Chapter 41 Aiden
“Your mate?” he scoffed, his cold gray eyes locking onto mine so sharply that I took a step back without thinking. “Aren’t you supposed to have one already, since you’re pregnant?”
The words hit me harder than I expected. I swallowed thickly, bile rising up my throat, my chest tightening in a way that made it hard to breathe. I hated how weak I suddenly felt, hated how my voice had sounded when I asked him that question. A strange, awkward smile pulled at my lips, one I didn’t even mean to form.
“I’m not your mate,” he said, his tone flat and sure. “In fact, I don’t buy that idea at all.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled, embarrassment crawling up my neck and settling on my cheeks. I turned away from him, focusing on the path I had planned to take earlier, needing something else to look at before I completely lost myself. My eyes dropped to the iron trap hidden beneath leaves and dirt, its sharp teeth slightly open, waiting. My stomach curled painfully.
“I was about to warn you about those,” Aiden said as he stepped closer, his presence suddenly too noticeable. “They’re everywhere. You have to be careful where you step, or you’ll end up caught in one of my wolf traps.”
“Wolf traps?” I asked, lifting my head slowly to look at him. When he nodded, my brows pulled together. “Isn’t it wrong to set traps to catch your own kind? Are you really that wicked?”
For a moment, he said nothing. The forest felt quiet, tense, like it was listening.
“Not every wolf that runs through this forest is good,” he finally said, his voice calm but sharp, like he had said those words many times before. “And it’s my duty to catch the bad ones.” His gaze flickered to the gold watch on his wrist as he lifted his arm, checking the time like this conversation meant little to him.
I shifted uneasily. “Okay… anyway, I should go now.” I glanced around again, my heart racing as I tried to figure out which path wouldn’t lead me straight into another trap.
“Don’t,” he said.
The single word made me stop. I turned back to him slowly. “Why?”
“There’s a trap right where you’re headed,” Aiden replied. “Actually, there are several.”
My shoulders slumped. “Then where is safe for me to follow?”
He studied me for a moment, his expression unreadable, his eyes cold but focused. “Nowhere,” he said honestly. “But I can guide you through the safest route out of my territory.”
I blinked, staring at him in surprise. “You… would do that?”
He shrugged lightly. “I don’t like cleaning blood off my traps.”
The thought of what had happened not long ago rushed back into my mind, the way he had pulled me into his chest so fast, the way my body had reacted without asking me first. Heat crept up my cheeks again, and I looked away quickly.
He was tall, and built like someone who didn’t need to prove his strength to anyone. There was something about him that felt controlled, dangerous, like he could ruin lives and sleep peacefully after. And yet, here he was, offering to guide me out.
I couldn’t believe I had thought he was my mate.
He noticed my stare and scoffed. “Are you done studying me, or do you plan to stay here until night?”
“I wasn’t—” I stopped myself and shook my head. “Sorry.”
He turned slightly and gestured with his head. “Follow me. And don’t step where I don’t.”
I followed.
The forest felt different with him in front. He moved with ease, like the land belonged to him, like the trees and shadows knew him. His steps were quiet, sure, while mine felt clumsy in comparison. I stayed close, watching his feet, my heart jumping every time my foot brushed against leaves or sticks.
“So,” I said softly after a while, the silence pressing on my chest, “what exactly do you do out here all alone?”
“I don’t like to talk much about myself,” he replied without turning back.
“That figures,” I muttered.
He paused for half a second before adding, “But I’m not like the other werewolves around here.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
He glanced over his shoulder, his gray eyes sharp and unreadable. “I’m a lycan.”
My steps slowed. “A lycan?” I repeated quietly.
“Yes.”
“I’ve only heard stories,” I said.
“Most people have,” he replied. “And most of them are wrong.”
I let out a small breath. “You’re strange.”
That earned me a short laugh from him, low and unexpected. “And you,” he said, “are truly one of a kind.”
Before I could ask what he meant, he spoke again. “Why did you ask if I was your mate?”
My heart skipped. “It’s nothing.”
He stopped walking and turned slightly. “Doesn’t look like nothing.” His gaze held mine. “Seems to me you don’t know who your mate is. Probably been around him for a while and still haven’t listened to your mate bond.”
I scoffed, looking ahead. “You don’t know anything about me.”
“Maybe,” he said calmly. “But I can see confusion when it’s standing in front of me.”
“Don’t step there,” he added suddenly.
I froze just in time, my breath catching as I looked down at the disturbed ground near my foot. Another trap.
“What did you mean earlier?” I asked, my voice quieter now. “About my mate being around me and me not knowing?”
He stopped without warning.
I didn’t react fast enough. My foot caught on a branch, and I stumbled forward with a sharp gasp. Before I could hit the ground, his arms wrapped around me, pulling me back against his body.
My breath stopped.
His chest was solid beneath my hands, warm and steady. His scent filled my lungs, something wild and sharp that made my wolf stir restlessly. Comfort rushed through me before I could stop it, making my body lean into him slightly.
“Careful,” he said close to my ear.
My face burned. I nodded, unable to speak.
He released me slowly, stepping back like nothing had happened. “You need to leave my territory before you ruin all the traps I’ve set.”
We walked again, and soon the trees thinned, the road coming into view. Cars passed by, people walking, life moving like nothing inside me had just turned upside down.
I stopped and turned to him. “Thank you… for helping me.”
He gave a small smile, one that didn’t soften his eyes. “You’ll be fine.”
Then he turned and disappeared into the woods without another word.
I stood there longer than I should have, staring at the path he took, my heart racing, my wolf restless.
How could a man be so cold, so ruthless, and still pull me in without even trying?