Page 58 of Awakened
But none of that mattered. It had been Aiden’s job to defend our relationship, and he hadn’t. There was no use hurting over the past. What was done was done, and seemingly for the best, if everyone’s smiling faces were anything to go by.
I pulled away and tried to soften my awkward smile. “Thank you for inviting me to lunch.”
He graciously let me go and moved on to chat with some older pack members.
As I walked around him to go to my seat, Aiden and Whitney crossed my path. My gaze fell to their joined hands, and I braced myself for pain, only it never came. There was a dull ache in my chest, but that was it.
Huh. That’s good.
“Thank you so much for coming and helping with Seth.” Aiden dropped Whitney’s hand and caught me in a tight hug.
The fuck.
Whitney and I made eye contact over his shoulder, and her happy mask briefly slipped. She caught herself and gave me a shaky smile, but it was too late. I’d seen the crack in her armor.
I lightly patted Aiden’s back, pushing him away. “Don’t thank me yet, Aid. We still have to drag him back. You can thank me then.”
Aiden chuckled and let me go.
“Les, I don’t believe you’ve formally met my mate, Whitney.”
Gee, I wonder why, asshole.
Aiden turned to Whitney with a huge smile. “Whitney, this is Les.”
I looked at the woman who had unknowingly ruined my life. Whitney brushed a loose lock of strawberry blond hair from her cheek and stuck her hand out. Her soft brown eyes were full of uncertainty. It was clear she was just as uncomfortable as me, but at least I had the benefit of deciding how this would all go down. The people around us had gone quiet as they not-so-subtly watched their alpha’s ex meet the new luna.
Oh, fuck it.
I grabbed her hand and pulled her into a hug. She tensed but eventually relaxed, wrapping her free arm around my back.
Stepping away, I said, “It’s nice to meet you. I’ve heard greatthings from my brother and Emily.” That wasn’t true. They never mentioned her, but I figured it was time to be a big girl.
“Same. I’ve been eager to meet you properly. You’re kind of a legend around here.”
I let out a surprised laugh. “Don’t believe everything you hear.”
Her face flushed, and she glanced at Aiden, who watched on with pride shining in his eyes. “If even a fraction of what I’ve heard is true, you’re definitely someone I want to get to know.”
Oh, this girl is good.
Everything about her felt genuine, taking some of the edge off of being back with the Blue Moon Pack.
I nodded toward the table where people were taking their seats. “We better go sit down before my ego gets any bigger.”
Whitney smiled and walked toward the tables. Aiden hung back, and I could tell he wanted to say more, but I had no interest in him ruining the peace his mate and I had just created.
Leaning into him, I said in a hushed tone, “Don’t. I don’t know what you want to say, but I don’t want to hear it. For Brandon, I’m going to make it through this lunch with everyone giving me pity eyes. Then, for you, I’ll go convince a man who wants nothing to do with me to come back for the wedding. After all that? I’m going to go home and hopefully get laid.”
Not allowing a response, I left him to let what I’d said soak in. As I neared Grandma Rose, she turned in her seat and smiled. Her black hair was piled on top of her head, the sparse silver strands shining in the early afternoon light. That touch of gray and the few lines surrounding her big black eyes were the only signs of aging on the beautiful woman. I once asked Grandma Rose how old she was. Her only response was a wink and a laugh. That pretty much summed her up—a wink and a laugh.
She patted the chair beside her, and I sat, her signature Chanel No. 5 scent swirling around me, putting me at ease.
“My darling Celeste. How’s my favorite girl?” She grabbed my hands and squeezed, her rings digging into myfingers. The familiar pinch smashed right through the front I’d put up to make it through the day. Tears stung my eyes, and I struggled to swallow the lump forming in my throat. I knew I had missed the woman, but nothing could have prepared me for how vulnerable I felt just sitting next to her.
“I’m fine, Grandma.” I tried to look away from her penetrating gaze, but her hold was too strong.
“Are you ready to bring our boy back?”
