Chapter 46

Chapter 46
YARA
What were Aiden and I? Dating? Engaged? Married?
My knowledge of the whole mate thing was severely limited, so I had no idea if mates still had to get married after finding each other or if the Moon Goddess had already declared them husband and wife. I didn’t even know if my parents had been married.
I furrowed my brows, absent-mindedly playing with the ends of Aiden’s hair, before deciding I’d ask Aunt Allison when I talk to her. I should also ask Aiden to clarify the mate thing when we get home.
…Home. The word felt as natural as me sitting in Aiden’s lap and I couldn’t stop my lips from curving into a smile.
“Blank check for your thoughts?” came Aiden’s voice in my ear and my smile widened as I turned to face him. I was now sprawled across him, my legs hanging over one arm of the chair as I leaned against his chest.
He and Julian had spent the past couple of minutes talking about business deals, and I’d learned that The Hendrix Hotel wasn’t the only corporation he owned. He had two more. Meanwhile, I was unemployed and had ten outfits.
It’s what’s inside that matters anyway. “Hand over the check first.” I wasn’t even joking this time. I needed to return the phone Willow lent me, repay her for the date outfit she bought for me, buy a new phone, and have more than ten outfits. Fuck it—maybe I'd buy a car, too.
“I’d like one too, please,” Julian said, his brows raised as he lifted his gaze from his phone, and I sneered at him while Aiden laughed softly, his fingers trailing over my thigh.
“When we get home.”
“Sweet,” Julian replied smoothly.
“Who’s talking to you?” Aiden asked, a line between his brows, and I grinned before slowly turning my head to look at Julian. He was bobbing his head, mock disappointment plastered across his face.
“I see how it is.”
A snort escaped me before I glanced at the clock behind him. The council meeting would be starting in about ten minutes, and once again, unease about how they’d feel about me hummed to life beneath my skin. Pack members being against me was one thing—I hadn’t even told him about the nasty women I’d met on the way here—but council members sounded like a pretty big deal, and I already knew one of them, Estelle’s father, did not like me. What if more than half of them shared the same sentiment? Aiden had made it more than clear that he wanted me to be his Luna, but if the majority of his council didn’t support me, their disapproval would always breathe down my neck.
Along with the fact that I was a witch.
“Yara?” Aiden called, snapping me out of my thoughts, and I blinked at him.
“...My aunt wants to meet you.”
His brows shot up, his eyes brightening. “Really?” he asked and I nodded.
“When will you be available?”
“Whenever she is.” He seemed genuinely excited to meet her and that filled my chest with warmth.
“Is tomorrow okay?”
“Absolutely,” he answered just before the room’s door opened and Aaron, Julian’s father, and a woman that I’d met the night of Aiden’s birthday—I think her name was Elayne—walked in. My heart jumped and I quickly got to my feet despite the resistance of Aiden’s arm which had been around my waist.
Aiden let out a long-suffering sigh.
“Good morning,” Aaron and the woman said with warm smiles before Julian and Aiden returned the greeting. Mine came a second later and more council members began to filter into the room with murmurs of hello and good morning.
Shit. Okay, calm down.
I cleared my throat, still standing next to Aiden, and his hand closed around mine, drawing my attention to him before he gave it a gentle squeeze. His expression simply said I’m here and that was more than enough to ground me.
When I lifted my gaze back to the council members walking in, I locked eyes with Estelle’s father, Alex, who was standing by the opposite end of the table and staring at me and Aiden with blatant hostility etched into every line of his face—most of which was clearly directed at me. Then his gaze dropped to the curve of my neck, and the way his eyes widened in sheer disbelief almost drew a laugh out of me.
Aiden’s grip on my hand tightened and I realized his gaze was also locked on Alex whose shock had now transformed into pure rage. What the fuck? He looked just about ready to fly across the table at us.
The last council member walked in, shutting the door behind them, and a thick silence settled over the room. Alex and I were the only ones left standing and not wanting to be the one to look out of place, I quickly took my seat before he could, my hand still in Aiden’s.