Chapter 17: Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Carol’s POV

Aiden has a cold expression on his face..

I look between Aiden and Katrina in surprise. Now that I see the two of them standing next to one another, both well above average height, I suddenly realize that she must be another werewolf. Still, it’s surprising to find that Aiden. knows a person like her. Katrina looks at Aiden with a shocked expression. It quickly morphs into something cloying

“Aiden! What are you doing here?” She practically coos. I’m shocked by how quickly her disposition has shifted to something sickly sweet. She tries to hug Aiden, but he shifts away from her to stand by my side.

“Carol, Aiden says tightly, “I see you’ve met Katrina.”

“Yes, I have,” I say slowly. Katrina has gone back to glaring daggers at me, so I turn toward Aiden. “How do you two know one another?”

Aiden lets out a sigh. “We’re childhood… friends,” he says. “Well, we’re family friends. We grew up together.”

I consider the new information carefully. It does make sense, in a way – Katrina is clearly extremely wealthy, and werewolf communities tend to intermingle from what little I understand. More importantly, though, that means…

“So,” I say to Katrina, “that party you’re attending tomorrow. I’m guessing it’s the same one I’m going to?”

Katrina’s face goes red with anger. She crosses her arms and glares. “Aiden. Why on earth are you choosing this human over me?” She spits. “And why on earth is she coming to your family’s party?!”

Aiden wraps an arm around my shoulder and pulls me against his side. His expression is firm as he responds to Katrina.

“This is Carol. She’s my fated mate.”

The revelation hangs in the air for a moment as Katrina processes Aiden’s words. Her eyes widen with disbelief. Her eyes dart between Aiden and me.

“Fated mate?” She says, dumbfounded. “You can’t be serious.”

Aiden nods with conviction. “I am. I’m bringing her to the party so that she can meet my family.”

Katrina pulls back as though she has been hit. Her expression twists into something bitter. “She’s your fated mate?” She echoes venomously. “A human? That’s completely ridiculous.”

I’m becoming more and more irritated by this conversation. I don’t have the energy to deal with someone like Katrina right now. Luckily for me, Aiden’s arm tightens around my shoulders and he elects to respond.

“Yes, Katrina. And you would do well to not talk poorly about my mate.”

Katrina’s composure wavers even more. Her expression is torn between anger and disbelief. “This – this is ridiculous. I can’t believe you would throw everything away… I can’t believe you would ever choose to be with a human!”

Aiden’s patience wears thin. His expression darkens. “I’m not throwing away anything. Our match was determined by the Moon Goddess. There’s no reason for you to be upset – you’ll find your own fated mate, eventually”

A bitter laugh escapes Katrina’s lips. “Please. I don’t need a mate. The Moon Goddess doesn’t dictate my choices. I was perfectly content with my life as my family and I had planned.”

Chapter 18

My eyes narrow. There’s something loaded about Katrina’s bitterness. It’s clear Katrina isn’t only angry about the dress, or about the idea that an Alpha is with a human–she’s angry because Aiden is with me.

Katrina isn’t acting like the two of them are childhood friends, I think. She’s acting like they’re exes or worse, like he’s cheating on her with me. The entire situation is only becoming stranger and stranger.

It had never occurred to me that there would be werewolves who ignore the idea of a fated mate. How often is it that werewolves pine after someone the Moon Goddess hasn’t picked for them? It’s hard to imagine not choosing the security a mate bond provides, but feelings are often out of our control, I reason.

Even though I have become distracted by my thoughts, Aiden hasn’t forgotten the reason he began this conversation.

“You still owe Carol an apology,” Aiden says firmly. Katrina sticks up her nose defiantly.

“As if I would apologize to a human,” she scoffs with disgust. I can feel irritation prickle along my skin. Aiden seems to be even angrier than I am judging by the way his body goes rigid.

“Apologize. Now. This isn’t negotiable.”

Katrina grumbles to herself for a moment before pulling herself up to her full height. She looks down at me with a disdainful look.

“I’m sorry that you were offended,” she spits. Aiden’s eyes narrow, clearly unsatisfied with the half–hearted apology.

“That’s not good enough,” he says, his voice low. “Apologize properly.”

Katrina huffs with clear irritation but eventually relents. “Fine. I’m sorry. Happy now?”

Aiden nods with finality. “Good. Now, don’t you have a dress to pick out?”

Katrina’s expression twists for a moment before smoothing “Obviously. I didn’t like that dress, anyway,” she hisses. She directs an icy glare toward me. “Besides, I would never want to wear the same thing as you.”

Before either of us can respond, Katrina storms away. Aiden takes me by the shoulders and turns me toward him.

“Are you okay, Carol?” He asks softly. Concern is etched into his face. I manage a weak smile, although Katrina’s hostility is still fresh in my mind.

“Of course. I got the dress, didn’t I?” I joke half heartedly, I can’t stop thinking about the way Katrina looked at me as opposed to the way she looked at Aiden. Her feelings toward Aiden are obvious, and her hatred of me even moreso. I resist the urge to sigh.

Something tells me she’s going to do her best to make this party a nightmare.

My nervousness lasts throughout the rest of the day, even after we leave the store.

I can’t shake off my anxiety even once I’m geting ready for bed. Every second, I replay the interaction between Katrina and I. If Katrina already despises me that much, who knows what she’s telling other people? Who knows what she’s going to tell Aiden’s family?

into someone important from Aiden’s

I let out a terse sigh. It feels like I’ve faced bad omen after bad omen. First Aiden’s father calls him in a fury, then I run

past and immediately become her enemy, Can I do anything right in these

people’s eyes? I think hopelessly.

“Carol?” Aiden calls from the other side of the bathroom door. “Are you alright? You’ve been brushing your teeth for

ten minutes now.

I blink and glance up at the clock on the wall. Did I really space out for ten minutes? I must be even more worried

Chapter 18

than I thought. I wash out my mouth before responding

“Of course,” I call back, “everything’s line”

There’s a short pause. “Are you sure nothing’s wrong?” He says again. I can hear that he’s right next to the door by the

closeness of his voice

“Of course,” I say again, “what could possibly be wrong?” My voice doesn’t even sound convincing to me, but Aiden lets the subject drop.

Even once I’m in my pajamas and cuddled up in bed, I feel restless, I try to meditate, I use some breathing exercises, I think positive thoughts–all with no luck. It seems like nothing can relax me right now.

My anxiety starts to work itself up unitil full–blown panic. I need to get out of here, I think suddenly. As soon as the thought pops into my mind, I pull the covers all of me and climb out of bed. My body is shaking as I slip on my sneakers and creep out of the room.

I’m not even sure what my plan is. I don’t have anywhere in mind to go. I don’t even want to leave Aiden. All of the feelings are just too much. I pull a coat over my pajamas to light the cold and slip my phone and wallet into my pocket

“A walk,” I mutter to myself shakily. “I’m just going for a walk.”

“Won’t you get cold, all alone out there?

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