Chapter 171

Carol’s POV

“Ouch!” I exclaimed.

“Sorry, but it would be helpful if you stopped moving,” Fiona huffed as she stuck another needle in the jeans, she forced me into. Don’t get me wrong, I was glad to be helping my best friend, but seriously, she needed to stop poking me with that damn thing.

When I first put the jeans on, they were a little loose because they weren’t made for my body type, so she had to adjust them so they would fit properly. If I was going to be her model so she could showcase her designs, then the clothing would have to fit me perfectly. I had been standing in the middle of the living room for the last 2 hours and this was the second outfit she’s had to adjust.

It was a cute outfit though; I would have to give her that. It was a cute white blouse with a deep V-neck and showed off my cleavage but in a tasteful way. This was something I would wear for a business meeting. She also designed these really cute light blue jeans that were meant to fit tightly on one’s body and show off every curve. However, these jeans were a bit loose on me, so she’s been stressing over resizing it.

“If you stopped poking me, I’d stop moving,” I retorted, resulting in her rolling her eyes.

She had sweat on her upper brow, and she looked stressed out. I knew now was not the time to poke the bear. She was supposed to showcase these designs to the top stylist in a couple of days and I knew she was nervous.

“Fiona, stop for a minute,” I said, trying to make my voice as calm as possible. She wouldn’t stop though; she continued to work, and I could see her fingers trembling. With a needle in her hands, her trembling made me extremely nervous.

This time, I allowed my powers, the same ones I used for the hockey team, to wash over my friend until her body visibly relaxed.

“Fiona… look at me,” I ordered, my voice still calm. Slowly, her gaze shifted upward and despite her calm demeanor, I could still see the worry in her eyes. “It’s going to be okay. You are the best designer I know. They would be stupid not to sign you. Don’t worry too much.”

“This has been my dream for so long, Carol. I feel like things are finally coming together and I’m afraid that the rug will get pulled out from beneath me.”

I sighed and cupped her face with my hands, keeping her gaze on me.

“I know it’s scary. This is a big change. I get it completely. But you are not alone here. You have me by your side, and you have Oliver. He would never let the rug get pulled out from under you. This job is already yours, now you just have to prove yourself. Show them that you got this job because of your badass skills and not because you are mated to one of their bosses.”

A smile tipped the corner of her lips as she thought of her mate. Since she returned to the Capital and decided to give Oliver a chance, they have been inseparable. It’s only been a week, but things are really looking great for them. Oliver has started to open up more to Fiona and keeps her in the loop. He doesn’t leave his penthouse without Fiona knowing about it first and they spend most of their nights talking before and after they make love. I had never seen her this happy before and when she talks about him, her eyes light up.

“Do you really think I have the talent?” She asked and I saw a flash of vulnerability in her eyes.

“No,” I said gently; her eyes widened and just as she was about to say something, I smiled. “I know you have the talent.”

She looked startled for a moment, but then she smiled.

“Thanks, Carol,” she whispered. “I knew I could count on you.” Her face grew serious as she added, “Now stay still.”

I couldn’t help but laugh, but I did as she said. By the time she finished sizing the jeans, I gasped when I saw how incredible they looked in the mirror.

“Success,” I beamed as I looked at her. “Great job, Fi!”

She beamed in return and folded her arms across her chest while she admired her work.

“I did do pretty good, huh?” She chuckled.

“Good? You did great!” I praised and then I wrapped my arms around her so I could hug her close.

As I took off this outfit and put on my normal clothes, I thought about what happened last night at the bar. I hadn’t really sat down and thought about it until now. I still hadn’t told Aiden what had happened, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to. Keeping something like this from him wasn’t what I wanted to do and if he found out from someone else, he would never forgive me. We just got married and things were so good between us; I didn’t want to hurt him.

But I also didn’t want him to kill Allen as soon as he found out; Allen was just a drunk mess, and I doubted he even remembered what had happened. I needed to talk to him about it at work tomorrow and I wasn’t looking forward to that conversation. I also wondered when Aiden would realize I still had my emotions and thoughts blocked from him. He probably already noticed and hadn’t mentioned it.

I bit my lip, just as Aiden walked into the room.

“Hey,” he said with a smile.

I smiled back at him.

“Hey yourself,” I replied. “I wasn’t expecting you back so early.”

“I wanted to see my wife,” he said, wrapping me in his arms and pressing a kiss to my lips. I happily granted him access to my mouth and kissed him back; the kiss turning heated and passionate. As nibbled on my bottom lip, I gasped against his mouth, giving him the perfect opportunity to stick his tongue in my mouth.

Aiden’s kisses were the only kisses I ever wanted, and I felt sick to my stomach knowing another man had his lips against mine and his tongue in my mouth. If Aiden knew the truth, he would be furious and there would be no holding his wolf back. For right now, the kiss had to remain a secret. At least until I knew how Aiden would react… maybe I could sneak Allen out of town or something.

Aiden stopped the kiss, leaving me feeling breathless and flustered.

He was frowning at me, and I felt my cheeks flushing. Had I let my guard down and he read my thoughts? There was a moment of panic that nearly consumed me until he spoke.

“Why are you blocking me out?” He asked, he sounded hurt, and my heart tugged.

I wasn’t sure how to answer that question.

“It’s just a little weird having you in my head all the time,” I told him, which was a complete lie I loved having him in my head. I loved the closeness I felt from it and how attached we were. But I couldn’t tell him the truth; not yet at least.

“I miss feeling that connection with you,” he admitted. “I’m sorry if I did something that—”

“No!” I said quickly, not wanting him to blame himself. “It has nothing to do with you. It’s me. It’s my human mentality. I’m not used to having another person in my head all the time and reading my every thought. Feeling my every emotion. I’m sorry if it upsets you but I guess I just need a little bit of time.”

He looked sad at my words, and it broke my heart into little pieces, but then a small smile tipped the corner of his lips as he bent down and pressed his lips against mine, giving me a simple and sweet kiss.

“I love you, Carol,” he whispered against my mouth. “I’ll always love you.”

I smiled and peeked up at him.

“I love you, Aiden,” I told him, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling myself closer to him. “You are my best friend, my mate, my husband… my everything.”

He smiled, looking relieved as he kissed me again, this time deeper and his tongue swirled around my mouth with my tongue, tasting every inch of me.

I pulled back and looked into his eyes.

“Did you really come back early just to see me?” I asked him, almost challenging. He looked guilty for a moment before clearing his throat.

“Yes, but not just for the kisses,” he admitted.

I dropped my arms from around his neck and frowned at his serious expression.

“What’s wrong?” I asked him, not sure I wanted to know the answer.

“Your biological father, King Bennet, he’s coming back and should be here tomorrow,” he told me. My frown deepened.

“Why?” I asked him.

“Because it’s time that we move forward with the execution. He’s bringing Oliver’s father here and Oliver is going to have to face this thing once and for all. I was hoping you’d be there and help keep the piece with your powers.”