Chapter Thirteen – Video Calls.
Kaden Reid's P.O.V.
I park in an available parking space at the college Luna attends, killing the engine just as my phone rings. Fishing it out of my pocket, I smile when I see that Aurora is video calling me. Accepting the call, I hear Aurora telling the twins to calm down and sit.
"Uncle Kaden!" Ivan yells in excitement, the camera zoomed in on his mouth because of how close he's holding the phone.
Ayla and Ivan turned four this year but, they are growing much faster than regular pups. Vulcan remembered that his parents told him that he had grown quicker because he was a hybrid and now that the twins have both his and Aurora's genes, they would not be like ordinary wolf pups.
There is no telling what dominant gene each twin will receive until they are much older. The twins can form perfect sentences most of the time, with an occasional stumble here and there when they confuse their letters.
"Hey buddy, where's your tooth?" I frown, greeting Aurora when she takes the phone off him.
"Came right out when riding his bike too fast down the driveway." Aurora sighs worriedly, making me smirk.
Ivan is an adventurous kid, much like Vulcan's brother, Alexei. He often comes back home with multiple injuries that causes his mother to nearly have a heart attack. Ayla is calmer and prefers to read as many books as possible within a day and play with her dolls. She has her father wrapped around her little finger.
"Hi, uncle Kaden." Ayla waves sweetly, a colouring book and a purple crayon in her hand.
"Hey, princess. What are you colouring?" I grin, waving back at her.
"A turtle. Look!" She exclaims as she climbs on top of Aurora's lap and holds the book too close to the camera.
"There we go, honey. Isn't it a nice turtle, uncle Kaden?" Aurora asks in a warning tone, daring me to point out the actual colour of turtles.
"Yep. You nailed the colour of the turtle, Ayla." I try to keep in my laughter, Ayla's attention focused on something else now as she hops off her mother's lap.
"Ivan! Where are you going?" Aurora frowns as I sit there listening, forgotten momentarily.
"Outside to play with Knox." He shouts back, referring to Vanessa and Indigo's son, and I assume he's by the front door.
"Step foot outside the door without a helmet and I'll ground you." Aurora threatens making me choke on air.
"No, I'll look like an idiot." He whines, making his mother's glare intensify.
"Shall I get your Dad?"
"I'll put it on! Don't call him!" He yells in a scared tone, the camera showing him running up the stairs to his room.
I can't stop laughing loudly in the confines of the car as Aurora turns the camera to herself. She shakes her head and I can see the smug smirk on her lips.
"A helmet?"
"That boy has two left feet, I'm not going to risk it." She huffs, smiling softly when Ivan kisses her on the cheek, yells goodbye and runs out the door. "What are you up to today?"
"Nothing, just waiting for Luna outside her – oh...shit." I mutter as Aurora's piercing shriek filters through the speakers.
"Luna!? As in, you found your mate?!"
"Yes, I found her." I mumble and nod, wondering if I should hang up because of how excited she is.
"What's her name? When did this happen? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" She bombards me with questions, making me rub my face.
"Her name is Luna Winters. Yes, I know, very fitting. I didn't tell you until now because I knew you would react like this." I smirk, my eyes on the entrance of the main building of the college.
"Oh, that's such a beautiful name! And excuse me, what do you mean?"
"You're acting like she's your mate, not mine." I roll my eyes, frowning when she laughs in reply.
"Aw, jealous already of your mate receiving a bit of attention?" She teases before she gasps loudly. "Oh my god, let me call Vulcan."
"No!" I yell, stopping her from moving. "Don't you dare!"
"Why not?"
"Because he's going to piss me off about it." I growl, watching her grin like a maniac.
"Vulcan!" She screams at the top of her lungs.
"You little -"
Before I can finish my sentence, Vulcan is by her side and checking her over to see if she is alright. Aurora swats his hands away and pulls him down to sit beside her. I groan in annoyance as she tells him about my mate. With every word that comes out of his mate's mouth his grin becomes more wide and smug as he takes the phone.
"I think it's safe to say I told you so." He states haughtily, placing his arm around Aurora's shoulders and pulling her closer.
"Oh f*ck off, Romanov." I snarl, huffing when the couple laugh at my annoyance.
"Where is she?"
"In college right now, she finishes at four so she'll be out any minute." I reply absentmindedly, watching the crowd of students exit the building whilst I look for my mate.
