AIDEN.

“Nala…I…It’s…it’s not what you think,” I said in a single breath, panting so hard.

I ran all the way to her from the parking lot after we locked eyes. Despite the distance between us, I didn’t like the look that crossed her face after she had seen me helping the omega out of the car.

However, now that I stood before her, all she did was to simply stare at me from where she stood, without so much as acknowledging she’d heard what I had just said. I noticed how she was fiddling to cover the scars on her wrist with the shawl she had wrapped. The ankara fitted her, as though she had been fitted before it got sewed. But I dislike the fact that she had to cover parts of her body simply because of those scars.

It felt as though my heart had been ripped from its cage as I stood there, watching as the tears trickled down her face.

I took a single step towards her, at the same time she stood up from where she was sitting and she took two steps back, before she furiously wiped at the tears rolling down her cheeks.

I hated this. I hated that I made her cry.

I balled my fists tightly, all in the hopes of stopping myself from crushing her in a hug. I wanted to hold her in my embrace, place her head on my chest as I ran my fingers through her hair. I wanted to k**s her cheeks and the soft spot on her neck as I explained the situation to her, but none of that was possible.

‘Did you seriously have to touch the omega before you could help her out of the car?’ Leo snarled, causing me to hiss loudly, which in turn, made Nala take another step back.

“Are you…” she paused, cleared her voice then spoke again. “You’re finally here. It took you quite a while to arrive.” This time, unlike the first time, her voice was loud and clear. “Are you…you here…”

“No,” I rushed to say. “Don’t say anything. It’s not what you think,” I hurried to add, taking another step towards her and was glad when she didn’t step back, instead, she glared at me.

“What do you think I was thinking?” she asked quietly, tucking a lock of stray hair behind her ear.

“I…that woman…?”

“What about her?” she cut me off, blinking.

“Nala, I have nothing to do with her. I was merely helping her so…”

“I didn’t ask, and I’m sure I didn’t say anything to show I have any interest in knowing,” she mumbled, casting her eyes down once more.

“You were crying,” I said softly, taking another step towards her. “I didn’t mean to hurt you or…”

“You weren’t the reason. Besides, I was not crying. I had something caught in my eyes.”

“It didn’t look that way to me,” I murmured, sighing. “I know you didn’t ask, but I just wanted to explain the situation to you. It’s not what you think.”

“Sure,” she nodded, then as though she thought of something, she smiled a bit. “Thanks for explaining. Can I see the therapist now?”

‘She’s angry. She doesn’t want to show it but she’s angry,’ Leo said, confirming my suspicion.

“Are you angry?” I asked, my voice a bit croaked. The urge to hold her and reassure her that I’ll always want her gnawed at me. But her nonchalant attitude was frustrating as well.

“Angry? Why would I be angry?” she asked, a look of pure innocence washed over her face.

I took another small step towards her, this time too, she didn’t move away.

“You seem…jealous,” I whispered, leaning closer and caught a whip of her scent. I never knew I’d fall in love with the scent of ice and wild flowers, but here I am. “Are you jealous, Nala?” I continued, feeling my breath hitch when she looked straight into my eyes. Those deep brown eyes had me on the edge.

“I don’t know,” she said quietly, then as though she did something bad, she added. “Is there a reason why I should be?” She squinted her eyes just a bit.

“Nala…” I dragged her name, unconsciously bringing my hand to her face. I wanted to caress her cheeks, to feel the soft skin beneath my calloused tips. But as she shut her eyes tightly, almost too tightly if I may say, I paused with my hand hovering mid air, and simply stared at her.

Her breathing was coming out in small pants. I watched as she bit her bottom l*p, her eyes tightening even more. She was scared, but she was trying not to show it.

I sucked in a deep breath, dropping my hand to the side. Goddess! I hated this! Can’t I even touch my mate without her getting scared?

‘Obviously. Why? Because you just ruined the little trust we started building by touching that omega!’ Leo snapped.

Again, I ignored him.

“How are you?” I asked instead, my voice a low hum.

She pried her eyes open, those dazzling sparkles lightening up a bit. “Uhmn, I’m fine?” she replied, clearly confused at my question.

“Why were you crying, Nala?”

“I wasn’t crying.”

“You were,” I Insisted. “You were crying. And you looked angry as well,” I continued.

