I needed some time alone,which Kaden gave me without any questions, which I appreciated. If it was my old friend and roommate, Jake, I knew he would’ve pestered me until I spilled the beans. He was always good at knowing when something was wrong. Kaden knew too, obviously, but he recognized that I needed space.
I sighed and stared up at the ceiling with my hands clasped over my stomach. Even after the shower at Rafael’s and the shower I took when I got home, I still didn’t feel properly clean. I somewhat regretted what I did last night, but it was too late to take it back now.
And honestly? If it got me what I wanted, then I wouldn’t regret it at all.
My mind roamed back to Rafael, and how kind he’d been to me. Now that it was all over, the gravity of the situation hit me. I really had passed out in the middle of the street, alone at night.
“Stupid,” I muttered to myself.
Never in a million years did I think I’d do something that ridiculous. If it was one of my friends in that situation, I would have gone mental. I felt like I was looking at the scene from the outside now, and I felt ashamed of myself. How could I have done something so dumb? What if Rafael hadn’t found me?
Or worse, what if someotheralpha without good intentions found me?
Not wanting to think about that, I shuddered and rolled over.
I thanked my luck profusely, but I wondered anyway: if I wasn’t friends with Jake and his mate Griffin, and didn’t know Rafael by association, would he still have stopped? Or would he have driven on by, thinking I was some loser?
I still thought it was too good to be true that he just happened to be taking a late night drive. Almost like it was fate that brought us together, or something stupid like that.
I snorted a laugh. Now that was funny.
Fate didn’t have anything in store for me. It had made that fact abundantly clear by now. After watching Jake and Felix both find their mates, I had pretty much given up on getting my own happily-ever-after. I wished and prayed I would, but it wasn’t going to happen, so why should I get my hopes up?
I sighed deeply into my pillow. Somehow it didn’t feel as soft as Rafael’s.
My chest tightened at the thought of it. Normally the thought of sleeping in someone else’s bed--hell, practically in the bed of a stranger--squicked me out, but I’d fallen asleep in Rafael’s bed like it was my own. It was comfortable and soft, with plenty of room to splay my limbs, and it smelled like--
I sharply veered my mind off that train of thought. Hell no. I wasnotgonna sit here and think about Rafael’s scent and how much I liked it.
...Which was exactly what I was doing.
Damnit.
I sat up in bed and gently slapped my cheeks. “Cut it out, Sky. Donotget alpha fever.”
You’re right, Skylar,my mind seemed to reply.After last night, alpha fever is the last thing you want.
“Shut up, other Skylar.”
Kaden’s voice came from the other side of the door. “Are you talking to yourself?”
“Maybe,” I called back. “Are you spying on me?”
He chuckled and opened up to peek his head in. “No. I was about to run out to the store and grab a snack, and was gonna ask if you wanted anything.”
I bit my lip. Memories of my intense craving for a family sized bag of chips came floating back to me.
“I do,” I admitted. “Can you grab me one of those big bags of salt and vinegar chips?”
Kaden’s lip quirked. “Do you intend on sharing or is it just for Skylar?”
I pouted. “Just for Skylar. But I guess I can give you a couple bites.”
Kaden raised his brows sympathetically. “The more you act like a sad puppy, the more I’m gonna assume something bad happened last night, even though you obviously don’t want to tell me what it is. Which is fine, by the way.” He paused, his smile fading. “Just know that I’m here for you, okay?”
I smiled and nodded. “I know. Thanks. But I really do just wanna stuff a whole bag of chips in my mouth right now.”
“I get you.”
