The Beta's Missing Mate (Book 16 Of The Regal Eclipse Pack Series)

Chapter 42

Bianca had waited patiently for Aidan's return after his sudden departure from the dining hall with Xavier. Alpha Xavier.

Aidan had said he'd had surgery a few days ago. Not that she could tell. He looked pretty much the same as he had the last time she'd seen him. But she also couldn't sit there and stare at him. That would be incredibly awkward. Especially with his mate present.

They'd left her with the female with red hair, and Bianca had covertly studied this female, who was Xavier's mate and would one day be the future Luna Queen. Less awkward, especially since she seemed slightly nervous, and Bianca wondered about that. She wasn't marked either, which meant Xavier probably hadn't known her for very long.

Bianca wasn't quite sure what to think of that. The idea of the Alpha King being mated to a human seemed rather ludicrous, but she did remember that Aidan had told her his mate was human too. What were the chances that both of them would be mated to humans? She wondered what the current Alpha King thought of that. His family had looked like they were all okay with it, but she wasn't sure.

Human/werewolf matings were so rare, it seemed crazy that both of them had a human mate. But she wouldn't ask questions. Or maybe she would later, when she'd been mated to Aidan for a while and was comfortable asking questions like that. Right now, she most definitely wasn't.

Hopefully, at some point, she would be so comfortable with Aidan that she wouldn't think twice about little random things. She wondered if at some point they'd be like a normal couple, if the smiles would come easier. If Aidan would be affectionate with her without thinking twice about it. If she'd crave him the way she had Brian, crave being beneath him and having him inside her.

At the moment, it was hard for her to even imagine Aidan kissing her.

She was nervous about this afternoon, nervous about letting Aidan mark her. She almost regretted agreeing to it, but she'd been watching him while she was getting ready and realized that he really needed to. He'd make her a good mate, or at least she hoped he would. He'd been kind to her so far. Patient with her, and he hadn't just dumped her in a room and forgotten about her the way she'd half expected him to. She just hoped it wasn't all an act.

He'd almost marked her earlier, but he'd been interrupted by someone, and she'd watched the annoyance flash across his face before he'd let go of her and taken a step back. "I have to go do something real quick. It's kind of urgent, and I'm not going to mark you and then walk away. That's not fair to you." He'd reached out and gently touched her face. "After lunch, I'll make sure we're not interrupted."

His words had made her a bit nervous, but she reminded herself that he wasn't talking about sex. Aidan wasn't planning to have sex with her after lunch. But she'd still been a bit relieved. She sort of couldn't imagine having sex with him. Not that she really wanted to either, but still, at some point, she would be having sex with him.

Hopefully by then, she was comfortable enough with him that she didn't think twice about it. Maybe they could make out some beforehand, and she could get used to the idea of him touching her. Hopefully, he was good in bed, and he could distract her enough that she wasn't overthinking it.

She wondered about that, too, if Aidan was decent in bed. But he was thirty-five, so no doubt he had some experience. She bit her lip. That was something else she couldn't outright ask him. Maybe if she were drunk. Maybe after he marked her, they could hang out and play cards or something and both get drunk, and then she could really talk to him. Maybe then she'd have enough courage to kiss him.

But then again, maybe not. She wouldn't initiate kissing him for the first time. Aidan would be completely repulsed if she did it now, before the bond with his mate was severed. She could probably handle it. She'd let him make the first move, though.

Ugh, the mate bond was so weird.

Aidan was definitely good-looking, but he always seemed on edge. Like he could jump out of his skin at any moment. She couldn't even imagine him relaxing enough for sex. Was he tense when he had sex? She could guarantee he hadn't had sex since he had with his mate. But she hadn't either. She hadn't had any desire to. Brian was the only male she'd ever had sex with.

Would she even enjoy sex with Aidan? Or would Aidan just take his own release and not give her what she needed? Or wanted? She hoped not. Maybe she should ask him, though she didn't want him to lie to her either. She wouldn't know until during the act, she supposed.

She sighed, realizing she was completely overthinking all of this. Typical. She never used to do that, but since Brian's death, it was all she did.

"Are you okay?" the red-haired female asked, making Bianca look up and pull herself out of her runaway thoughts.

She racked her brain for her name. Maddie. That was it. "Yeah," she muttered. "I'm fine."

"Are you Aidan's mate?" Maddie asked her curiously.

"Not exactly. Aidan's mate walked away from him. He has to take a chosen mate, and that would be me," Bianca explained.

"This is a new one for me. Why would he have to take a chosen mate?" Maddie asked.

"Because if a werewolf goes for too long without marking his mate, he will start to obsess over it and kind of go insane," Bianca explained.

Maddie's lips parted as she stared at Bianca in shock. "I've grown up around werewolves. I didn't know that, though. Poor Aidan."

"Aidan's case is rare. His mate is human," Bianca told her. "She disappeared, and Aidan can't find her."

"I see. And what about your mate?" Maddie asked her.

Bianca sighed softly. "He died eight months ago."

Maddie closed her eyes. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

Bianca nodded, looking down at her half-eaten plate, as the pain of loss hit her again.

"And you agreed to be his mate? Do you know him?" Maddie asked her, then frowned. "Honestly, Bianca, if I'm asking too many questions, you can just tell me to stop."

Bianca gave her a small smile. She liked Maddie right then and there. "It's okay. And no, I've met him very briefly before, but I don't know him really."

"You're brave then," Maddie said quietly and reached out to squeeze her hand, giving her a small smile.

"Thanks." She didn't feel brave. She felt stupid and desperate doing what she was doing. Mating Aidan was a way to end some of her pain. To stop the bleeding of her severed mate bond. She was using him for her own selfish reasons, but then, so was he.

Xavier walked back in and sat down next to Maddie. He wrapped an arm around her and kissed her cheek.

Binaca watched them and felt her heart clench. She missed that. Missed the intimacy of having a mate. Of having someone to come home to. Someone to lie in bed and cuddle with. She missed Brian's touch. His kindness. His love.

Xavier talked to his mate for a few minutes, and Bianca could plainly see the love he had for her. She felt like she was intruding on their time together.

Bianca glanced around, looking for Aidan, but he was nowhere to be found. She sighed softly. He'd probably forgotten about her. Maybe she should just head back to her room. She stood.

Xavier turned to look at her. "Bianca, Aidan is still tied up. He'll come to see you as soon as he gets a moment to. He asked me to tell you."

Bianca blinked. He hadn't forgotten her. She needed to give him more credit. "Yes, Alpha." She bit her lip. She still needed to get out of there. If Aidan wanted her, he knew where to find her. "If you'll excuse me." She bowed her head to them both, then grabbed her plate. She got rid of it, then headed back to her room to wait for Aidan.