“I wasn’t crying,” she sighed, shutting her eyes and opening them after a while. “I had something in my eyes. Also, I wasn’t angry. I have no reason to be.”

“Safe to say you’re jealous then?” I murmured, leaning closer. So close that I could hear the minty breath leaving her parted lips.

“I wasn’t jealous, Aiden,” she said, biting the inside of her cheeks. I loved the way my name rolled on her tongue. And I wanted to hear her say it. To hear her m**n it as I pepper k****s all over her face. “I am not jealous,” she said again, as though trying to reassure herself that more than me.

“Nala…”

“Can you move, please? You…you are…suffocating me,” she said, her breath a bit shallow.

“Are you okay?” I asked, furrowing my brows. This time, without waiting or thinking of anything, I placed my left hand on her forehead, where I noticed she was sweating.

My palm came in contact with the soft skin of her forehead, and I couldn’t help releasing a breath I didn’t know I was holding in. “Are you sick?” I asked again.

“I’m…fine,” she breathed, shutting her eyes again and biting her bottom l*p. She seems to always do that when she’s nervous. “Just move back…please,” she added.

I dropped my hand and simply nodded, then took small steps back. However, just as I was about to speak again, a knock came on the door and Mama stepped in, a wide smile on her face.

“Natasha, sorry for keeping you waiting. The therapist is…” she started to say before she noticed me. “Amari, when did you get here?” she asked, darting her eyes between Nala and I.

“I…I need to go to the restroom,” Nala said quickly, before she rushed to the restroom at the far side of the room.

Both Mama as I followed her with our gaze, and as I watched the door click shut behind her, I knew without looking at Mama, that she had that questioning look pinned on me.

“Stop looking at me like that, Mama,” I mumbled, walking to the chair Nala had been sitting on after I stepped in.

“Looking at you like what?” Mama scoffed, walking up to me before she settled down beside me.

“Like you just caught me taking a piece of meat from the pot,” I replied with a small smile.

“I would like to think this is worse, Amari,” she teased.

“Worse than when you caught Mav and I adding stones to the stew after we’ve ate all the meat in there?” I couldn’t resist laughing a bit at the memory.

Mama’s soft voice drifted into my ears as she laughed. I watched as her eyes lit up, and the way she tied back the headgear on her head more securely so it wouldn’t untie again.

“Whose idea was that? I still don’t know who was responsible for coming up with that idea because neither you nor Mav said anything,” she asked, taking both of my hands in hers.

“It was mine,” I replied, kissing her knuckles. “Mav said not to say I was the one. We agreed that if you insisted on knowing, he’d say he was the one. That way, I would be saved from having to kneel down all day and he’ll do it,” I finished, a lump caught in my throat.

Silence stretched between us for a while. I knew what Mama was thinking, it was the same thing I was thinking about.

“I miss him,” she whispers and I couldn’t help but hug her lightly before she pulled away a moment later.

“He’s fine. He’ll come home soon. I know he will,” I replied.

More seconds stretched on before she spoke again. “What did you do?”

“What?” I asked, feigning innocence.

“Amari, what did you do to make her so upset?” she asked again.

“Nothing, Mama,” I sighed. “I’m…confused. If I’m being honest, I don’t know if I’ll ever make this work.”

“Of course you would, silly!” She smacked my head lightly. “You just need time. It’s been only a day. And I bet you things will only get harder. She’s not used to these type of emotions, which ultimately means she’s bound to get confused and overwhelmed from time to time. You have to be patient.”

“She wasn’t even jealous!” I scoffed, finally letting out what has been frustrating me. “She sees me with another woman, as her mate, shouldn’t she get jealous? But she wasn’t. It’s like she doesn’t care what or who I am with,” I mumbled.

“Aiden, look at me,” Mama called, turning me to face her. “It is never going to be easy. But that doesn’t mean you give up or get frustrated. If anything, she’s frustrated as well. With time, all this would be history and she’ll be entirely yours. Remember, we don’t know to what extent she had endured the abuse, and until we do, until she’s ready to speak, do not push her, okay?”

I simply nodded.

“Besides, it did seem to me like she was angry, or perhaps, jealous. What did you do to make her feel that way?”

