Chapter 91: Unexpected Visitor
Rosalie:
For several long seconds, I simply stood there, staring at the man who had somehow managed to appear inside my bookstore without my noticing him until the last possible moment.
My mind completely blanked as I stared at him.
In the five weeks I had spent in Shadow Creek, not once I had seen him in the town. He had never visited me here before, not at my house nor here at the bookstore. But right now, he stood right in front of me. And at a time when anyone from the town could have walked past the enormous glass wall and recognized the Rogue Alpha standing inside my tiny bookstore.
The realization struck me like lightning.
Without thinking any further, my body moved on instinct.
I hurried past him toward the entrance before he could even say a word. The little brass bell chimed softly as I reached for the lock, quickly turning it until I heard the reassuring click. Then I pulled down the wide shutters covering the floor-to-ceiling glass windows one after another.
The pworld outside disappeared behind metal panels, sealing us away from curious eyes. Only after making absolutely certain that no one outside could possibly see inside did I walk toward the row of switches and turn off most of the lights. Darkness briefly settled over the bookstore before the two remaining warm ceiling lamps filled the space with a soft golden glow.
It wasn’t bright anymore. Instead, the bookstore looked peaceful, intimate almost, with rows of books disappearing into gentle shadows while the reception area remained bathed in comforting amber light.
Only then did I finally let out the breath I had unknowingly been holding. Or... at least I tried to.
The sigh became lodged somewhere in my throat as I slowly turned around and my gaze landed on the man.
Zaiden hadn’t moved from where he had been standing. His gray eyes quietly watched me, with one eyebrow slightly raised. The corner of his mouth almost looked as though it wanted to curve upward.
Moon Goddess...
He had watched me do all of that.
Heat immediately flooded my cheeks. I had been so focused on hiding him from everyone outside that I had completely forgotten he was standing right there, witnessing my little panic in its entirety.
For a brief, embarrassing moment, I genuinely considered pretending none of it had happened. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much point. He had clearly seen everything.
Trying my best to compose myself, I straightened my shoulders and folded my hands together in front of me, hoping they would stop fidgeting.
"Alpha..." I began politely, my voice came out much quieter than intended. "Why are you here?"
The bookstore fell silent again.
He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he took one slow step toward me. Just one. Nothing more. Yet somehow that single step erased half the distance separating us.
My entire body immediately stiffened. And the mate bond, which had been peacefully resting ever since I’d left training that morning, suddenly flared warmly inside my chest.
It wasn’t painful. It wasn’t overwhelming. It was simply... alive. And my wolf - my newly awakened wolf - became even more excited than I did. I could feel her stirring restlessly beneath my skin, almost humming with unmistakable happiness at his nearness.
The emotion she sent through our bond was so simple. Yet so powerful.
Zaiden’s expression remained as calm and unreadable as ever. "If I remember correctly," he said softly, his deep voice seeming even quieter inside the warmly lit bookstore, "I’m allowed to visit my mate."
Mate.
There it was again.
The single word echoed inside my head far louder than it should have.
Mate.
Not Rosalie. Not Miss Hale like he usually used to address me. Not his responsibility. But his mate.
No matter how many times either he or Eiden used that word, my heart never seemed prepared for it. Something inside my chest tightened warmly. It wasn’t merely the mate bond reacting anymore. It was... me. I liked hearing it, far more than I probably should.
For several seconds, I simply stared at him. Completely forgetting that he was still waiting for an answer. Realizing my silence had stretched on far too long, I hurriedly nodded.
"You..." I swallowed softly before finding my voice again. "...you can." The words emerged little more than a whisper. "You can come to see me."
His gaze softened so subtly that someone else might have missed it. But I didn’t.
Silence settled between us once more. It wasn’t uncomfortable or awkward. Simply... quiet.
Outside, I could faintly hear distant traffic continuing along Shadow Creek’s main street. Inside, only the quiet ticking of the antique clock behind the reception desk disturbed the stillness.
Zaiden finally released a slow breath.
"I’m sorry," he said unexpectedly.
I blinked.
He looked at me steadily as he spoke, "I appeared without warning." His voice remained calm. "If I caused you any inconvenience..."
Before he could finish, I was already shaking my head. "No-"
But he continued speaking before I could interrupt.
"It’s my birthday."
The confession was so unexpected that my thoughts stopped altogether.
He lowered his gaze briefly before looking back at me. "I..." For the first time since I’d met him, there was the faintest trace of hesitation in his usually unwavering voice. "...just wanted to have dinner with you."
My heart gave one powerful thud. Birthday? Today was his birthday? Before I could process that realization, he quietly shook his head once.
"I shouldn’t have come." His voice returned to its usual composed tone. "I’m sorry. I’ll leave."
He turned.
Everything happened far too quickly. One moment he was standing before me. The next he was already walking toward the entrance.
He was leaving.
And while my brain hadn’t caught up yet. But my heart had. Before I even realized what I was doing, my feet carried me forward.mI reached out instinctively and my fingers wrapped gently around his forearm, stopping him.
* * *
Author’s Note:
Please check out my new Reverse Harem novel - "Moonveil Academy: Trapped With The Five Kings" and add it to your library if you enjoy it.
Thank you!
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