Chapter 142

Carol’s POV

A low growl escaped from Oliver’s throat, and I gasped in shock. I covered my mouth with my hands and narrowed my eyes at him.

“Oliver!” I all but shouted, in horror at what was happening. The look on Fiona’s face was as if she had just seen a ghost. I looked at Aiden who was staring at his best friend and Beta with dismay all over his face. His lips turned downward in a deep brown as he tried to assess what was going on.

Usually, Oliver was the calmer of the two. He was level-headed and something like this didn’t usually happen. But now, he was staring at Fiona like she was a piece of meat, and she was horrified. Yet, I noticed my best friend couldn’t take her eyes off Oliver either, despite how pale she looked.

“Oliver, maybe we should step outside,” Aiden finally said, trying to get him to calm down. But it was as if Oliver wasn’t fully there. His eyes wouldn’t leave Fiona’s. I knew from the flashing color of his eyes that he was trying to keep his wolf under control. I was growing even more nervous as the minutes ticked by. The last thing I wanted was for my parents to come out of their room and see what was happening. It would freak them out and they’d go running for the hills.

I grabbed Fiona’s arm, trying to get her to focus her attention on me and not on Oliver.

“Let’s go to my room and pick out something to wear for this evening,” I suggested, trying to clear the tension building between us.

She blinked a few times as if she was realizing where she was, and her eyes flickered to mine. They were wet with tears and my heart slammed into my stomach. I looked at Aiden again and now he was watching me. I wondered what was going on and something told me that he already knew.

He gave me a curt nod as if he could read my thoughts and wanted to answer my unspoken question. He jerked his head in the direction of our bedroom, indicating he wanted me to bring Fiona to our room.

I nodded and tugged on Fiona’s arm. Oliver growled as Fiona began walking with me, her steps quickening behind me as I dragged her towards the door.

I knew Aiden must have been holding Oliver back because he didn’t come after us. Once we were in the bedroom, I shut the door behind us and leaned my back against it. It didn’t matter though; I knew if Oliver wanted to get in, he would immediately. But what I didn’t understand was what was going on with him and why did it involve my best friend.

This was the first time the two of them had met, and yet when I looked at Fiona’s face, I could see that all the color had drained from it. She now looked like the shell of the person she once was. She slowly lowered herself onto my bed and stared down at her lap, thoughts clearly weighing heavily in her mind.

“Fiona…” I finally said, walking towards her slowly. “Are you okay?”

She blinked a few times and then her gaze met mine.

“I…” her voice trailed off. “I’m not sure.”

My frown deepened. I sat beside her on the bed and took her hands into mine.

“What was that about?” I asked her, trying to keep my voice as low and calm as possible. She was on edge, and I really didn’t want to startle her.

“Can I ask you a question?” She finally asked softly, breaking the silence between us.

“Anything,” I told her gently. “You know you can ask me anything, Fi.”

She cleared her throat and stared down at her hands again, tugging her fingers nervously.

“How did you know when you found your mate?”

My mouth fell open.

“Mate?!” I gasped.

Her face turned a strange shade of red and she refused to look me in the eyes.

“Yes,” she whispered weakly. “I think… I mean… I don’t know… is it possible? I’m a human and he’s…”

“A Beta,” I finished for her. “I’m a human and I’m mated to an Alpha,” I reminded her.

She snorted and shook her head.

“We both know you are far from human, Carol,” she replied. “Do they usually growl like that?”

I thought about it for a moment and then I shrugged.

“Aiden didn’t. But then again, he’s an Alpha, so maybe he has more control?” I suggested.

Her brows furrowed as she pondered that.

“How do you feel though?” I asked her, trying to figure out from her features how she was feeling and what she was thinking.

“My heart is beating like crazy, and I felt this insane pull towards him. Like I couldn’t help myself. I wanted to go towards him. But I was also confused as to why he was growling and what this feeling was….”

I nodded thoughtfully.

“I get that,” I told her, wrapping my arms around her. “He’s a great guy though. Once you get to know him. You’ll like him.”

“You said he’s a Beta?”

I nodded.

“Yeah, that’s Oliver Gladwell. Aiden’s Beta and best friend,” I told her. “Let’s get dressed and we will go out to dinner with the others. You can sit next to him and get to know him a little better.”

