Chapter 32 32. Midnight Escapade
Tabitha’s POV
We return to the estate sometime in the afternoon, after the cake tasting. Mom heads straight to Alpha Emery’s office to go over a few details for the wedding. Meanwhile, I decided I need air and space and maybe something green to look at, so I end up in the garden.
It’s quiet and relaxing here, it’s almost as if it is blessed with the island’s nature itself. The breeze moves gently through the trimmed hedges and tall trees. The fountain trickles beside me, and the scent of the flowers settles into my lungs. I sit on a stone bench and close my eyes for a moment.
But of course, peace is too much to ask for in this place.
I feel someone step into my space before I even open my eyes. A moment later, Jace is crouched beside me with a piece of camellia flower in his hand. Without asking, he tucks it behind my ear.
“Stop frowning,” he says in a teasing tone. “Unless you want the house staff to start whispering that you’re in a bad mood.” He tilts his head and raises an eyebrow. “You’re not, right? You seem like you’re in a good mood now. I can smell it.” His lips curve into a devious grin.
Damn him and that smile—and what it does to me!
Before I can reply, he leans forward from behind. His chest brushes my back and my breath hitches as I stiffen in surprise. I feel his breath against my neck before he dips lower and takes a slow breath in, as if desperately trying to catch my scent. Heat shoots down my spine. My body burns where his face hovers, and I hate how aware I become of the warmth pooling in my belly. It feels wrong to know he’s probably picking up on every bit of it.
“You’re unbelievable,” I murmur with a scowl, but that’s not enough to hide the apparent blush on my face. “If you don’t want the staff to get the wrong idea, you should keep a respectful distance from me.”
Jace chuckles against my skin. “Wrong idea of what?” he challenges. “That the precious addition to the Aldair family happens to be the mate of me and my brothers? That your scent swims all over the estate and drives us crazy every day?” His words sound so hypnotic that I’m unsure if he’s taunting or seducing me.
He steps around the bench and stands in front of me with a playful smile.
“Let’s be real, Tabitha. Sooner or later, everyone on this island’s going to find out anyway.”
I glare at him. He’s enjoying this way too much. He smirks, as if reading my thoughts.
“Oh right.” he snaps his fingers. “I forgot. Our precious mate is in the middle of a little rebellion, trying so hard to break the bond. Well, good luck with that.”
“You’re annoying.” I roll my eyes at him but the corner of my mouth twitches for a smile.
“I try to be.” He winks. Then, he checks his watch and clicks his tongue. “Oops. Gotta go. Daddy asked me to patrol the eastern part of the island today.”
Before I can even react, he leans in and plants a kiss on my cheek. A nervous flutter stirs in my stomach, and I forget what I was about to say.
“Jace!” I hiss through my teeth, my eyes darting around to make sure no one saw.
He only grins and starts walking backwards toward the trees, away from the garden.
“Nice bonding with ya, sweet stepsis!” he calls out before spinning on his heel and disappearing around the corner like he didn’t just light me on fire and walk away from it.
I stare after him, cheeks burning, still feeling the ghost of his kiss on my face.
What the hell am I supposed to do with him?
I shake my head and caress the side of my face that he kissed. I can still feel his lips there.
After spending a quiet afternoon in the garden, I find myself walking through the estate again without any real destination in mind. The sun has started to dip lower in the sky, tossing shadows along the pathways. But I enjoy the silence of the estate at this time of the day, so I continue my aimless walking. Somehow, my feet take me toward the outdoor garage, a place I rarely visit.
The Aldair estate has a massive indoor garage that could fit about twenty cars. They’re so rich even the cars have their own mansion. It’s crazy. And as if that’s not enough, the estate also have an outdoor garage, a wide open area with shaded slots and reinforced roofs, usually reserved for visitors during events. Most of the time, it just sits there, empty and quiet.
Except for now.
I stop when I see someone crouched beside a sleek black motorcycle near the far corner. I stop when I see someone crouched beside a sleek black motorcycle near the far corner. The blonde buzzcut instantly gives away who it is, even before he glances over his shoulder. Reed.
A thin trail of smoke curls from the cigarette between his lips as he wipes something greasy off the side of the bike with a stained rag. His sleeveless shirt is loose and streaked with oil. In this angle, he looks like a cowboy mechanic. He glances at me over his shoulder. He lets out a huff that I can only interpret as a strained laugh.
