HIDING FROM THE MATEBOND

15. Secrets

Aerion

The early morning light filtered through the large windows of my office as I sat at my desk, going over pack documents. I had skipped training, preferring to go straight to the office.

An engagement and memorial, two events I was not excited about were looming over my head.

The door creaked open, and I didn’t bother looking up to find out who it was. The scent of honey always announced her presence long before she spoke.

“Good morning,” Rose’s voice came softly as she entered, a tentative smile playing on her lips. Ever since that morning at my house, we had not seen each other.

I glanced up briefly, acknowledging her with a nod.

“Morning, Rose. You’re up early.”

She crossed the room, her soft footsteps barely audible on the wooden floor, and took a seat across from me, smoothing her dress over her knees.

“I needed to see you,” she said, her tone shifting. “I have something to talk to you about.’’

What now? Drakos groaned.

I set the papers down, not knowing where the conversation was going. With Rose, it could be anything.

“So,” she began, hesitating slightly, “where’s Arya? I didn’t see her as I was coming in.”

I leaned back in my chair. “She’s out on an assignment. She’ll be back soon enough.”

Rose nodded, but her brow furrowed as if she wasn’t entirely satisfied with the answer. “You trust her?”

It wasn’t exactly a question I wanted to entertain this morning, but I sighed, meeting her gaze. “I trust her to get her work done.”

Rose gave a faint smile at my response before her expression turned more serious. “About the memorial… Luna Amber told me about it..” she trailed off, glancing down at her hands. “Why is it even happening? After all this time, why now?”

I didn’t say anything for a moment, watching her. “Marcus requested it. He thought it was… appropriate, given everything that happened.”

She frowned. “Marcus… of course.” There was a pause as she chewed on her bottom lip, something clearly bothering her.

“Do you think he blames me?” Her voice was quiet, almost vulnerable. “For Calista’s death, I mean. I’ve always felt like, in some way, he holds me responsible.”

I didn’t answer right away. It was a loaded question.

“If Marcus blames anyone, Rose, then we’re all to blame. Each of us played a part in our own way.” My words were careful, but truthful. I wasn’t going to sugarcoat it for her to make her feel better about herself.

Rose’s eyes held mine, “I feel like you’re punishing me too, Aerion,” she said quietly.

“With this… with us. I know it’s not ideal. I’m not blind. But you could at least try.”

Her words hit a nerve. I felt my jaw clench, but I forced myself to stay calm.

Try.

She wanted me to try. I was already trying, trying to keep this charade going.

She had talked her parents and the Luna into making this arrangement. When Marcus was no longer an option, she had moved to me. I was the replacement, and now I needed to try?

I stood up abruptly, moving toward the window, my back to her.

Drakos stirred restlessly inside me.

End this already.

I could feel his impatience.

“I’m not punishing you, Rose,” I said, my tone sharper than I intended, but I didn’t turn to face her. “I’m doing what’s expected.”

I had people who I needed to get off my back, and she was useful for that.

She didn’t speak for a moment, and the silence in the room felt suffocating.

“Expected,” she repeated, her voice sad.

“Is that all I am to you? An obligation?”

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. I could feel my frustration rising.

“What do you want me to say?” I snapped, turning around to face her. “That this is some love story? It’s not. You know that. We both do.”

Her face crumpled slightly, the hurt in her eyes clear, but I didn’t stop.

“ This… whatever we’re doing… it’s never going to be what you want. You know what it is, you just refuse to accept it.”

Her lip trembled as she quickly wiped her eyes.

“I just thought that maybe… maybe if you gave it a chance, we could—”

“There’s no ‘we,’ Rose!” I cut her off, harsher than I meant to be. “I’m sorry, but there isn’t and will never be.”

The room went quiet.

“I don’t know what else to tell you,” I finally said.

“I have been honest with you all this time. I can’t give you what you’re looking for.”

My words were enough to make her tears finally spill over.

“You haven't found your mate, yet you refuse me or any other omega in the pack. Is it the secretary?” she asked, the question hanging in the air between us.

I didn’t answer. I wasn’t going to. The conversation was heading somewhere very dangerous for both of us.

“ Away from our relationship. And what about you?” she asked quietly. “How did it feel when you found Calista's body?”

I wasn’t expecting the question, especially with what we had been discussing previously.

“It was a relief.”

Her breath hitched, and I could see the confusion and shock in her expression. But I didn’t explain right away, letting my words hang in the air between us.

“Relief?” she echoed. “How could you say that?”

I let out a slow breath. “It was a relief because it meant it was over for her. Whatever suffering and stress she was going through… it was gone.”

Rose’s eyes shinned with unshed tears, but she didn’t break down. Instead, she nodded, though I could tell she didn’t fully understand.

“And you?” she asked, her voice trembling. “How do you live with that?”

I gave her a long, hard look. The truth was, I really hoped wherever Calista was, she was safe and happy.

I had carried the lie with me for years. It wasn’t Calista’s body I had found that day—it was a rogue. A random, unfortunate soul I had used to end everything. The Luna had decided she was not resting until Calista was found.

Everyone was exhausted. It had to stop. And it did.

Rose didn’t know that. No one did.

Her eyes still searched mine for answers.

“You know, Aerion,” she began, her voice soft, “sometimes I think none of this ever made sense. Calista… she was too strong to go out the way she did.”

I didn’t respond. Instead, I watched as she stood.

She gave me a final look like she wanted to say something before turning on her heel and leaving the office. .

I leaned back in my chair, rubbing my temples. Calista’s death was a problem I thought I had buried years ago. Marcus’s request for the memorial had unearthed it all.

Before I could even get a break, my phone buzzed on the desk. The screen lit up with a name I had grown to dread—Dr. Nickson from the pack hospital. My stomach twisted as I picked it up, already knowing what this call was about.

“Alpha” the doctor’s voice greeted me, his tone laced with something that told me this wasn’t good news.

“We have another case.”

There was truly no rest for me.

I closed my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Who this time?” I asked, though part of me didn’t want to know.

“An omega. Young. Same symptoms as the others. We’re running tests, but it’s the same pattern.”

A sigh escaped my lips.

GreyHound was leading the packs in deaths. No other territory had numbers like ours. And worse? I didn’t have answers. No solutions. The virus was eating away at the pack.

“How long do they have?” I asked.

“Not long,” Dr. Nickson replied. “I would say a few days, maybe a week at most, if they are lucky.”

We were about to lose another pack member and all I could do was sit here in my office.

“We will do what we can,” the doctor added, though we both knew his words were just a formality.

“Yeah,” I replied, “thanks for letting me know.”

I hung up, tossing the phone back onto the desk.

It was only a matter of time before the Council summoned me. They would demand answers, and I had none. I had been keeping this pack together by a thread, and it was only a matter of time before everything fell apart.

The virus. The memorial. The growing pressure from the Council. It was all circling me like a pack of wolves waiting for the perfect moment to strike.