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The next day was a Monday, and I was late for my first class because I got preoccupied with making out with Levi.
After he dropped me off in the parking lot as usual, I waved at him with a bright smile before turning to smile at Nyra, whom we’d picked up along the way.
But when I looked to my side, my eyes met Aiden’s grim face as he grabbed my glove-covered hand and pulled me along with him, making me almost stumble because I was wearing heeled knee-length boots.
“Hey, wait . . .” I heard Nyra yelling.
“Stay out of this Nyra. I want to talk to Aurora alone.” There was nothing kind about Aiden’s words or his tone and I looked back at Nyra with an apologetic look before looking forward, so I didn’t fall or break my heels with the way he was dragging me along.
“Hey . . .” I warned, but I received a glare from Aiden for the first time.
His glare startled me as he pulled me toward the woods located just behind the school’s cafeteria and down the downhill path that led into the deeper parts of the woods.
We didn’t stop moving until we got deep into the woods where a large tree with roots that seemed to spread around the small wood area stood.
After pushing me into a groove in the tree, he stared down at me for a few seconds before hugging me and putting his chin on my head. “You’ve been avoiding me. You’re not speaking to me, you’re not replying to my texts or picking up my calls . . . You’re mad at me? Because I didn’t defend you? I . . .”
“I was hurt, but I wasn’t mad at you,” I sighed, pulling out of his embrace and holding my first eye contact with him since his birthday party.
“I didn’t stop Caden from interrogating you that day and I know I was wrong, but can we not fight with you avoiding me? I . . .” He took a deep breath, his face crumpling like he was trying not to cry.
I stood on my toes and cupped his face with my palms so I could look into his eyes to try to understand the world-weariness I could see in them and the shadowy bags under his eyes.
“I thought . . .” He took a deep breath and released it. “I thought you were going to reject me if I insisted on seeing you. When you ran away from me that day, I decided to give you some space so that you wouldn’t get frustrated and reject me. But I haven’t been able to concentrate on anything all week. I took a break from basketball and I’ve been getting my ass handed to me during training because I’m so distracted. So I realized I couldn’t continue being a coward anymore. I needed to meet you and I needed to find out what you wanted to do. And no matter what you want, I’m willing to do, but I’m not accepting your rejection without a fight because I love you. And . . . I don’t know how to live without you.”
He released a shaky breath. “It’s funny . . . we’ve only known each other for less than two months, but I love you so much that it feels like you are my entire world, and without you, I feel like a ship without an anchor. I—”
“I’m not rejecting you . . .” It was heartbreaking to see him like this.
I cupped his face and locked gazes with him. “I just . . . I was just hurt and angry with you and I wanted some time to think, so I . . . avoided you instead of asking for space. I was hurt that you didn’t stand up for me that day, but you’re not completely at fault. Plus . . . I was too afraid to face you after you found out the full story of what went down between Mateo, Caden, Levi, and me.”
When he released a sigh of relief and turned away from me to swipe at the tears falling down his face, I apologized. “I’m so sorry, Aiden. I swear by the Moon Goddess that from now on, I will always acknowledge whatever problem crops up between us and solve it by talking to you instead of running away.”
I moved forward and wrapped my arms around his waist from behind, pressing my face to his back.
He sniffled and turned around to hug me, burying his nose in my hair. “It’s fine. I’m the one who hurt you first. If you’ll forgive me for that, I’ll do anything. I’ll never doubt you, even if you want to keep things from me. I love you so much that I’ll do anything for you. There’s a saying that the one who falls in unrequited love first is the loser. So I guess I’m your loser because I fell in love with you first.”
I stood on the tip of my toes and pressed a kiss to his lips. “Well, for what it’s worth, I love you too, so I guess I’m also your loser. I’ve forgiven you and I’m no longer running away. I’m willing to give my bond with you and all my true mates a serious fighting chance. My question is, can you live with being one of multiple mates?”
Before answering my question, Aiden held the back of my head, tilted his head, and kissed me. It was a kiss that carried the weight of the unspoken emotions between us—a fusion of passion and profound connection. His lips met mine with a raw intensity, a force that conveyed a fierce desire, yet beneath the fervor was an amazing tenderness that filled me with warmth.
Aiden broke the kiss and lowered his head so our eyes were locked together. “I would gladly be one of your mates, Fae Omega Aurora Byrne.”
When my lips parted in surprise, he smirked, intertwining our fingers together and pulling me along with him toward the path we’d just passed through to get here. “I didn’t just spend all this time pining for you. I found any and every information I could find about your family and discovered the existence of Fae Omegas.”
I smiled as he kissed me on the forehead again. “Well, I’m glad that’s not a problem. I was worried about that but I spoke to Levi yesterday and he told me he didn’t mind as much as I thought he would. So I thought I’d ask you what you thought.”
I held both of his hands and looked up into his eyes. “Seriously though, I think you need to think this through some more. I’m talking to you now as your best friend. Being mates with a Fae Omega is difficult. By choosing to be my mate, you’ll be earning yourself a big family unit. That’s not all roses and sunshine. Plus, you’d still need to share your mate, your children, and your home. Are you sure you’re not better off being with someone who’ll love you and only you?”
He smiled down at me and then yanked me closer with one arm before wrapping his hand around my waist. “At least it’s not going to be a boring life, right?”
I rolled my eyes and gave him a deadpan look.
“Okay, okay, I’ll be serious. I love you too much to turn back now. There’s no way I’m backing away from being with you because of this. We’ll . . . make it work.” He said with a smile, followed by an adorable grin.
“You’re so adorable. I missed you so much.” I grinned as he held my hand, gripped my waist, and led me up the downhill path we’d taken a few minutes ago.
“I missed you more.” He said, his grip on my waist steadying me when I almost stumbled on a rock.
