Page 93 of His Fated Luna

I flushed, remembering Sunday night in the library—how I’d suddenly felt a wave of desire that wasn’t mine. I looked up to see Aiden’s gaze fixed on my lips. My lower lip, to be specific, which I’d been chewing on nervously.

“Then why are you carrying that around?” Jake’s voice cut through my thoughts, sharp and steady.

“Because Lexia said he’d come back to her eventually,” I muttered. “And I should know what to use when that happens.”

Jake cursed under his breath, calling Lexia a string of words that made me glare at him. But deep down, I didn’t really disagree.

“She was just trying to be nice,” I pointed out, even though I didn’t entirely believe it myself.

“She’s trying to play mind games with you,” Jake said sharply. “She’s trying to demoralize you. Honestly, for a girl, you really don’t understand how vicious you all can be when you feel threatened by each other.”

There was a sting to his words, but his tone softened as he added, “Trust me, Rose, Aiden isn’t going back to Lexia anytime soon. The way he looks at you—it’s obvious you’re the only one he sees. If I’d thought there was even a chance with you… if Aiden hadn’t been interested, I would’ve pushed harder to be with you.”

He reached out and took the jeweled scrunchie from my wrist—the one that always smelled like me because I wore it constantly. He brought it to his nose, inhaled my scent, and tucked it into his pocket. “I’m keeping this as my consolation prize.”

I blushed, feeling awkward and unsure of how to respond. He cared about me, but I didn’t feel the same anymore. Not like that. Not since… everything. I glanced at his profile, noticing how much he resembled Aiden. They were cousins, after all, and it showed. Maybe my initial attraction to Jake had been more about Aiden than I’d realized.

“Well, now that I’ve completely humiliated myself, let’s dive into those lab notes,” Jake said, grinning to brush off the tension that had settled between us.

Later, I called Layla to come pick me up. Strangely, I felt lighter after talking to Jake. Sure, I hadn’t been completely honest, but just getting it out of my system helped me untangle the mess in my head. I felt hesitant to talk about these issues with people in my pack, mainly because I felt like they might be biased.

One thing was clear—Aiden was doing an excellent job convincing everyone he was totally in love with me.

When I got home, I wasn’t expecting to walk into chaos in the kitchen. Josie was standing near the stove, looking flustered, and Dylan was clutching a fire extinguisher. The stove was covered in white foam, and the smell of something burnt hung heavy in the air.

“Lorraine called in sick,” Dylan said, like that explained everything.

Josie shot him a glare. “We don’t need that anymore, Dylan.”

“What happened?” I asked, cringing at the smoke still lingering in the air.

“Mom put taco shells in the oven and forgot about them… uufff!” Dylan got elbowed by Josie mid-sentence.

“That’s enough, Dylan. Go put the fire extinguisher back,” Josie said, stomping her foot.

“I’m not putting anything back until you’re out of the kitchen, Mom,” Dylan retorted.

Josie looked like she was gearing up to lay into him. He was turning eighteen in a few weeks, and he was getting bolder by the day.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Dylan, put away the fire extinguisher. Josie—why don’t you let me try cooking something?”

I set my bag on the kitchen counter and gave her a small, reassuring smile.

“Oh, Rose, sweetheart, no. Don’t worry about it. You probably have to study with finals and everything,” she said, genuinely concerned.

“I could use the break,” I replied firmly, already guiding her out of the kitchen. “Go relax. I’ve got Dylan to help me if things go sideways.” I shot Dylan a playful wink.

“Yup, I’ll be right here with my trusty fire extinguisher,” he quipped, waving the nozzle dramatically.

I got to work, pulling out a whole chicken and setting it in a bowl of hot water to defrost. Then I started working on the marinade while Dylan cleaned up the foamy mess from earlier. Somewhere along the way, a bit of marinade splattered onto my white cotton shirt.

“Oh no!” I gasped, looking down at the stain.

Dylan had finished up and said he was heading off to watch TV. He told me to holler if I needed help. I decided it was time to change into something I didn’t care about ruining. I ran upstairs and came back down wearing old denim shorts and a worn, dark blue tank top. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was kitchen-proof.

Aiden’s POV

I walked into the kitchen and saw Rose standing there with her toned legs on display attached to a perfect butt outlined in shorts that left very little to the imagination. She wore a flimsy tank top which showed off her supple, round breasts. Breasts that were further emphasized as she spun a mixing spoon in a bowl. The primal urge to shove her on the countertop and take her entered my brain, completely unbidden. Those smooth bare arms were begging to be gripped. I licked my lips as he saw her luna mark on display.I wanted to sneak up behind her, grab that perfect ass of hers, and—