The Pet🐾 (Completed)

Chapter 24

Ashley

It was as if time had stopped the moment our lips met. Sparks shot through me wherever we touched. My arms moved on their own, winding around his neck, while his wrapped around my waist. It felt familiar somehow—as if this had happened before.

Our little kiss deepened into something more passionate. Then, suddenly, I stumbled backward—and so did Roman. I braced myself for impact, but it never came. I opened my eyes to find his arms still around my waist, holding me gently. His face looked pained as he finally spoke.

"You... okay?" he asked.

"Oh. Uh, yeah. How about you?" I stammered.

"You're... kinda on my... uh..." he trailed off.

I immediately jumped off him, my face burning. This was way too awkward. Roman slowly got up and sat on the bench nearby.

"Oh my god, did I hurt you?!" I panicked, pacing in circles.

He laughed softly. "No, it's not your fault. It's... because of me."

"How? I'm the one who moved away. I'm the one who tripped," I said, pointing to the rocks.

A small smear of blood on one jagged rock caught my eye. "Oh my god, you're bleeding!" I exclaimed, hands flying to my head.

"I'm fine, I swear. You shouldn't worry," he said calmly.

I stopped, glaring at him. "How are you telling me not to worry?" I demanded, twirling my finger. "Turn around, now—I need to see it."

He shook his head. "You don't need to see it."

"You better turn around, or I will make you," I said firmly.

He slumped back in his seat, raising an eyebrow. "Make me," he teased with a grin.

I didn't hesitate. I jumped on him, tugging his arms until he let me slowly turn him around. My heart skipped at how willingly he let me do it.

There it was—a clean cut across his shoulder, still bleeding. "You have a cut, and it's bleeding. We should go inside so I can wrap it up," I said, stroking the skin around it gently.

"Okay," he said, standing and offering his hand. I took it, and he led me back down the hill and into the house.

Inside, we passed people in the halls, but none made eye contact. Roman insisted on carrying me again, but I refused—too much had happened with him already. Slowly, we made our way to our room.

"Wow... 'our room,'" I muttered. It sounded nice, almost unreal.

I placed him on the bed and pulled out the white box from before. "Okay, this might sting," I said, mimicking his tone from yesterday.

He huffed. "Very funny. That's not even how I sound!"

I dabbed the pad on his scratch and deepened my voice. "That's not what I sound like," I said, giggling.

Roman exaggerated my voice in mock frustration. "Now that's not what I sound like!" I laughed as I wrapped the bandage around his shoulder.

He winced as I tied it off. "Well, maybe you shouldn't have been moving," I teased, putting everything away.

As I reached for the extra pads, our hands touched. Sparks jolted through me. I flinched, breathless.

"What was that?" I whispered.

He grinned like a child on thier favorite holiday morning. "You felt that?"

"The sparks... yeah, sort of," I admitted.

"That's amazing," he said, bouncing lightly on the bed. "You feel the mate bond."

"The what?" I asked.

"The mate bond," he explained, pacing excitedly. "We're soulmates. Those sparks? I've felt them every time we touched—and now you're feeling them too. This is amazing progress!"

Before I could process, there was a swift knock at the door. Roman's eyes glazed over briefly. When they returned, he looked at me.

"I have Alpha business to attend to," he said. "I'll leave you with Jared, my Beta. Remember? I'm going to ask him to give you a tour and answer all your questions."

I nodded, feeling the emptiness growing inside as he stepped toward the door.

Jared entered, smiling warmly. "Hello, you two! Hope you had fun."

Roman and I locked eyes, laughing together. "Yeah, we did. But I need to go. Take care of Ashley," he said.

I waved as he glanced over and smiled at me. "Of course. What kind of Beta would I be if I couldn't?" Jared said, reassuringly. "Don't worry. She's in safe hands."

Roman nodded and stepped out. "I'll be back in a few hours. I'll tell the guards to let Sophia and Jasper up," he added before closing the door.

As the sound of his footsteps faded, I felt it—the emptiness, the quiet ache of him being gone. Everything inside me felt a little colder without him near...