Chapter 82: What Home Supposed To Feel Like
Rosalie:
He didn’t crowd me or touch me unnecessarily. Instead, he simply reached past my shoulder, his arm briefly surrounding me as he effortlessly placed the container exactly where it belonged.
I became acutely aware of his warmth behind me, of the clean herbal scent clinging to his shirt, and of how naturally careful he remained not to press against me despite the limited space.
"There," he said softly before immediately stepping back again, giving me room to breathe.
I turned toward him with a quiet thank you that somehow came out much softer than intended. His smile in response made my heartbeat misbehave all over again.
When the last grocery bag had finally been emptied, I instinctively reached for my handbag.
"I should head home before it gets too late," I said, glancing toward the window where dusk had almost completely settled over the forest.
Eiden looked outside as well before shaking his head. "Stay for dinner." He spoke so naturally that it almost sounded like the most obvious thing in the world. "You have already helped put everything away. The least I can do is feed you before taking you home."
I opened my mouth to refuse out of habit, but he raised one eyebrow ever so slightly.
"Besides," he added with the faintest smile, "someone has to make sure you eat properly after those morning training sessions."
I laughed despite myself, my refusal disappearing before it could even form. "Alright," I admitted. "But only if I can help."
"Deal," he replied immediately before washing his hands and beginning to gather ingredients from the groceries we had just unpacked.
I had barely tied one of his spare aprons around my waist and started rinsing vegetables when the quiet evening inside the house was interrupted by the unmistakable sound of the front door opening.
I looked at Eiden but he showed no reaction. But as heavy and measured footsteps echoed through the entrance, I instinctively looked toward the hallway.
A moment later, Zaiden appeared in the kitchen doorway, still dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit despite the long workday, his gray eyes immediately finding mine.
For a brief second, genuine surprise stole every coherent thought from my mind.
I... hadn’t known he was coming too.
For several long seconds, none of us spoke.
My gaze remained fixed on Zaiden while his rested quietly on me, and somehow that brief silence felt far louder than words ever could. There wasn’t even the slightest trace of surprise on his face at finding me standing in Eiden’s kitchen wearing one of Eiden’s aprons. Instead, his expression remained as composed and unreadable as always, though I didn’t miss the almost imperceptible softness that flickered through his gray eyes before disappearing again.
The mate bond stirred gently inside me the moment our gazes met, warm and familiar now after spending so much time around both men. It no longer frightened me the way it once had, but it certainly didn’t make controlling my heartbeat any easier.
I suddenly became painfully aware of my appearance - my sleeves rolled up to my elbows, a few loose strands of hair escaping my ponytail after carrying grocery bags, and an apron that was obviously far too large for me. I had never imagined the intimidating Rogue Alpha would find me looking like... this.
Eiden, however, behaved as though Zaiden’s arrival had been expected all along.
"You are later than expected," he commented while calmly returning his attention to the vegetables he had been slicing.
Zaiden loosened the knot of his dark tie before setting a leather folder onto the kitchen counter. "A council meeting ran longer than expected," he answered simply. "Three border disputes. One trade agreement. Two elders who apparently forgot how to listen."
Eiden gave a quiet hum that sounded suspiciously amused. "So... a normal meeting."
A tiny snort escaped me before I could stop it.
Both men looked toward me.
Heat immediately rushed into my cheeks.
"I... I’m sorry."
Eiden smiled outright, while Zaiden’s lips curved upward so slightly that I almost wondered if I had imagined it.
Almost.
"I wasn’t laughing at you," I hurried to explain, growing even more embarrassed. "It’s just..." I struggled to find the right words. "...I never thought meetings between Alphas sounded exactly like meetings everywhere else."
"They don’t," Zaiden replied in his usual calm voice.
I blinked.
"They are worse."
This time I laughed properly. The sound escaped me so naturally that I didn’t even think about it first. The moment it did, I noticed both men watching me with matching expressions of quiet satisfaction, and only then did I realize something that made my smile gradually soften.
For the first time in what felt like forever, I was laughing without forcing myself to. Without pretending. Without worrying about saying the wrong thing.
Just... laughing.
The realization settled warmly inside my chest, almost as warmly as the homey kitchen around us, where dinner simmered on the stove, groceries had been neatly put away, and the two men standing nearby somehow made this unfamiliar house feel a little more like home every time I visited.
The comfortable silence that followed wasn’t awkward in the slightest. Eiden returned to stirring the soup while Zaiden calmly removed his suit jacket and draped it over the back of one of the dining chairs before rolling up the sleeves of his crisp white shirt.
The simple action somehow startled me. For some reason, I had always imagined the Rogue Alpha returning home and immediately disappearing into his office to continue working. Instead, here he was, loosening his cuffs and walking straight toward the sink to wash his hands as naturally as though he had done this hundreds of times before.
When he turned toward the kitchen counter afterward, he didn’t ask what was for dinner or wait to be served. He simply picked up the knife lying beside the cutting board and looked at Eiden.
"What still needs to be done?" he asked.
"Slice the mushrooms," Eiden answered without even glancing up from the pot.
Zaiden nodded once and immediately began working with practiced movements.
I stood there watching the two of them for a long moment before realizing they seemed to have settled into an effortless routine. Neither gave unnecessary instructions. Neither got in the other’s way. One prepared the soup while the other handled the vegetables, occasionally exchanging only a word or two whenever something was needed.
It felt... peaceful. Domestic, even. A strange warmth spread through my chest as I watched them, and before I could stop myself, a tiny thought quietly surfaced in my mind.
I wondered... if this was what home was supposed to feel like.
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