“I came with an Omega here, and Nala saw me when I was helping her out of the car. At first, I thought she was angry I was touching another woman, I won’t lie to you Mama, I was happy at the prospect. But after I ran to her, she insisted she wasn’t angry nor jealous, despite the fact that I caught her crying,” I explained.

Mama chuckled. And I knew that type of chuckle. It was the type she does whenever she knows the implication of what had been done or not.

“If she says she’s not, then she isn’t. Stop getting upset just because she’s not jealous. Perhaps, it’s because she already knows how much you ‘burn’ for her,” she teased me.

I shut my eyes quickly, feeling embarrassed for the first time around her ever since I found Nala. I remember how I had told Mama this morning that I ‘burned’ for Nala, without as much as feeling shy because Goddess knows, I wasn’t really in my senses when I said so.

‘Which is obviously not true,’ Leo hissed, his continuous pacing annoying me even more. ‘If anyone is burning, it is me. F**k! I feel like a freaking tornado burns around me every time she’s close. Nala is…’

‘Find your own damn name for her!’ I hissed back. ‘I gave her Nala and I’m the only one allowed to call her that,’ I added.

‘Tcht!’ he scoffed. ‘Very poor, Aiden. Very poor,’ then he paused before he continued. ‘You think Nala is a fitting name for her? You’ve got to be kidding me! I was merely helping you say the name so you can confirm the absurdity. Let me make myself clear, you are not allowed to call her mine when you hear it because, joke on you, she’ll love mine more than yours.’

‘In your dreams,’ I mutter underneath my breath.

‘You just wait till she finally sees me in my full glory and hear me call her with a name like no other. Then we’ll see…’

I blocked him off before he could continue his long talks and focused on Mama.

“All you need is a little patience. And hopefully, as soon as she starts therapy, things would start getting better, okay? I don’t want you to give up without even fighting…”

“I never said I would give up. I was just upset that it seems she doesn’t care. I would never give up on her. Whether the mate bonds works or not, I’ll make her mine, Mama. I’ll make her burn for me as well,” I said with a laugh.

“Of course, Amari. You’ll get her. I’ll always be here supporting you. Now, I need to go, your Baba has already called. You know how he acts when I stay away for too long.”

“It’s not long. It’s roughly seven hours since you left him.”

“Well, I ‘burn’ for him too, Amari,” she said as she air quoted the word then stood up. “I don’t want to be in flames.”

I laughed. A genuine real laughter that hasn’t caught my lips in three days.

“Come give me a big hug,” she said, the smile on her face never vanishing as she opened her arms wide.

I stepped into her embrace and wrapped my arms around her, then carefully rested my head on her shoulders. “You’re the best mother ever!” I sighed.

I heard her chuckle before she ran her hands on my back and then pulled away. I debated telling her about Nala’s heat but decided against it. I’ll only end up getting her more worried since I’m yet to find any tangible clue about that. I’ll double my efforts in investigating before I let her know anything.

Just as we pulled away, the door to the restroom opened and a puffy eyed Nala stepped out.

“Am I interrupting something?” she asked timidly.

“No, no,” Mama replied as she walked up to her and brought her over to where I stood. “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” Nala replied, her timidness vanishing a little.

I could only stare as she and Mama spoke. She seemed a bit more comfortable around Mama than me, which despite how weird it may sound, annoyed me.

I watched as her eyes stayed on Mama only. The way she swallowed, or how she chewed on her bottom l*p. I watched the way she nodded when Mama asked a question, the way black curls kept falling to her face after escaping the lousy bun she made.

She was mesmerizing. So perfect.

‘Yes. So perfect, so pure,’ Leo adds.

“I’ll be leaving now. I know you said you’re scared of the therapist, but trust me on this and see her just this once. If you don’t want to see her again, I’ll work on it. A deal?”

“Yes, Mama,” she replied with a small smile.

Goddess! Would she ever smile at me genuinely like this? I wondered.

‘No. At least not until she finally sees me,’ Leo snickered. Again, I ignored him.

Then Mama pulled her into a light embrace before she pulled away, waved at me and left.

I was left alone with Nala again.

NATASHA.

I shut my eyes tightly as I sucked in a deep breath, my senses and nostrils filled with the heavy scent of the man standing before me. His large body framing the light seeping through the window. The fact that he was dressed in a complete suit wasn’t helping as well.