Her eyes widened at that thought.

“Or you can sit next to me and avoid him until you are ready,” I said, shrugging. “It’s up to you but let’s make you look hot.”

She grinned and then nodded.

“That’s sounds great,” she finally relented.

….

Aiden’s POV

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I asked as I pulled Oliver out of the penthouse and into the hallway. The last thing I needed was for Carol’s parents to see my out-of-control Beta. They would never trust me to care for Carol while she’s in this pack.

Oliver was still breathing heavily, and I knew he was having trouble keeping control of his wolf. It was ever since he laid his eyes on Fiona for the first time. I had a feeling I knew exactly why he was acting this way, but I needed to hear it from him.

“Mate…” Oliver muttered; his eyes glued on the closed door that led into the penthouse. “I need to find her and talk to her.”

“You need to give her some space for a few minutes,” I told him, grabbing his shoulder and giving it a tight squeeze. “You probably scared the shit out of her.”

As if I had just splashed a bucket of cold water on his head, he flinched and whipped around to face me, his eyes narrowed.

“You think I scared her?” He asked weakly.

I shrugged.

“Probably. You kind of acted like an ass in there,” I told him, folding my arms across my chest.

He took a deep breath and stared at the ground.

“I wasn’t trying to be an ass,” he admitted. “I was just shocked. I never thought there would be a day that I would find my mate. But here she is… standing in your penthouse and my goddess she’s gorgeous.”

I grinned; despite the situation, I was happy for my friend. He finally found a mate and it happened to be my mate’s best friend. It was certainly a strange twist of fate.

“Who was she?” Oliver finally asked, calming down a bunch.

“That’s Fiona,” I answered. “Carol’s best friend. She’s here for a few days for the mating ceremony.”

“She’s only here for a few days?” Oliver frowned. “I don’t want her to leave.”

“You’ll have to take that up with her,” I said, shrugging my shoulders. “I don’t really know her that well, but Carol loves her. They’ve been friends for a long time.”

“I have ot get to know her and convince her to stay here with me. I want to mark her and make her mine…”

I smiled and shook my head at his eagerness.

“She’s a human, Oliver. You need to go slow and let her get to know you first.”

“Take it slow?” Oliver gasped. “She’s my mate…”

“She’s also a human,” I told him again. “Let’s just start with dinner tonight and then we will see what happens.”

“I don’t think I can keep my wolf under control that long,” he admitted, his face growing red with dismay.

“You’ll have to try,” I told him. “For her sake.”

He took a deep breath and then released it. He patted him on the back.

“Let’s get back inside and wait for them,” I suggested.

He nodded in agreement and followed me into the penthouse. Carol’s parents were already out of their room and in the living room, taking a look at everything. I introduced them to Oliver and without warning Mrs. Miller was hugging Oliver.

Oliver wasn’t really sure what to do, so he awkwardly patted her on the back in response. I couldn’t help but laugh. We talked for a long while until the bedroom door finally opened and Carol walked out. She wore a gorgeous black dress, and her hair was curled and done to perfection. She wore a little makeup that highlighted her natural beauty, and her lips were plump and begging for me to kill them.

I went straight to her and wrapped her in my arms; she giggled and nuzzled her face in my neck.

She paused for a moment and looked back at the bedroom door.

“Come out here,” she ordered Fiona, who was shyly lurking by the doorway.

Fiona finally walked out; she was wearing a pretty red dress, and her blonde hair was pinned out of her face, showing off her pristine features and high cheekbones, feathered lightly with pink blush. She bit her bottom glossy lip nervously as she walked into the living room.

She was wearing a pair of red heels and as much as I hated to admit it, she had great legs for the dress and heels she wore. Oliver sucked in a sharp breath upon seeing her and stepped towards her.

She froze when he approached, and she watched him warily until he was only inches from her.

She swallowed hard as he held out a hand for her to take.

“May I be your escort for the evening, Miss Fiona?”

Her cheeks grew even redder, and she bit back a smile.

“You can just call me Fiona,” she told him. “And yes. You may.”

His smile grew as she took hold of his hand. She gave Carol one last look and a wide smile as she allowed Oliver to whisk her away for the evening.