Arranged Mate Bond

10.- Saving you means saving me

Aiden’s POV

The room was spinning around me. She has a mate? That was impossible.

The memory of my father and me talking in his office came to mind. I wasn’t only against the deal because Emma was irreplaceable. I was also against it because I didn’t want any girl to sacrifice her love for a stupid pack deal. I had told my father that day that I couldn’t let a girl give up the chance of finding her mate to be a part of this insanity. His words rang through my head as if he was standing right in front of me.

‘That won’t be an issue. All you need to focus on is your end of the deal,’ he had told me.

And that was what I did. I focused on my part of the deal, my pain and suffering. It made me blind to everything that happened around me. The only useful thing I did in the last couple of months was take care of the pack. If I hadn’t been so self consumed I would have noticed that Brooke had a mate.

Brooke told Cole and Madeline that she had a ‘protector’ when she was training the young Wolves. Her mate. So he was someone from her pack. Ethan Wright perhaps? No. They seemed close when he dropped her off the first time, but not that close. I was certain it was someone back at Blue Moon pack, but why didn’t she jump at the opportunity of going home when I offered her a way out?

All the unanswered questions were making me confused.

“You have a mate,” I finally breathed out. As my eyes refused to leave Brooke’s big brown ones. They looked weary back at me.

“HAD. He’s dead,” I said emotionless.

I sucked in a deep breath. That was not what I expected to hear. “When?”

“During the last battle.”

We had fought in the same battle? I was stunned, to say the least. All this time she was going through the same pain I was and she didn’t say anything.

“And you never thought to mention it to me?” I asked, not caring that I sounded hurt.

Brooke shrugged. “Why would I? It wasn’t like you were interested in what I was going through anyway. So don’t act like you care now.”

For a second it felt like I was slapped in the face before the anger flared up in me. Why was I angry when I never gave her a reason to think that I cared about her? What made matters worse was the fact that my Wolf was hurt by her accusation. And of course the only way my Wolf knew how to show his pain was by getting angry. His anger combined with mine never ended well. Before I knew it I turned ridged.

“You think I don’t care?” I almost yelled.

“I know you don’t. You, your father, Alpha Lucas.. you’re all the same. This is just as much your fault as it is theirs. All you think about are these stupid packs,” she yelled back.

A animalistic growl escaped my lips. “Oh, so now this is my fault.” I shook my head and folded my hands into fists. My Wolf had enough of the emotion rollercoaster that was going through me and urged me to shift so he could let his frustrations out. It was getting harder to stay in control. 

I was fighting the realization that I did care for Brooke and that I felt like an ass for not looking after her when she was going through the same thing I was. On the other hand I felt like betraying Emma in the worst way possible.  

Without another word Brooke spun on her heels and took one step when Caleb walked in.

 “What’s going on?” Caleb asked, eyeing the both of us suspiciously. “You’re loud voices are being heard all through the mansion. You’re lucky no one is near the house.”