"Does she know?" Aurora asks, Vulcan adjusting the camera so I can see them both.
I shake my head, resting my arm on the steering wheel. "No, I plan to tell her soon. Any tips, Romanov?"
"Whatever you do, don't shift into your wolf before you tell her everything." He smirks, making me chuckle as I recall the story of how Aurora found out.
"It's going to be alright, Kaden. Don't be nervous." Aurora reassures me, making me sigh and nod.
I try not to show it but, I'm a nervous wreck and the thought of my mate rejecting me scares the shit out of me. In a short amount of time, Luna has become my everything. I want to be near her all the time and it's hard to control myself and my wolf, Ajax, from dragging her back to my house and keeping her safe.
"You're a f*cking pansy for not doing it yet." Ajax growls in my mind, making me roll my eyes.
"She's going to freak and run faster than I can tell her that she's our mate." I snarl, shutting him up.
I straighten up when I see her. She looks breath-taking as always, tucked up in a coat and jeans with a beanie on her head. Her chocolate brown hair dances in the wind as she tries to control it, her nose and cheeks turning red immediately from the chilly weather of Berlin.
A deep frown graces my lips when I see her talking to a man, who's standing too close to her for my liking. Ajax growls furiously and I try to stop the feeling of jealousy that is spreading through me like a wildfire. I find it hard to concentrate on what Aurora and Vulcan are saying when my eyes are boring holes into that man's head. When he backs away, my shoulders sag in relief and I assume they are saying goodbye.
"Guys, Luna's here so I have to go. I'll call soon." I get ready to hang up and start the car when the couple yell at me to stop.
"I want to talk to her." Aurora demands, struggling to contain her excitement.
"Of course." I start in a light tone, hearing her cheer happily. "When hell freezes over."
"Why not?" She scowls, telling Vulcan to back her up.
"I'm not going to listen to anything you have to say Romanov, so you can shove your reasoning up your -"
"Hey." I hear the door open and Luna's soft greeting as she takes a seat.
"Uh..." I trail off as I glance between my mate and the two lunatics who are screaming at me to turn the camera so they can see her.
"Oh, I'm sorry! Have I interrupted your call, I can wait outside?" Her doe eyes widen and she moves to open the door.
"No!" Aurora and Vulcan yell before I can reply.
I grimace and tell her it's okay. I bite my lip to stifle my laughter threatening to escape, my mate sure is cute when she's confused. Her nose is scrunched up with wide, unsure eyes and her red cheeks aren't helping her one bit.
"This is my friend Aurora and her husband, Vulcan Romanov." I turn the phone slightly so Luna could see them.
"Hello, I'm Luna." She waves shyly, a smile on her lips.
"We know, Kaden talks about you all the time." Vulcan lies with a huge grin on his lips.
I growl and tell him to stop lying to which he just chuckles in reply. When I notice another car waiting for a parking space, Luna takes the phone from me as I start up the engine and drive out of campus. I hear Aurora and Vulcan talking to her, Luna giggling as she hears about my time in the US.
"He cried when he watched the Titanic." Aurora snickers, making me protest.
"I think you've confused yourself with me, grasshopper." I shake my head, turning a corner onto the main street.
Vulcan bids goodbye as he leaves for an urgent meeting but Luna and Aurora continue talking like they've been friends forever. I love how Aurora has made her comfortable in a matter of minutes. Pretty soon, they are exchanging numbers and promising to keep in touch.
"Oh! Let me tell you about the time Kaden went on a date with a -"
Thankful that we have stopped at a red light, I snatch the phone from Luna and hang up before Aurora can say another word. I stare straight ahead even though I can feel Luna boring holes into the side of my head. I mumble at her to stop staring because it's making me want to tell her and the story is just too embarrassing.
"Did it not turn out to be a nice date?" She questions and I could tell she really wanted to know what had happened.
"Promise you won't tell anyone, not even the guys." I glance at her before turning back to concentrate on the road.
"Pinky promise?" She holds out her little finger, making me chuckle as I wrap mine around hers and giving it a shake.
"I...I lost a bet and was dared to pretend that I was gay and go out on a date. Long story short, the guy took me back to his place to hook up whilst I was waiting for Vulcan to call because of a supposed emergency so I could leave." I shake my head as the memory of that night comes back to me.
There was a long pause before Luna bursts out laughing. I playfully scowl at her, watching as she fails to calm herself.