“Done making up with your baby boo, Jace, huh?” he teases, aiming the jab at me as he wipes the side of the bike.
“Jace is not my boo.” I frown and fold my arms over my chest.
Reed snorts and goes back to wiping the metal. “You sure about that?” he taunts. “I’d love to see how Jace reacts if he hears you say that.”
I walk a few steps closer to observe the project he’s working on, but don’t answer. Reed doesn’t need encouragement. He’s already grinning like he’s scored a point.
“He’s been sulking like a kicked puppy ever since the pack assembly meeting,” Reed offers the information freely without me asking. “But now look at him. Back to wagging his tail and pissing on trees like he owns the place. You must’ve given him a treat.”
I raise my brows. I try not to replay how Jace kissed me on the cheek earlier. The last thing I want is to give Reed more material to tease me over.
“I’d like to see how Jace reacts to you comparing him to a dog,” I fire back.
Reed chuckles. He’s enjoying this. He wipes his fingers on the rag, then reaches for a pack of cigars beside the bike. He flicks the box open and offers it to me.
“Care for a drag?” he offers, nudging the box at me. “Or are you too much of a good girl for a little smoke, princess?”
I roll my eyes and take one from the pack without a word. Amusement flickers in his eyes as he brings the lighter to the tip. The end glows orange as I inhale. He grins.
“There goes your good girl points. Wonder what the old classmates would say if they saw you now. I bet they wouldn’t even recognize you.”
I exhale smoke and glance at him sideways. “Would you prefer I stayed Chubby Tabby instead?”
Reed leans back on his heels, the cigar resting between his fingers. “Back then, you were quiet. Always had your head down. Didn’t say much.” He gives a low chuckle and lets his eyes drift over me. “Now? You bite back and you love playing with fire with that smart mouth of yours.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
Reed blows out a smoke, his intense eyes boring into me.
“I’d prefer it if you hadn’t left the island years ago instead.” His reply catches me off guard. That’s not exactly the answer I was expecting.
“And why is that? I’m sure you had enough victims to torment even if I was out of commission.” I take another drag and give him a sharp smile. “Unless bullying me was your favorite sport.”
“See? That smart mouth of yours is gonna get you in trouble.” Reed tilts his head while grinning lazily.
“Too bad,” I say, flicking ash off the end of the cigar. “I love running it these days. Guess you’re just gonna have to deal with it. Unless you plan to deal with me the same way you did back at Silver Hills High.” The words come out sharper than I meant them to, but I don’t take them back.
Talking to Reed about high school stirs up memories I’ve done my best to ignore. Among the four Aldair brothers, it was always him and Jace who led the teasing. They were the ones who started things—comments, smirks, stupid jokes—while Luca and Evren usually just went along with it or stood by without saying anything.
It wasn’t like they turned the whole school against me. It was just them, but back then, that was enough to make me feel small every time we crossed paths. And now, it still messes with my head that I’m supposed to believe I’m somehow fated to be theirs. Mated to the same boys who once thought it was funny to pick at me like I didn’t matter.
Sometimes I forget that I’m supposed to hate them and all the things they did to me before. It was during those moments when Luca offered me his jacket while we were at the shed days ago, or when Evren sneaked me out of the assembly and volunteered to be my punching bag, or when Jace apologized to me earlier and shamelessly flirted with me after—they make it hard to hold onto the past.
Now, maybe it’s because of the calm settling in from the cigar, or maybe it’s the fact that Reed isn’t even pretending to act like a decent person the way his brothers sometimes do, I can feel the resentment climbing back up.
“Torment you?” Reed scoffs. “We’re not in high school anymore, Tabitha. But if you want to play with me, I can do that.”
I laugh without humor.
“That’s exactly what I’m talking about. This is all a game to you, isn’t it? I feel like a toy the four of you keep passing around until someone breaks it.”
Instead of feeling guilty, Reed merely grins. As if he’s enjoying to see me swell in anger.
“Toys don’t fight back, princess. But you do. That’s what makes you more fun.”
Jerk!
I blow smoke into his face and turn around. His smirk is the last thing I see before I walk out.