Chapter 48 The Fear of Everything
I took in a deep breath as I rested my back against the door, my heart still racing from the encounter with Alpha Warren. The fact that he now knows that I'm staying at Cora’s place made me even more worried.
I walked back into the living room and saw Cora still seated on the couch, resting her head against the armrest.
“I thought you said you wouldn't tell Alpha Warren where I was," I said.
Cora lifted her head to look at me. “Jeez, was that him?” Her brows pulled together. “How did he—” She paused as I sat on the couch next to her. “He must’ve suspected you were staying with me and followed me. What did he want?”
I sighed, brushing my hand through my hair before pulling it up in a messy bun. “He wanted to know how I was doing,” I said quietly. “And he also offered me some money for compensation, but I didn't accepted it.”
Cora sat upright at once. “Thank God you didn't, after what he did. He thinks offering you money would make any difference.” She scoffed and stood up, grabbed her bag, before walking toward her room.
“How are you feeling now?” I called out.
She turned to face me, her eyes dull. “Terrible. I don’t think I can ever forget what happened today,” she muttered. “It feels like it’s sealed into my brain.”
“Don’t think about it too much,” I said, shifting on the couch and leaning back to ease the ache in my back. “And you were talking about telling Alpha Warren before we were interrupted. Please don’t.”
She went into her room and came back out, heading straight to the refrigerator. She grabbed a bottle of orange juice and took a long gulp.
“I won’t anymore,” she said. “He won’t believe me. Whenever Layla is around him, he’s like a totally different person. Even the other workers say it feels like he’s under some kind of spell.”
“I’m glad you changed your mind,” I said softly. “Because the Layla I used to know isn’t the Layla anymore.”
She sighed and gave me a small, warm smile. It was clear she was trying to be cheerful, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“I did a little shopping,” she said. “I got Cheerios, bread, eggs, instant noodles, some sausages, and snacks—cookies, chips, and granola bars.”
“Oh, thank goodness,” I muttered, rubbing my belly as I stared at the ceiling. “I was so hungry. If not for Aiden escorting me, I would’ve gotten something to eat.”
She paused and looked at me. “Who is Aiden?”
I realized then that I hadn’t told her about him. I slowly sat up and began to tell her how we met, starting from how I ran into the woods, the way he spoke calmly, how he made sure I got out of the woods safely.
As we ate, my fingers curled around the spoon as I spoke, my voice softer without meaning to be.
Cora smiled at me. “He sounds like a nice guy, Diana,” she said. “From what you’re saying, he really does.” She tilted her head. “What if he’s your mate?”
I let out a slow breath. “I thought so too,” I admitted. “But he said he isn’t.”
She raised her brows, clearly not convinced. “Are you sure?” she teased. “Is he tall? Handsome? Or wait, don’t tell me, is he an Alpha?”
I shook my head with a weak laugh. “No. He’s not an Alpha.” I hesitated, then added, “But… he’s different.”
She leaned closer, grinning. “Different how?”
I didn’t answer right away. My cheeks suddenly felt warm, and I focused on my food instead. “Just different.”
Cora laughed softly. Even though she wasn’t as cheerful as she normally would be, she kept teasing me, asking questions, smiling whenever I tried to dodge them. And the more I talked about him, the more I felt that strange warmth spreading through me, my wolf stirring in quiet confusion.
We talked until the plates were empty. Cora stood up and started clearing the table. “I’ll handle this.”
“Let me help,” I said, pushing myself up.
She shook her head. “No. You need your strength.” She glanced at my stomach. “You’re carrying who knows how many pups.”
I smiled, my chest tightening with emotion. I sat back down and watched her move around the kitchen.
When she was done, she wiped her hands and turned to me. “You’ll sleep on my bed tonight. I’ll take the couch.”
“What?” I protested. “No, Cora. I can’t—”
She cut me off. “You can,” she said firmly. “At least until we pack your things from the garage in your old apartment.”
I wanted to argue more, but she gave me a look that told me not to try. I hesitated, then nodded. “Alright.”
That night, I lay on her bed, wrapped in warmth that felt too comforting for the mess in my head. The room was quiet, but my thoughts were loud.
Aiden’s face came to mind first. The calm in his eyes. The way my wolf leaned toward him, not in the sharp pull of a mate bond, but in something slower, deeper. Then Warren followed, the heavy pull I had once felt so clearly, the bond that still existed but now felt cracked and bruised.
Around Warren, my wolf felt bound, but then when I'm around Aiden, everything feel different, I didn't know what to believe anymore and I was starting to think maybe something is wrong with me.
My thoughts drifted to Layla’s and everything had changed so suddenly. I could remember when it all started, after Tonia’s party. Something must have happened to her that night, something she never told me.
The thought weighed heavily on my chest.
I was still lost in it all when sleep finally pulled me under.