Chapter 28
Chapter 28
48%
+68
Aurora
I invited Layla over to the house. With her time consumed by her father’s chemotherapy, I hadn’t wanted to burden her with my own loneliness. Still, it was hard not to feel the weight of Ryker’s absence. I hadn’t seen him in over a day, which was unusual. My attempts to reach him proved useless–his phone, like Kaiden’s, was switched off.
It wasn’t strange for Kaiden to vanish, but Ryker? He never disappeared without Kaiden showing up to take his place. The thought of Kaiden returning later sparked a flicker of anticipation, even though I had sworn to cut off every lingering feeling I had for him.
“We should go on a date,” Layla suddenly declared, standing up from the sofa with the bag of popcorn she’d brought over for our movie night. Bringing popcorn was her habit–not mine. I never cared much for it, so I never kept any in the house.
“Please tell me it’s not another club,” I groaned, already dreading the idea of it.
Layla laughed at my exaggerated expression. “Don’t worry, Rory, I value my life too much.” she said with a grin. “Let’s go on an ice cream date instead.” A mischievous smile tugged at her lips.
“Yes, let’s go!” I exclaimed, darting to my room to grab my card. I loved ice cream, but Kaiden’s constant protective attitude made me rarely go out to get some. He seemed to think chocolate cake was my only favorite thing in the world and I never bothered correcting his impression.
“What if Mr. Thane comes back?” Layla asked as we left the apartment. Her question made me stop in my tracks. Kaiden’s stern warning about informing him of my whereabouts replayed in my mind.
Should I text him to let him know I was stepping out?
But why bother texting someone whose phone was off? Ryker wasn’t an option either. It’s just ice cream. What’s the worst that could happen?
I shook off the hesitation and stepped into the elevator with Layla following closely behind. It wasn’t like I’d get kidnapped on my way to grab ice cream. I was an adult, after all. I could handle myself.
“Why do you still call him Mr. Thane? He’s not your boss anymore,” I asked, trying to change the subject.
“It’s a habit,” she replied with a shrug. Then, with a sly smile, she added, “Besides, doesn’t it sound sexy?”
I rolled my eyes, though a small smile slipped through. “Why are we even friends again?”
“I ask myself the same thing all the time. If I lived in that house, I’d have had Mr. Thane in my bed by now,” she teased, bumping me playfully.
“I’m pretty sure if you lived with him, he wouldn’t even spare you a glance,” I shot back, and she gasped in mock offense.
“Wow, okay. That burned,” she muttered, clutching her chest for dramatic effect as we walked through the building’s lobby.
“Aurora?” a voice called from behind, stopping me in my tracks. I turned to see Owen standing there, a wide smile plastered on his face.
“Who’s that?” Layla whispered, leaning in as he approached us.
“Someone I know,” I mumbled under my breath, low enough that he wouldn’t hear.
“We meet again,” Owen said warmly, stopping in front of me with that dazzling smile of his.
“Yes, a little too often,” I replied, my tone thoughtful. I hadn’t meant to sound accusing, but coincidence felt overwhelming.
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Chapter 28
He chuckled softly, clearly picking up on my unintentional jab but brushing it off. “Do you live here?” he asked, siting his head curiously.
“I do. What about you?” I asked, raising a brow.
“Oh no, a friend of mine lives here. I just came to visit him.” he clarified, and I felt a pang of embarrassmers for assessing be might be stalking me.
Layla cleared her throat dramatically, reminding me of her presence. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. “This is my friend, Layla. Layla, meet Owen,” I said, gesturing between them.
“Nice to meet you, Layla,” Owen said, extending his hand for a handshake, which she eagerly accepted.
“Same here. Rory never bothered to mention such a good–looking friend,” she commented playfully, a wide smile spreading across her face. I fought the urge to correct her–we weren’t exactly friends, at least not yet
“Thank you for the compliment,” he replied smoothly, releasing her hand. His gaze shifted to me as he changed the object “Are you girls heading out somewhere?”
“Oh, yes. We’re just going to grab some ice cream,” Layla answered before I could, her honesty catching me off guard.
“Mind if I join you?” Owen asked suddenly. I opened my mouth to politely decline, but Layla, of course, beat me to it
“Sure! That’s fine with us, right, Rory?” she said, glancing at me for confirmation. Her enthusiasm was hard to counter, so I smiled awkwardly and nodded. I didn’t dislike Owen, and I’d mostly forgiven his earlier odd behavior, but something about him kept me cautious.
“Great! Let’s go, then,” he said cheerfully. He led us out of the building and to his car. Layla hopped into the backseat while I reluctantly slid into the front. The drive to the ice cream shop was mercifully quiet, just as I’d hoped.
“Is there anything more you would like?” The waitress asked politely, looking at Owen, having taken our orders. We ended up opting for a milkshake when we arrived. We were sat in a small table in the ice cream shop.
“No, thank you,” Owen said politely. The waitress nodded and walked away to prepare our drinks.
“So, what do you do?” Layla asked, breaking the silence as she leaned forward, her eyes glinting with curiosity.
“I’m a freelancer,” Owen answered casually.
I raised an eyebrow. “Really? I thought you’d be in the medical field or something similar.” I said, voicing my assumption.