As always, he seemed perfect. Too perfect. But I won’t look at him. I don’t want to. As it is, I already hated the fact that I was jealous and angry at seeing him with another woman.

‘I’ve already told you it’s not what you think! He may just have been helping someone in need!’ Erin yells.

She had been saying that ever since I stepped into the restroom and leaned my back against the door as I slipped to the floor. For some weird reason, very weird reason, I cried.

Not because I was scared of him. Not because I had been hit. Not because I had been cursed at. But for the first time ever, I had truly felt what it was like to be jealous.

All what I had felt looking at Matteo taking Camila before me were pains from the mate bond, not my real emotions. Today, however, I felt them raw and deep, and it unnerved me.

The fact that I was jealous made me realize I could feel, even if I wasn’t ready to accept that. It made me realize that in just a day, Aiden was able to evoke another emotion besides fear in me.

Then again, I had truly thought he was going to reject me. I had thought he had found someone new and doesn’t want me any more like he claimed he did. But I was wrong, as it seems, Aiden still wants me.

“Nala…” he calls softly.

There goes the cursed name that always makes my stomach flip every single time he says it. Every. Single. Time.

“If I’m the cause of those puffy swollen eyes, then I’m sorry. I promise it wasn’t intentional,” I heard him say. Yet again, I didn’t look at him. I had my eyes pinned to the floor.

“Nala?” he called again, then I saw his black covers as he took a step closer. “Look at me, please,” he whispers.

Goddess! What is with this man and trying to get my heart?

‘Because he does want to get your heart,’ Erin whispers.

Before I could reply, however, I felt the tip of his finger nervously tipped my chin up, our gaze locked. Dark, intense eyes stared into mine, as though studying the whole me and everything buried deep within.

I could feel the intensity of the gaze. The hotness. The mess it was causing my brain. And even after he dropped his hand from my chin, I couldn’t look away. And I still felt the tickle of his warmth where he had touched me.

Then he did the unexpected.

As I watched, Aiden caught both of his ears with his hands, tilted his head a little downward, with it a little sideways as well. Then he looked up at me, and stuck his bottom l*p out. Some curls fall to his face, covering his right brow and giving him his dark look despite him looking cute at the same time.

“Ow, come on, Nala. I’m sorry, okay? Pretty please?” he said, his voice a deep, throaty low hum.

My insides turned, and somehow I suddenly felt something sticky drop in my pants. Goddess! What was that? My body suddenly felt warm as well, but I ignored it all. Because as I continued to stare at Aiden, I couldn’t hold the laughter back no matter how hard I tried.

It began as a small chuckle, then a giggle. Then as he stuck his bottom l*p even more, I couldn’t help it. I laughed, albeit softly.

“Yes!” Aiden yelled, punching the air. “I just made you laugh!” he squealed like a little boy.

I willed for the smile to vanish, but it didn’t work. And for some weird reason, I liked that he made me smile.

“Am I forgiven?” he asked.

I simply nodded. Because I’m certain my voice would give away my inner turmoil once I speak. My body keeps getting warmer with each passing minute. Same way I felt yesterday.

“Shall we go see the therapist now?”

I nodded again, but decided to speak. “Yes. Let’s go.”

“Kane left. I wanted to officially introduce you two but he had to go back and handle some matters for me before we finish up here.”

Again, I only nodded.

Sincerely, I was scared. I’m not sure I’m ready for this. But I promised Mama I would try so I would. Hence why I didn’t say anything as Aiden and I stepped out of the room and walked down the long hallway. With people bowing each time they see us.

He didn’t speak all through our way and I was grateful for that. At least, he wasn’t doing anything for now that would confuse me even more.

But as we stopped before a door painted in white with no single color or dirt on it, and a sign that read ‘Dr. Lilyanna’, I felt all the b***d on my face drain.

I was really going to do this.

“Don’t worry. It is going to be fine. I’ll be right here if you need me or if you want to leave, okay?” Aiden said, standing a little too close.

“Of…of course,” I gulped, summoning all the little courage I have left in me.

As I knocked on the door and heard ‘come in’ from inside, Aiden quickly pulled my free hand and squeezed lightly.

“Just so you know, you take my breath away, Nala,” he murmured, his eyes never leaving mine.

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