Zodiac Aligned

13

We made our way through the crowd toward a side door, and then we were out of the warm press of bodies and into the brisk night air. The garden twinkled with white lights, and a sprinkling of fresh snow only added to the Christmas wonderland feel. My hand itched to reach for Kaden's, wishing we could stroll through the night like lovers, but instead we stood an awkward distance apart, like neither of us was quite sure how to act.

“I got you a present,” Kaden said, once we were alone.

My eyebrows darted up. “I didn’t get you anything."

“I don’t deserve anything."

I didn’t reply. I couldn't argue with that.

Kaden removed a small present from inside his suit jacket and handed it to me. The wrapping was plain gold with a red bow, simple and elegant, and I opened it carefully. Inside was a soft leather camera strap that had been personalized with the words little wolf between a crescent moon and the Ophiuchus symbol. My chest tightened as I held it in my hands, rubbing my thumbs along the smooth leather. I hadn’t received many gifts as a child, and getting them still made me emotional, especially when they were as perfect as this one.

"Thank you. It's lovely." I blinked back tears, trying not to show Kaden how much his gift meant to me. I was barely keeping it together, and if a single tear fell, I'd completely fall apart in front of him and become a sobbing mess. I sniffed and tried to cover up what a mess I was by saying, "But I'm not in the Ophiuchus pack anymore."

“You will be again,” he said, his voice confident.

“How can you be so certain?”

Kaden reached up to touch my face, his rough fingertips lightly stroking my cheek. “Because I know we’re meant to be together. I’ll do anything to win you back. I made the biggest mistake of my life when I removed your pack mark, one I’m not sure I should ever be forgiven for."

I found myself leaning into his touch as I gazed into his eyes. "Kaden..."

"Every time I remember that moment, I still can't believe it was me. It was like something inside of me broke, and a darkness took hold of me. It whispered terrible things in my mind, and I couldn’t shake it." His other hand came up to cup the other side of my face, as he gazed into my eyes. "But I'm working on it. I’m going to try to do better because I can’t live without you. Even if the mate bond between you and Jordan is never broken, you’re the only one I want as my alpha female.”

Somehow we'd moved closer, as if our bodies couldn't help but be drawn together, and his thumb traced my lower lip. His eyes narrowed in on my mouth like he wanted nothing more in the world than to close the gap between us and press his lips to mine. I wanted that too, so much so that I found my own hands on his chest, gripping the front of his suit to draw him toward me. The pull between us was impossible to resist. At some point, I knew I would give in.

But something he'd said made me pause. I pressed my hand against his chest, lightly pushing him back as my head began to spin. The whispers in his mind, so subtle that he hadn’t known they were there until it was too late… It sounded very familiar.

"What is it?" Kaden asked, his face flashing with vulnerability for the briefest moment as I pushed him away.

I bit my lip, not ready to share my theory yet. What if I was wrong? "I appreciate the gift, but I just... I need some time. Can you give me that?"

"Of course." He shoved his hands in his pockets, obviously disappointed, but he didn't push the matter. "I'll wait forever if I have to. Merry Christmas, Ayla."

He walked away, slipping back into the party, and I decided not to follow. I'd made my appearance, and now it was time for me to head back to my room, alone—though I had a feeling I wouldn't be able to sleep much tonight either.

Was it possible the Sun Witches had gotten into Kaden's mind too?

CHAPTER SEVEN

"This is a terrible idea," Jordan said, scowling at me.

"Probably, but we're doing it anyway." I grabbed his hand and thought of the island where I'd spent many of my summers on vacation with my family. In the blink of an eye, we left the hotel lobby and arrived on the cold shore of the Cancer pack's hideout, our shoes sinking into the sand.

Jordan's mouth twisted. "I hate when you do that."

I couldn't help but laugh at his sour face. "I thought you'd be used to it by now."

"Nope. It always makes me want to throw up." He shook off the feeling and stood a bit straighter. He wore a dark red shirt and jeans, his meager effort at being festive. "Let's get this over with."

We headed up the steps of the closest house, which was pale blue with a white wrap-around porch and an old slate-gray roof. I knocked lightly on the door as a chilling sea breeze whipped at my hair and tugged on my green dress. It was the same dress I'd worn the previous night because I figured Jordan and Wesley hadn't seen it, so why not get some more use out of it? I'd covered it up a little with a black cardigan, although now I wished I'd worn something heavier.

When Wesley opened the door, I cracked a huge smile. "Merry Christmas!"

"Ayla! I'm so happy to see you." Wesley's face lit up as he grabbed me in a hug, but then it dropped to a frown as he caught sight of Jordan beside me. "He, on the other hand, is not welcome here."

“Told you,” Jordan said.

"What were you thinking, bringing him here?" Wesley asked me while glaring at Jordan. "The whole reason we came here was so that the Leos wouldn't be able to find us. Now you brought their alpha right to my front door."