Chapter 27

**YARA**

It had taken me almost half an hour to get Willow to agree to help me prepare for my date with Aiden and the only reason why she finally agreed was because I told her he was the owner of The Hendrix. I guess knowing what he looked like put her at ease a bit or something. She still didn’t like that I had moved in with someone I barely knew though – she had even offered to let me move in with her – but it didn’t stop her from helping me.

I heaved a sigh, leaning against the wall as the elevator doors slid shut before it began to take Elijah and I to the floor Aiden’s suite was on. The bags containing the dress, shoes and purse which Willow had bought for me for the date were in my hand and they reminded me that I needed to get a job as soon as possible to pay her back. I also needed to fix my phone and return the one she lent me.

Elijah had offered to pay – he had followed us shopping under the guise of wanting to get something for his girlfriend and needing advice from us so Willow wouldn’t be creeped out by him following me around – but I had turned him down because this wasn’t like the milkshake. It cost way more than that and we were barely friends so I wouldn’t feel comfortable with it.

I glanced at him and the corner of my mouth turned up as I remembered how he had looked out for me while we were in the mall. The way he acted when we were in an open space led me to believe that Aiden had told him witches were after me and though I had found his presence annoying at first, I realized that he probably found mine annoying too. He most likely had plans for today but then Aiden told him to be my bodyguard so he had to follow me around instead.

I would be annoyed if I was him.

“Thank you,” I said and he turned his attention to me, raising a brow. “For protecting me.”

“Oh… You’re welcome.”

The elevator doors opened and a smile instantly tugged at my lips when I saw Aiden standing in the hallway, talking to someone over the phone. He returned my smile with a megawatt one while I walked out of the elevator and he told the person on the other end of the call ‘I’ll call you back’ before ending it.

“Thank you, Elijah,” he called out as he closed the distance between us.

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Hey,” I muttered before he pressed a quick kiss to my lips.

“Hey–” His phone began to ring and he glanced at it, frowning. “Sorry, I have to take this.” He answered the call while leading me over to his suite and when we walked in, I realized it was the one he brought me to after I got attacked by that werewolf.

I set my bags on the couch in the living room while Aiden paced by the doorway, still on the phone. It sounded like a business conversation so I didn’t pay attention to it but what I did pay attention to was the way the material of his suit plastered against his skin. The corner of my mouth twitched as my mind began to wander, then suddenly Aunt Allison’s voice rang in my head. *When is the right time, Yara?*

I set my mouth in a hard line and dropped my gaze to the couch. I didn’t like this either – lying to him – but I was still afraid of how he’d react if I told him. And even if I somehow worked up the courage to tell him, how would I do it? Would I just drop it on him like a bomb?

I sighed.

Now I felt stupid for not telling him I was a witch the day we met… or even the day he saved me from my kind. And yes, he had saved me only a couple of days ago – two days to be exact – so I could just tell him now but with how *close* we’d gotten in those two days, it felt like it was months ago.

Arms suddenly wrapped around me from behind, snapping me out of my thoughts, and I glanced over my shoulder to see Aiden. “Penny for your thoughts,” he said and my mouth twitched into a small smile.

“Only a penny? How cheap.”

His chest shook with laughter and he sat on the couch before pulling me onto his lap. “Forgive me. A blank check for your thoughts then.”

My smile widened a bit as I stretched out my hand and he raised his brows.

“What?”

“The check.”

“I’m not with my checkbook. Will my card do?”

“Sure.”

He leaned forward, holding me in place with his hand as he grabbed the wallet on the center table with his other hand and handed it over to me.

“Oooh, can I spend a lot of money?”

“Bankrupt me if you wish,” he replied and I snorted, dropping the wallet on the couch.

“I don’t think the pack would like that.” Oh, speaking of the pack– “What does a Luna do?”

He raised his brows then drew them together as he glanced away for a moment. “Uh…” he trailed off and I tipped my head to the side.

“You don’t know?”

“Not really. I’m trying to remember what my father did.”

“Your dad was a Luna?” I replied, giving him a teasing smile, and he let out a laugh that made my smile widen.

“He wasn’t called that. I don’t even know if there’s a term for the Alpha’s mate when the Alpha is a woman.”

“Why?” His pack’s members already saw me as part of their pack so I should try to learn about pack *stuff*.

He shrugged before his eyes twinkled and he wrapped his arms around me. “Perhaps I should petition the werewolf committee to come up with one since it could be our daughter that takes over the pack.”

Tingles erupted everywhere at the words *our daughter* and I sucked in a breath. I hadn’t thought about having children before because I was only concerned about hiding from the witches after me but now that he mentioned it, I began to think of how it would be to have them. With him.

Warmth blossomed in my chest and a grin crept onto my face, but then I remembered that I was a witch and imagined him finding out that I was if our *daughter* inherited powers. I swallowed.

Aiden glanced at his watch. “Will you be okay by yourself for like an hour? I have a meeting in the conference room,” he said and I nodded.

“I need to take a nap.”

He got to his feet, carrying me in his arms, and walked over to the bedroom before placing me on the bed. “Order room service if you’re hungry and call me if you need anything else, okay?”

“Okay.”

He kissed me, long and deep, and the adoration in his eyes when he pulled away made my heart tighten in my chest. “I’ll be back,” he muttered, pressing his lips to my forehead before he walked out of the bedroom and moments later, I heard the front door close.

I then curled up on the bed and the word *fraud* lingered on my mind for several minutes before I drifted off.