"He had just come out of a bad breakup, I didn't want him to find out that it was all a set up."
"Did Vulcan not call?" She asks, a wide smile on her lips that were stained with a berry coloured lipstick.
"He did...when the guy was trying to rip my clothes off." I grimace, hearing her choke on air before she laughs loudly.
"N-No way." She brings her hand to her mouth, stifling the chuckles.
"Sadly, yes. He had my belt and shirt off when Vulcan finally called. I have never hauled ass so fast in my life." I shudder jokingly, loving that I'm making her laugh.
We settle into a comfortable silence as I drive her home, reaching over to intertwine my hand with hers and resting it on my thigh. Her skin is soft and warm, the sweet and intoxicating scent of peaches and vanilla filling my senses. I'm finding it hard to concentrate on the road.
This is what Vulcan must have felt like with Aurora, why he was so overprotective. I hate it when I must drop Luna home and leave, my wolf and I can't bear her getting hurt therefore, I stay by the forest at the back of her house every night to ensure her safety.
It's a bit extreme but I can't help but fear that she will be taken away from me. I don't want to lose my Luna now that I have finally found her.
"Who was the guy you were talking to?" I remember, trying to sound nonchalant when really, I want to hunt him down and tell him to stay away from my girl.
"Oh, that's Logan." She smiles, turning to face me slightly. "We met in the library today, it was packed with students and I offered him a seat next to me. He's really nice."
I hum in reply, tightening my hold on her. She continues to talk about how she still has this essay to do that accounts for a huge part of her final grade, asking me about my day with random outbursts of excitement whenever she notices a Christmas decoration as we drive through the city.
My chest squeezes painfully when I take the street towards her neighbourhood and I find myself wishing that the drive was longer. She lets go of my hand and picks up her backpack, setting it on her lap as we turn into the estate and her house comes into view.
I park outside her driveway and keep the engine running, not wanting her to become cold if I turn it off. She tucks a strand of dark brown, wavy hair behind her ear and I smile as she looks up at me. It's one of the endearing things she does whenever she's nervous or hesitant.
"Thank you for picking me up today." She grins, fiddling with the strap of her backpack. "And your friends are so nice, I loved talking to Aurora."
"Of course, sweetheart. But, whatever they say about me is a lie so don't believe everything she tells you." I state seriously, wrapping my arm around the headrest of her seat.
I notice her shiver when the action makes me lean closer, her breathing shallow as she nods. I cup her cheek in my hand, rubbing my thumb across her heated skin. Her small hands are clutching the material of her backpack so tight that her knuckles have turned white as snow.
"Not even that you cried whilst watching the Titanic?" She whispers, her chocolate brown eyes meeting my blue ones.
"Especially not that." I growl huskily, watching her eyelids flutter shut just as I press my lips to her soft ones.
Sparks erupt the second we make contact and tingles dance crazily on my skin in joy. Luna is the only one who can make me feel this way and I wish she knew just how much she affects me. I wrap an arm around her and pull her flush against my body, tensing when I feel her hand rest on my chest. I bet she could feel how fast my heart was racing.
I pull away to let her breath but rest my forehead against hers, hearing her soft pants as she tries to calm herself down. Smirking, I brush away her hair that covers her face and press gentle kisses from her cheek to the corner of her lips. Pecking her one last time before I completely lose it and drive her back to my place, I let her go.
Her cheeks are raging with a fiery blush and I laugh at how adorable she is. Luna realises and whines for me to stop, patting her cheeks with her hands. Huffing she shakes her head with a smile before whispering goodbye and opening the door.
I rest my head against the seat, watching with content as she walks into her house, but not before giving me a wave and a smile which I return. I groan as I drive out of the neighbourhood. My mate is turning me into a lovesick fool and I don't mind one bit.
Important Note: This is for any reader who keeps asking me about when/if Vulcan and Aurora will be in this story. Yes they will, but it won't be until later on in the book.
Please understand that this book is mainly about Kaden and more importantly, Kaden and Luna are in Berlin, Germany right now. Aurora and Vulcan live in the United States. I can't just randomly include them flying over as it's unrealistic.
If some readers were looking for this story to include regular appearances of Vulcan and Aurora, then I'm sorry to disappoint but I did state in the beginning that this sequel is about Kaden's story. I hope this helps clarify some things!
Next update: Monday!
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter!
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- R.W.