Arranged Mate Bond

18.- Don't go

Brooke's POV

Two weeks and three days. That was how long Aiden and I haven't spoken to each other after our last fight. Not even in public. Somehow we had settled into a tension filled routine where Aiden danced around each other in an attempt to avoid one another. The second he woke up he was gone before I got up. Aiden stayed at the pack office as much as he could and when I sensed his presence in the mansion I made it my mission to stay on the opposite side of the mansion. Usually Aiden got home late after midnight and since we shared the same room, avoiding him at that point was impossible.

The rare moments we did ended up in the same room, other than the bedroom, were ruined by the plotting of Caleb and Elizabeth in an attempt to get us talking to each other, which actually pushed us only further apart. We had issues, Aiden and I, we knew that. But talking through them was not going to happen with Caleb and Elizabeth hovering over us.

The only time I spoke a few words to Aiden was two days after the fight, when I sensed a little too much fighters outside the mansion holding the fort. The moment I went with Will to meet Mike so we could discuss the training schedule of the young Shifters I noticed some of those fighters following us. It didn't take long before I put the two together.

The second I got back I barged into Aiden's office and spoke, letting my annoyance clearly show, "Is that really necessary?"

He seemed unfazed by my outburst and knew straight away what I was referring to, "That's just in case you might get some crazy idea when I'm not around."

By now, everyone around us knew we had a huge argument. Some pack members were even curious enough to ask me about it, but I always managed to steer the conversation into a different direction.

The worst part of it all was that after the anger died down I actually started to miss Aiden. I missed the simple things. Like the moments alone with Aiden, starting our day together and late night conversations before we went to sleep. Those were the moments where Aiden and I didn't have to think about what we said or how we acted. With all titles pushed aside and our responsibilities momentarily forgotten we truly felt like being ourselves. I even missed the moments were we were around each other in peaceful silence.

Nowadays our silence was anything, but peaceful.

As much as I tried to ignore how much the distance between us bothered me, I knew it was further from the truth. The way Aiden walked past me, without acknowledging my existence was hurtful enough, but now that he also seemed to have stopped trusting me it felt like a stab in the heart. Yet I kept on my brave face and tried to act like it didn't bother me.

These past weeks I had put all of my energy into full filling my role as Luna of Dark Raven and went out of my way to connect with Shifters of our pack. I was training young Shifters with Mike while Will stood close by and the other 'bodyguards' watched us from a distance. And spending all of my free time with Elaine when she wasn't with Travis and Caleb when he wasn't busy charming girls into his bed.

All in an attempt to forget about Aiden's mental and physical absence.

The upside was that I enjoyed connecting with the pack. Everyone was respectful and understanding. I was so relieved when no one blamed me for taking longer to warm up to them. As a result, more Shifters came to the pack house, which pleased Elizabeth.

"You're a natural," she had whispered to me today when we were preparing breakfast for a group of Shifters. That comment alone had managed to brighten my dark day.

After breakfast I had retreated to my room, enjoying the silence around me. Aiden wasn't going to be back anytime soon. So I had until around midnight to enjoy the silence. Since I had been busy all morning I didn't have the chance to look over the schedule Mike had handed me yesterday.