own way. We’d meet up after classes to go back home in a silence that was practically suffocating. He wasn’t mean. No, he was perfectly cordial. He was always asking me if I needed anything or if I liked the new bookshelf he’d ordered for my room. He even offered his credit card, which I refused, in case I wanted to go buy a TV for my room if I didn’t feel comfortable sitting in the TV lounge with his family. Aiden couldn’t be farther from the truth with that assumption. I loved evenings with the Sinclair family when they sat around watching TV after dinner together or played board games.

Tony was a constant visitor at mealtimes, unless he had a date. The house was always so full of life, it gave me a real taste of what I’d been missing out on growing up as an only child.I couldn’t figure it out. This was supposed to be a temporary arrangement, and yet Aiden was doing everything in his power to make sure I was as comfortable as possible while living in his home.

Sometimes, I’d catch Aiden’s eyes on mine as Tanya leaned against me while I read a story out loud. He’d look away quickly, almost like he’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t. But then, Wednesday night, after just such a moment, he cleared his throat and asked if he should take over the story so I could catch a break.

"You don’t have to read to her, you know," Aiden told me with a straight face. "I’m sure you’ve got other things you’d much rather do."

"I don’t need a break from spending quality time with Tanya," I replied, raising an eyebrow as it dawned on me that maybe he thought I felt obligated to spend time with his family.

He couldn’t be more wrong if he tried.

Not pushing the subject, Aiden turned away, going back to the accounts book he’d been looking through.

"I can help you with that later," I offered, still remembering how he’d asked for my help long ago in the library.

Aiden waved me off as if telling me to carry on with whatever I was doing. I turned back to Tanya, but not before promising myself I’d offer again later. I knew the regional meeting was coming up, and he’d probably need help budgeting his travel expenses. Tony was terrible at it—as I knew from the handful of times I’d helped him.

Aiden's POV

That Friday evening, after Rose had come back home from a day at the pack clinic, I found myself knocking on her bedroom door. I hadn’t intended to bother her, but there wasn’t much of a choice. She shut her book the second she saw me.

“What’s up?” she asked, sounding wary.

I didn’t blame her. I hadn’t actively sought her out like this in a while. Even on Monday, during our ride to campus, I’d kept my mouth shut and quietly handed her coffee before going my own way. She’d called after me, saying she’d hoped I had a nice time with Lexia today. I didn’t bother telling her I wasn’t on campus to see Lexia. I’d gone to the library and done my assignments alone.

“The police are here. They wanted to ask you some questions,” I muttered, keeping my eyes firmly on the floor. I didn’t dare look at her.

Because the moment I had stepped in, I saw her. Really saw her. She’d been lying on her bed, her skirt hiked indecently high, legs sprawled, completely unaware of how much she was revealing. My gaze had caught the pale flash of her underwear before I could stop it—and now I was doing everything in my power not to think about it. Not to imagine myself walking across the room, sinking onto that bed, and burying my face between her thighs. Goddess what was wrong with me?

She stood quickly, clearly realizing too late that she’d been exposed in that tiny skirt of hers.

“I’ll be down in a minute,” she said hastily, moving barefoot across her room.

My gaze involuntarily followed—from her toes, up her legs, all the way to her eyes. I had to wrestle my instincts back into submission, push down the heat rising in me. I cleared my throat and forced myself to speak again, this time gentler.

“Are you up to it? If it’s too much, I can tell them to come again later.”

Concern laced my voice. I didn’t want her to go through an interrogation she did not feel ready for.

“I can manage,” she replied, reaching for her bejeweled hair tie from the nightstand. Her curls were flying in every direction, wild and untamed.