He chuckled. “Sorry to disappoint, but just because my cousin is a doctor doesn’t mean I’d follow the same path.”
“Fair point, but most families love seeing others follow a ‘prestigious‘ career path,” I countered.
“Well, I’m not ‘most people,’ Aurora,” he shot back, a playful edge to his voice. “Besides, my family isn’t full of doctors. Kevin’s the first one.”
I opened my mouth to argue further, but Layla cut in before I could.
“Okay, enough bickering, you two. You’re both right,” she said with a sly smile. I glanced away from Owen, wondering why was unusually on edge.
“And what about you?” Owen asked, redirecting his attention to me.
“Well, I’m a free spirit,” Layla chimed in, shrugging as though the question had been hers.
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He didn’t take his eyes off me. “That’s great,” he said to Layla absentmindedly before adding, “How about you, Rory?” The nickname slipped so casually from his lips that it felt like we’d known each other for years.
“You should know, shouldn’t you?” I asked, my tone laced with sarcasm as I raised an eyebrow.
“And why would I know anything about you?” he asked, clearly amused by my accusation.
“I don’t know. You just seem to,” I said, shrugging it off, though my mind wandered to the first time we’d met–when he’d called me ‘Alpha Kaiden’s mate. I still didn’t know what that meant, but it had sounded important.
His eyes glinted with something I couldn’t quite clear. “Kevin may be my cousin, but he doesn’t share details about his patients,” he explained, as though reading my mind. I nodded, though I wasn’t entirely convinced.
“But you called me Alpha Kaiden’s mate when we first met. What does that even mean?” I pressed, narrowing my eyes at him.
He was about to answer when the waitress returned with our milkshakes.
“Thank you,” I said as she set mine down, giving her a polite smile. She nodded before disappearing back into the crowd. I took a sip of my milkshake, waiting for him to continue.
“It means you’re his friend. It’s nothing strange,” Owen finally said, breaking the silence.
I smiled and nodded as though I accepted the explanation, but doubt lingered in the back of my mind. I didn’t believe him. It felt like there was more to it than he was letting on, and I made a mental note to ask Ryker about it later.
“Alpha Kaiden? Is Mr. Thane’s other name Alpha?” Layla asked, her face scrunched in confusion. Her reaction mirrored my own when I’d first heard the title.
“Well, it’s some sort of ranking in their business world, to call the boss Alpha,” I explained, chewing absently on the straw in my milkshake.
“Huh? I’ve never heard of such rankings before,” Layla murmured, her brows furrowed as she focused on her milkshake. “Well, we often call him that here. He’s popularly known as Alpha Kaiden,” Owen said, his tone steady and convincing.
“And here I thought you claimed to know nothing about me,” I said with a mock smile, narrowing my eyes. “Yet you somehow know I’m Kaiden’s friend”
“Alright, fine. I know a couple of things about you,” he admitted with a sigh.
“Like what?” Layla chimed in, sipping her milkshake, her expression eager as though he was about to tell a thrilling story.
“Well,” Owen began, glancing at me, “Kevin mentioned that Kaiden brought you in for therapy, which means you must be a very important person because he doesn’t usually care much about others.”
I nodded slowly, digesting his words. “Well, I’m not that important. He just…happened to save me from death,” I responded curtly, avoiding eye contact.
“Yet you live with him,” Owen countered, his tone laced with skepticism.
“How do you know I live with him?” I asked, raising my eyebrows in suspicion.
“Kaiden lives at that residence, and you also happen to live there. Isn’t it obvious?” he replied rhetorically, a smirk tugging at his lips.
“Well, as I said, he saved my life. I’m not that important,” I insisted, my voice firm. I caught the sly smile playing on Layla’s lips as she sipped her milkshake, clearly enjoying the exchange.
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Chapter 28
7, 48%
+68
“So, you’re saying that if I were to date you, he wouldn’t mind?” Owen asked suddenly, his boldness catching both Layla and me off guard. Her eyes widened in shock, and I stared at him, dumbfounded.
“What?” I asked absently, wondering if I’d heard him wrong.
He smiled mischievously. “I said, if I were to date you, Aurora, would Kaiden mind?” he repeated, his gaze locked onto mine.
I swallowed hard, the memory of Kaiden’s intense reaction when he saw me dancing with another man flashing through my mind. But I quickly dismissed it. He doesn’t care about me like that, I reminded myself. Why would he mind?
“No,” I answered curtly, holding Owen’s gaze without flinching.
His grin widened. “Good to know. Can I get your number, then?” he asked boldly, pulling his phone from his pocket.
I stared at him for a moment before taking the phone from his hand and inputting my number. Handing it back, I said nothing.
“Thank you, Rory,” he said with a charming smile. “It was nice talking to you, but I need to head out now.” He rose from his chair and turned to Layla. “It was nice meeting you, Layla.”
“Likewise,” she replied, beaming at him.
Owen walked toward the counter, likely to pay for the milkshake even though he hadn’t touched his. Layla’s eyes followed his retreating figure, and as soon as he was out of earshot, she turned to me with a wide grin.
“He definitely likes you,” she teased, nudging me playfully.
I nodded slightly, unsure of how I felt about that realization.
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