cloud

"We don't need you here, Mars," Maia says.

Mars' grin grows and he leans further into the couch. "As I said, Rai asked me to come here so I'll stay until he gets back."

His words are calm, but it's clear by the way Maia stares at him that there's more to be said. Her eyes cloud over and his do the same, indicating that the two are talking through the link. Annoyance washes over me, knowing that I can't understand what they're saying.

Even before I was taken, I had never experienced what the mind link was like. It was something that I had desperately wanted to try as a child after seeing Gray use it multiple times, but when I lost my wolf that dream died also.

There was a lot that I wasn't able to experience like normal wolves when I came back. Gray tried to make up for the lost time when I first came and he would take me to all these different places, but we both quickly realized that there was a lot I wouldn't be able to do around the pack that most wolves my age would. He did still try to accommodate me, but after a while, I was tired of being reminded that I was a broken wolf.

Shaking my head, I push the memories away and glance around the room. Mars remained in his seat, but Maia was no longer there. My brows furrow and I begin to ask where she had disappeared to, but the sound of the bathroom door closing answers my question.

As if on cue, Mars' laidback smile drops and he sits up straight before turning to me. No words leave his mouth as he eyes me up and down and I find myself unintentionally tensing under his gaze.

"What?" I ask him with slightly narrowed eyes.

"Do you like Raiden?" He asks.

"What?" I reply, the question catching me off guard.

Mars continues to stare at me. His eyes meet mine and they're completely serious. His brow raises and he rests his hands on his knees.

"Do you like Raiden?" He repeats.

Why was he asking me this?

"That's none of your business," I tell him with a scowl.

Still, my mind involuntarily drifts off to the man who claims to be my mate and I can feel my face heating up.

Mars shrugs at me. "You're right, it's not any of my business, but I've been seeing Raiden struggle because of you. He wants to learn more about you and get closer to you but only manages to get yelled at in the process. Yet he doesn't want to say anything because he doesn't want to scare you off."

I frown at his words.

"Raiden tends to bottle things up and hide behind a smile, which I'm sure you know by now. Do you really think snapping at him every time he asks a question you don't like is doing either of you any favors?"

I open my mouth to reply to his statement, but no words come out.

Mars lets out a sigh. "Look, even if you haven't come to terms with it yourself. I can tell that some part of you likes Raiden," his eyes meet mine again. "So stop fucking around with his feelings. I don't know where you've come from in the past, but are you going to let that get in your way and push away someone who already loves you more than you know?"

I don't get the chance to say anything else before Maia returns to the room. I am sure she heard at least some of our conversation, but I can't be bothered to care. My mind keeps replaying Mars' words over and over.

I'm not stupid. I know Raiden cares for me, but some part of me felt like letting him in would be a huge mistake.

A memory of the way he smiled at me when we first met flashes through my mind and I can't help but remember just how excited he was when he first saw me.

I know how Raiden feels about me, but how do I feel about him?

My mind goes back to the conversation we had about his parents and the one we had about Nara and Demos. I frown forms and a sigh escapes past my lips.

"I don't care about that, Cloud, the only thing I want is my mate. My actual mate — you and nobody else."

My eyes meet Mars' once again and he shoots me a grin before I turn away. Mars laughs to himself before standing up and stretching.

"Rai should be back soon, so I'm going to head out," he says. Even though he doesn't say anything, the look on his face tells me what he wants to say.

Think about what I said.

With that, Mars exits the house leaving Maia and me to sit in silence. My mind begins to drift back to Raiden when I hear her begin to speak.

"Though we may have our...differences, Raiden's a good guy," Maia says quietly. "He likes you a lot, so don't do something you'll regret."

Just as she finishes talking, the door begins to open revealing the man in question. Maia stands up and brushes past Raiden out the door, his eyes follow her before he shakes his head and turns close it. Once he turns back around, our eyes meet. Neither one of us say anything at first and he flashes me a smile.

"Hey, Cloud."

The conversation I just had with Maia and Mars leaves my mind and instead, my eyebrows raise as I stare at Raiden.

"Where were you?" I ask Raiden. "All day I've been trying to figure out where you've been, but nobody's told me anything."

Raiden sighs at my words. "Alpha Tatum needed my help today."

"You couldn't have told me that? Or had someone else tell me? Everyone else has known where you've been all day except for me," I tell him with a frown.

Raiden's eyes soften at my words. "I'm sorry."

I stare at him before sighing. "It's fine, just tell me next time," I tell him and Raiden quickly nods.

"Are you okay, though?" Raiden asks me.

My brows furrow. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Raiden doesn't say anything. Instead, his eyes drift towards the door, telling me everything I needed to know.

He was worried about if I was going to be okay with Maia.

"I'm fine," I tell him honestly.

Raiden nods, seemingly relieved by my words. His signature smile makes its way to his face and he turns to me.

"Have you eaten yet? I can make something if not?"

When I shake my head, Raiden disappears into the kitchen per usual. When I first came, he said that he didn't cook a lot, but now that I've been here for a while, it's clear that Raiden enjoys cooking for others. Each day he seems to be getting better at it also.

I turn on the T.V. but I don't bother paying attention to it. Instead, my attention is focused on Raiden. Mars' words run through my mind once again.

Do I like Raiden?

Before today, I had never thought about it that much, but now it was the only thing on my mind.

Once Raiden was finished, he hands me a plate and sits on the couch beside me. The two of us eat in silence, but I can't help but continue to steal glances at him sneakily.

Clearly not as sneakily as I thought, because, after a few minutes, Raiden turns to me with worry written on his face.

"Are you okay?"

I open my mouth to reply but quickly close it. Raiden begins to reach out for me, but before he can do so, I lightly grip his wrist.

"Cloud?"

Alarms go off in my mind. They tell me that this is a bad idea and that I should be focusing on leaving, but I push them all away. Instead, I focus on the confused man in front of me.

Taking a deep breath, I move the plate off my lap and lean forward until there's barely any space between Raiden and me. Enough for him to pull back if he wished to. My eyes meet his with a silent question and not even a minute later, the space between us disappears and Raiden's lips connect with my own.