Too Late To Regret, My Alphas

Chapter 100: Jealous Mates

Zaiden:

I kept my hand fisted in Eiden’s collar while staring directly into his infuriatingly amused face. The man didn’t appear the least bit guilty about whatever had happened yesterday. If anything, the smug curve of his lips only confirmed my suspicion that something significant had taken place while I was busy drowning in pack politics.

For several long moments, neither of us spoke.

Then Eiden smirked. "Oh?" he asked innocently. "Jealous?"

"I asked you a question."

"So you did." He calmly pried my fingers from his collar before straightening his shirt as though this sort of interrogation happened every morning. "Rosalie had another heat episode yesterday."

My expression immediately hardened. "What?"

His teasing smile faded just enough for me to recognize the seriousness beneath it. "It happened during training."

I frowned. "Is she alright?"

"She’s perfectly fine now."

Only then did the tightness in my chest ease slightly.

He leaned casually against the kitchen counter before folding his arms. "It... unexpectedly gave me a chance to move our relationship forward."

I studied him carefully. Knowing Eiden, there was one question I didn’t need to ask. He hadn’t taken advantage of her. Not even for a second. If anything, he would have done the exact opposite. I trusted him with Rosalie more than I trusted anyone else in this world besides myself. Which only made my confusion greater.

"If you didn’t..." I stopped.

He understood anyway and his knowing smile returned as he shook his head. "No."

"I figured."

"You figured correctly."

Silence settled between us again.

"So," I finally said, "what exactly happened?"

Instead of answering immediately, Eiden looked at me with unmistakable amusement dancing in his blue eyes. "You know..." he began casually, "it’s interesting seeing this expression on your face."

I narrowed my eyes and asked, "What expression?"

"The same one I had a while ago." He chuckled. "Have you already forgotten your birthday?"

I remained silent.

"Oh, come on." His grin widened. "You spent the entire following day smiling to yourself."

"I did not."

"You absolutely did."

"I smiled once."

"You smiled every fifteen minutes."

I scoffed and muttered, "Exaggeration."

He laughed outright. "And don’t even get me started on that bracelet."

My gaze instinctively dropped toward my wrist where Rosalie’s handmade charm bracelet still rested exactly where she’d fastened it.

"I wasn’t bragging."

"You were."

"I merely showed it to you."

"You showed it to me six times."

"I did not."

"Seven, actually."

I opened my mouth. Then closed it. "...Perhaps three."

Eiden burst into laughter. "You kept telling me about the diner, the beach, the ice cream, the gift she bought you." He pointed dramatically at my wrist. "And every single time you looked at that bracelet, you smiled exactly like this."

I realized too late that I was, in fact, smiling.

Eiden folded his arms triumphantly. "There. Caught you."

I sighed. "You have made your point."

"No." His grin became positively wicked. "I haven’t." He stepped closer. "You spent an entire week making me jealous."

I already knew where this conversation was going.

"So now..." He shrugged lazily. "...I’m simply returning the favor. It’s your turn to sit there and wonder what happened."

I stared at him.

His blue eyes sparkled mischievously. "You can watch." He paused deliberately before continuing, "And quietly rot with jealousy while I enjoy the progress I’ve made with our mate."

I couldn’t help the short laugh that escaped me.

"Eiden."

"Hm?"

"You are enjoying this far too much."

"Absolutely."

I shook my head. Then an idea crossed my mind just as from somewhere beyond the hallway came the unmistakable sound of approaching footsteps, light and unhurried.

For some unknown reason, Rosalie had returned just minutes after leaving.

A slow smirk tugged at my lips. Eiden noticed it immediately, his eyes narrowing. "What?"

Without answering, I closed the distance between us in two quick steps and grabbed the front of his shirt again. This time far more dramatically.

He blinked. "What are you-"

The kitchen doorway filled with a familiar figure. "Ei-" Rosalie froze mid-sentence. Her beautiful brown eyes widened as they landed on the two of us.

I continued holding Eiden’s collar.

He looked thoroughly confused for exactly one second. Then realization hit him and his eyes narrowed. "You..."

Too late.

Rosalie hurried toward us almost immediately. "W-What’s going on?" She slipped neatly between us, gently pushing my hand away from Eiden’s shirt before looking up at me with obvious concern. Her brows were furrowed.

"Zaiden?"

I looked down at her. Then, with the most serious face I could manage, I sighed dramatically. "Eiden has been bragging."

She blinked. "...Bragging?"

I nodded solemnly. "He keeps telling me that you like him." From the corner of my eye, I watched Eiden’s expression transform into absolute disbelief. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

Rosalie looked between us several times. "What?"

I lowered my voice slightly. "And...apparently you don’t like me." I added with just enough sadness to sound believable.

Eiden actually made a choking sound.

Rosalie looked utterly flabbergasted. "W-What?" She turned toward me so quickly her ponytail swayed behind her. "When did I ever say that?"

"You didn’t." I sighed again and glanced toward Eiden. "But you hardly looked at me all morning."

Her cheeks immediately began turning pink.

"You spent the entire training flirting with him."

Her eyes became even wider. "I wasn’t-"

"You smiled at him. You hugged him. You laughed with him."

"I..." She opened her mouth. Then closed it. By now she looked completely overwhelmed. Her gaze helplessly shifted toward Eiden as though asking him to rescue her.

The traitor merely folded his arms and watched with obvious interest.

Rosalie looked back at me. Then down at the floor, nervously twisting her fingers. For several long seconds she remained silent. Then finally, in the softest voice imaginable, she spoke, "I like you... just as much as I like Eiden."

The confession was so quiet I almost thought I’d imagined it. She never lifted her eyes from the floor.

My wolf purred happily. Unfortunately, I wasn’t quite finished. "I don’t believe you."

Her head snapped upward. "What?"

"I don’t."

She stared at me, clearly debating something. Few seconds passed, and then to my complete surprise, she stepped closer. Then lightly resting one hand against my arm for balance, she rose onto her tiptoes. And before my stunned brain had the slightest chance of reacting, she pressed the gentlest kiss against my cheek.

Warm.

Soft.

Gone almost instantly.

The moment her feet touched the floor again, her entire face turned bright red. Without daring to look at either of us, she spun around and fled the kitchen at remarkable speed, leaving behind a stunned silence.

I remained standing exactly where I was. Still processing what had just happened. And slowly, a grin spread across my face. Only then did I turn toward Eiden.

My equally speechless best friend stared back at me.

I lifted one eyebrow. Then smiled with complete satisfaction.