cloud

As Alpha Demos sat on the couch, my eyes kept traveling back to him. I wasn't sure what it was but something about him felt off, something made me feel like I had to keep my distance from him.

Alpha Demos flashes me a smile before he turns his attention to Raiden, arms crossed over his chest.

"I heard that you rejected the offer," Alpha Demos says. Raiden's face reveals nothing, but it was clear to me that he was uncomfortable.

"I have," Raiden nods. "I apologize for not being able to tell you face to face."

Alpha Demos twitches slightly before shaking his head. "Nonsense," he waves Raiden off. "But I must say that I am a little disappointed with your answer. Nara will be sad as well, you two had a connection."

What were they talking about?

Raiden offers Alpha Demos one of his smiles. "I'm sure she will be. I hope that in time she finds another partner who she loves."

Was this Nara his ex?

The thought of Raiden having an ex wasn't unusual, but it still left a strange feeling within me.

Alpha Demos nods at his words. "I'm sure she will, I just hope that she'll be okay in the meantime. With all the grief and loss surrounding the pack, I figured it would be a good opportunity for Nara to escape it all. But Nara's a little shy you see, and you're the only person here she knows, so please do try to be nice to her."

Raiden's brows furrowed. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean, Alpha."

Alpha Demos' brows raised. "Neither Alpha Tatum nor your parents told you?" He cocks his head to the side. "Nara will be staying at your pack for the next month."

Raiden went silent before nodding, "I see."

Alpha Demos stands up and Raiden moves to follow. "I should be on my way now," he tells Raiden. "Nara will be arriving later this week. I do hope that you...and your friend here will help to make her feel at hope."

His eyes find mine, but the warmth that he had in his eyes was long gone. Instead, it looks as if he was analyzing me. I cross my arms over my chest uncomfortably. As if sensing this, Raiden steps in front of me, blocking Alpha Demos' view, and holds out his hand.

"I'm sure she'll feel welcome. Thank you for stopping by, alpha."

Though I can't see his face, I'm sure he wasn't pleased with Raiden blocking him.

"Of course," I hear Alpha Demos say. "It was nice to get to talk to you again, Raiden."

With that, the two of us watch as Alpha Demos leaves and once the door shuts, Raiden drops onto the couch and lets out a groan.

"I didn't think he was ever going to leave," he shakes his head. Raiden turns to me with a smile that makes it feel as if nothing had just happened. Like it was just a normal day. "I don't want to go out. Are you okay with me cooking?"

I don't reply to his question. Instead, I stare at him and raise an eyebrow. "We're not going to talk about that? We're just going to act like it didn't happen?"

Raiden frowns at my tone. His eyes search my own before he lets out a sigh. "I didn't want you to get involved in all of this," Raiden admits. "But if you want to talk about it, we can."

I stare at him for a couple of seconds longer. I wasn't sure why it bothered me as much as it did, but I wanted to know.

"Who's Nara?"

Raiden's quiet for a few seconds before he says, "Nara is Alpha Demos' daughter and the future alpha of his pack."

"And how do you know her? What was the 'offer' he was talking about?"

Raiden sighs. "Alpha Demos is looking for a possible suitor for Nara and he and my parents seem to think that Nara and I should be together."

The conversation between Raiden and his parents floods my mind. So that's why they stopped by and acted the way they did. They already had a whole life planned out for Raiden and I was ruining it.

Nodding, I start to leave the room but Raiden quickly stands and grabs my hand. Just as quickly, he drops it.

"Clo—"

"Why are they so caught up on you marrying her?" I ask. "Why not Alpha Tatum or Beta Reo? Why you?"

"Alpha Tatum technically does have a mate," Raiden explains vaguely.

"Technically?"

He sighs, "It's complicated and not my story to tell."

"What about Beta Reo?"

Raiden shrugs. "Though he's never said anything explicitly, my guess is because he's a hybrid. Alpha Demos avoids him like the plague."

"So why don't you?" I ask and Raiden looks at me confusedly. "Marry Nara I mean."

"Why would I do that?" Raiden raises his brows.

I shrug. "If you marry her, you get to be an alpha and escape your family at the same time. You don't have to worry about the future."

Raiden falls quiet at my words and moves so that he's standing in front of me. "I don't care about that, Cloud," he shakes his head. "The only thing I want is my mate. My actual mate — you and nobody else."

We stare at each other. Neither one of us say anything, but I'm not sure I could either way. My eyes trace over Raiden's face and he moves closer until there's barely any space left between the two of us. Before anything can happen, I place my hand on the center of Raiden's chest and lightly push him away before shaking my head.

"Anything's fine for breakfast," I tell him quietly. "I don't care what you make."

Without looking back up at him, I slip past Raiden and make my way to the bathroom. Once I lock the door, I take a seat on the floor and let out a groan.

Maybe I shouldn't have left my pack.