Chapter 70 CHAPTER SEVENTY | KNOWN MATES

Chapter 70 CHAPTER SEVENTY | KNOWN MATES
CHAPTER SEVENTY | KNOWN MATES

RONAN

The look on her face almost made me change my mind in an instant. It wasn’t even the panic on her face, but that quiet fracture in her eyes that always got to me.

“I’ll be back,” I repeated, in a firmer way this time. This wasn’t even the kind of promise you throw around to calm someone down. I meant it, even though I knew how dangerous this was.

I sat on the chair opposite her and forced myself to meet her gaze. “It’s just an ambush.”

Aspen exhaled sharply. She said she knew it was an ambush, but that didn’t make it better. We were walking straight into it without a proper plan, and well, she wasn’t wrong. Her fingers tapped against her thigh, irritation rolling off her in waves.

“How do you even know the Red Ones’ location?” she asked.

“Brian told me,” I replied. “One of his men tracked them using the tattoo.”

She scoffed. “And you didn’t even confirm?”

“We already did,” I shrugged.

She clicked her tongue, the sound sharp. “You guys are reckless.”

I was about to argue when the door opened. Rachel walked in like she owned the place, like she always did. I rolled my eyes immediately, not bothering to hide it, but she ignored me and went straight to Aspen.

“How are you feeling?” Rachel asked softly.

I stiffened. Aspen didn’t know Rachel knew about my feelings for her. I hadn’t told her. I didn’t want that complication sitting in her head right now, not when everything was already unstable.

Rachel pulled Aspen into a hug, and something ugly twisted in my chest. The way she held her, the way her hands lingered, it felt like more than friendly concern. She was starting to look more like a foe than a friend.

But I told myself I was imagining it. Still, the uneasy feeling stayed.

“I’m fine,” Aspen said, though I could tell she wasn’t.

Rachel turned to me. “When are you leaving?”

“Evening,” I answered.

She nodded once, like she was filing it away. Aspen’s eyes moved between us in a slow, suspicious way.

“Did something happen between you two?” she asked.

“No,” Rachel and I snapped together.

The silence that followed was heavy. Aspen studied us for a second longer, then looked away, still unconvinced.

I stood up and walked out to the balcony, needing air before the room swallowed me whole. The night breeze hit my face, cool but restless, just like my thoughts. I placed my hands on the railing, staring down at the compound lights flickering below. Behind me, I heard soft footsteps. Rachel had followed and quietly shut the balcony door.

“So you’re really going to act like nothing is happening between us?” she asked.

I didn’t turn. “I’m done with this relationship.”

She laughed. It was a short, humorless sound, and she moved closer. “You can’t say that,” she whispered, her breath brushing my ear.

I rolled my eyes. “I’ll say it again if I have to. I’m done, Rachel.”

Her hand clenched into a fist. “After everything I’ve done? After everything I sacrificed to keep us together?”

I finally turned and grabbed her shoulders in a firm but controlled way. “Everything you did was for you. Not for me. Not for us.”

She hissed sharply and shoved my hands away. “You’ll regret this,” she said. Her voice was low and venomous.

Then she stormed out, slamming the balcony door behind her. The sound echoed louder than it should have. I stood there for a moment longer, breathing through the tension coiling in my chest. When I turned back into the room, Aspen was staring at me.

I shrugged lightly. “She knows.”

Aspen frowned. “Know what?”

“She knows I like you,” I said. “She overheard Brian and me talking earlier.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh my God,” she gasped.

She stared at me like I had just dropped a weapon at her feet. “What is she going to do now?” she asked, worried about slipping into her voice.

I stepped closer. “Aspen, calm down. She won’t…”

She glared at me, cutting me off. “Does she know about us being mates?”

“No,” I answered quickly. “She doesn’t.”

Aspen exhaled in relief, but the tension didn’t leave her shoulders. “Still,” she said quietly, “I don’t like this.”

“I know,” I said softly.

She paced the room once, then stopped in front of me. “Everything is already messy, Ronan. We don’t need her making it worse.”

“I won’t let that happen,” I said, even though a part of me wasn’t fully convinced.

She studied my face, like she was searching for cracks. “You better not,” she murmured.

The room fell silent again, heavy and uneasy. Outside, the night deepened, and with it came the sense that things were shifting fast. I watched Aspen sit down slowly, her hands folded in her lap.

Aspen lifted her head and looked at me.
“I don’t like how everything is going,” she said.

The words hit me harder than I expected. I clenched my jaw and nodded like I believed what I was about to say.

“It’ll be fine,” I told her, even though it didn’t sound true, even to me.

Outside, the sky had gone completely dark. The last bit of blue was gone, and time had slipped past us. I picked up my jacket, taking my time like I could delay what was coming.

She stood up and walked toward me, stopping close enough for me to feel her. For a moment, we just stood there.

“This doesn’t feel right,” she said quietly.

“I know,” I replied. “But trust me.”

She shook her head slightly.
“I’m scared,” she admitted. “I don’t like this plan.”

I reached out, hesitated, then touched her fingers. She didn’t move away.

“Just… be careful,” she said.

Her voice was low, almost breaking.
“Please don’t do anything reckless.”

I nodded, my throat tight.

“Stay safe,” she added softly.

Those two words settled deep in my chest, like both a warning and a prayer. I nodded again, because if I spoke, I knew I wouldn’t be able to leave.