Chapter 76: Wild Fantasy
Rosalie:
Eiden leaned casually against the kitchen island while listening.
So I continued and told him everything. About Grandma Maggie. About the three-month agreement. About the bookstore’s declining business. About the contract. About the promise of forty percent of the profits if I succeeded. Then I moved on to the ideas I had spent the entire week researching.
The more I spoke, the more excited I became.
I explained how modern bookstores survived by creating experiences instead of merely selling books. How readers loved communities. How online promotion could help. How I wanted to renovate small parts of the interior without spending too much money.
And finally, I reached the real reason I had asked for privacy.
"I need help."
Eiden remained silent, encouraging me to continue.
"As you can already tell, all these ideas can only work in the long term. But right now the bookstore needs something to Kickstart its business. For people to pay attention to it."
Now that I was finally at the point where I needed his help, I felt the anxiety kicking back in. Still, I pushed the words out somehow.
"I have a plan to do exactly that. And for that, I need your help."
Silence filled the kitchen. And I suddenly became painfully aware that I had been talking almost nonstop for several minutes.
Perhaps I had overwhelmed him.
Perhaps-
Eiden simply stared at me from across the kitchen island. Then, after a moment, he finally asked, "Then tell me. How can I help you?"
I took in a deep breath, and then... told him my plan. From the very start to the very end. All the details, all the requirements, and what he had to do - I told him everything and then watched in silence as he processed what he had just heard.
The silence that descended this time lasted longer than the ones from before. But it wasn’t the uncomfortable kind. Instead, Eiden almost seemed like he’s impressed with my plan.
The kettle began to whistle softly behind him. But neither of us moved. After several long moments, he finally pushed himself away from the counter. Then slowly walked around the kitchen island.
Toward me.
One step. Then another. Until he stopped directly in front of me. Close enough that I instinctively looked up to meet his eyes.
A smile curved his lips as he said, "I can help you."
Relief flooded through me so suddenly that I almost hugged him. Almost. Then his smile became just a little more playful.
"But..."
My heart skipped.
"There is one condition."
I blinked. "What condition?"
His blue eyes sparkled with unmistakable amusement. "What," he asked softly, "are you going to give me in return?"
I simply stared at him. For a few seconds, I honestly wondered if I had heard him correctly.
A return? He actually wanted something in return?
All the nervousness I had managed to calm over the past few minutes immediately returned.
He stood in front of me with that familiar calm smile on his face, patiently waiting for my answer as though what he had just asked was the most reasonable thing in the world.
Unfortunately, I had absolutely nothing to offer him.
The silence stretched between us until Eiden tilted his head slightly, his blue eyes never leaving mine. There wasn’t even the slightest hint of pressure in his expression, only quiet curiosity that somehow made me even more nervous than if he had demanded something outright.
"What?" he asked gently. "You weren’t planning to give me anything at all?" His tone remained light, but then he added, "Rosa, you are asking me to use a reputation I have spent years building. The trust people have in me wasn’t created overnight. It took a very long time to earn. Don’t you think it’s fair that I receive something in return?"
His words immediately made me stop and think.
At first, asking him for help had seemed so simple in my head. But now that he put it that way... he was right. Whether I intended it or not, I was asking him to stake the reputation he had spent years creating on my little project. And suddenly, my request didn’t feel small anymore.
I lowered my eyes to my hands and absentmindedly began fidgeting with my fingers.
"I..." My voice came out much quieter than before. "I don’t really have anything right now." The words felt embarrassing to admit out loud. "But..." I hurried to continue before he misunderstood. "Once I receive my first salary, I’ll definitely think of something."
I smiled weakly, though it disappeared almost immediately. "It... still probably won’t be anything expensive or grand."
The moment those words left my mouth, something inside me sank. I lowered my head further, unable to meet his eyes anymore.
The reality of my own situation came crashing back once again. I had almost nothing to my name. No savings. No valuable possessions. The house I lived in wasn’t even mine.
I had spent the past years believing my future was already decided, that I would become Luna beside Alastor, Darien and Kaiser. So instead of building a career or securing my own future, I had poured everything into supporting theirs. I had focused on graduating, learning everything a future Luna needed to know, helping wherever I could inside the packs, believing all of it would eventually become my life.
Looking back now, I felt ashamed of my own foolishness. If I had spent even half that time building something for myself instead of revolving my world around those three men, perhaps I wouldn’t be starting over from nothing. The thought filled me with guilt. Then anger. Mostly toward myself.
I was still lost in those thoughts when warm fingers gently touched my chin.
My breath caught. Slowly, my head was lifted until my eyes met Eiden’s. I hadn’t even noticed him moving. He stood so close that I could see every shade of blue hidden inside his eyes.
His hand remained beneath my chin, warm and steady, firm enough to keep my attention on him yet gentle enough that I didn’t feel trapped. He searched my face for several quiet moments before speaking.
"I’m not interested in superficial gifts."
His voice was soft, almost a whisper.
Something inside my chest tightened. He held my gaze for another heartbeat before his eyes slowly drifted downward. And my breath immediately caught in my throat.
His gaze settled on my lips.
I swallowed instinctively, while heat spread across my face before traveling all the way down my neck.
Deep inside me, my wolf stirred lazily, almost curiously. The familiar warmth of the mate bond awakened alongside her, spreading through my body like the first rays of morning sunlight. My heart, completely ignoring every sensible thought in my head, began pounding so loudly that I was certain Eiden could hear it.
My breathing grew uneven, and despite knowing I shouldn’t assume anything... every part of me suddenly anticipated the same thing.
A kiss.
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