Chapter 224

Third Person POV

Being Carol was a lot easier than Raelyn had anticipated. She was just so plain and boring that it was easy for her to pretend to be her. It was the next morning; she slept beside Aiden all night. Though, when she tried to snuggle against him, he would resist her. He wondered if he was like this with the real Carol, or if he was sensing that something wasn’t right.

Raelyn had to admit, she was oddly drawn to Aiden. She found him incredibly attractive, and she wanted to get closer to him while she waited for her mother’s orders on what she needed to do next. But he would barely touch her, and it was frustrating. Raelyn had never been with a man before; she had never found any guy attractive. Then again, she had never really encountered men besides the Gamma warriors who kept her prisoner for her entire life.

Raelyn was surprised when she woke up alone in bed the next morning. Aiden’s side of the bed was cold like he hadn’t been there all night. She furrowed her brows and slid out of the bed. She wasn’t used to having this much freedom and the thought that she could just walk out the door filled her with excitement. However, as soon as she reached the doorway, it swung open, and Aiden stood before her.

He looked ruffled and his shirt was flung over his shoulder as if he had just woken up. Had he slept in a different room last night? But that didn’t make any sense. Why would he do that when his mate was in this suite? Did he often sleep elsewhere and let Carol sleep by herself?

“What were you doing?” She asked, peeking up at him through her lashes.

He blinked a few times as if surprised to see her standing there.

“I had some things to take care of this morning. I guess I lost track of time,” he said, running his fingers through his messy hair. “I hope I didn’t worry you too much.”

He stepped around her and into the room.

“Not at all,” she said, wrapping her arms around her body. “I just missed you…”

She wasn’t too sure if Carol was the sentimental type; nothing about that was in the notes Elizbeth had given her. But she figured it was worth the shot; from what Raelyn knew about her in the short time they knew one another, Carol seemed like the sappy and emotional type. Plus, she was pregnant, so her emotions were most likely all over the place.

Aiden gave her a small smile as he walked further into the room. For a moment, Raelyn thought he was going to embrace her and she braced herself for the touch. But when he brushed past her, she felt nothing but disappointment. Her heart sank into her stomach, and she turned to watch him.

He disappeared into the bedroom only to come out a moment later with some clothes.

“I’m going to take a shower. Your father said your training will be put on hold for today so you can rest. But I have some errands I need to run and will be back later,” he told her as he made his way into the bathroom.

She frowned at his retreating back. Was he usually this distance? Was it an Alpha thing?

Raelyn didn’t like not knowing what to do in situations like this. She didn’t like feeling vulnerable and weaker than someone even though she spent her life feeling weaker than most. She wasn’t weak though; she was powerful and now that she wasn’t trapped in a dungeon, she could unleash her powers at any moment.

But the words of her mother remained in her mind, haunting her. She knew her punishment would be graver than anything she had ever experienced before if she went against her mother’s wishes. Her job was to win over Aiden and convince him that she was the real Carol, and she wasn’t going to stop until he was fully convinced.

She turned on her heel and went straight into the bedroom. She rummaged through some of Carol’s drawers and froze when she saw a pair of sexy red lingerie. A smile crept along her lips as she came up with the perfect plan.

She was going to seduce Aiden into bed. He would be convinced that she was the real Carol after they slept together.

She quickly dressed in the lingerie, feeling a bit out of shape. When she looked in the mirror, she frowned at herself. Though she looked sexy, she looked way too thin. It was obvious she hadn’t eaten a proper meal since the day she was born. Even when Aiden insisted, she ate a full meal last night, her stomach couldn’t handle any more than a few bites. She felt sick to her stomach after dinner and ended up lying down in a food coma.

Hopefully, he wouldn’t pay attention to the fact that she didn’t have a pregnant belly. According to the notes, Carol was only a month or so pregnant, so she shouldn’t be showing that much anyway, even if this baby was part werewolf.

Raelyn heard the bathroom door opening and shutting and her heart began to beat faster in her chest. She was about to rush out into the living room area of the suite, but before she could get the chance, the door opened, swinging her backward. Aiden walked into the room, still towel driving his hair while another towel hung loosely around his hips. His broad chest was hypnotizing and beads of sweat dripped from his chest and down his muscular abs, disappearing beneath the towel.

Raelyn’s mouth went dry at the sight of him.

Carol was one lucky bitch. She even got pregnant by him!

Aiden was frozen as well, examining her body, but for an entirely different reason. He was perplexed because it seemed Carol no longer had the small belly that was once evident of their baby. She was skin and bones; even her hair somehow seemed different.

Something was off about her and his wolf knew it right away.

“Hey,” she said, breaking the silence that stretched between them.

She reached her hand out and touched his bicep, her fingers lingering. His entire body tensed from her touch; he didn’t feel the same electric sparks that he could always feel whenever Carol touched him. He wasn’t ignited with passion and wanting to rip that sexy red lingerie off her, devouring her and claiming her as his…. It was almost as if she was a complete stranger to him.

She noticed his muscles tightening and she thought he was flexing for her, wanting to impress her. Her cheeks grew warm at the thought, and she couldn’t help but bat her lashes at him.

“How about we have a little fun before you leave?” She suggested, her voice sultry. She bit her bottom lip as she walked closer to him.

He stood frozen, staring at her with an expression she couldn’t quite read. She was practically purring, moving her hips from side to side and rubbing her body against him. He remained like a statue, assessing her every move. He stared down at her body, her breasts, her belly, her arms and legs. Everything that he once loved about Carol was now like looking at a stranger; unfamiliar and unsettling in more ways than he could count.

She ran her fingers up his shoulders and played with the hair on his neckline, running her fingers through it, her breathing growing heavy as her chest rose and fell.

Her lips gazed at his mouth, and she licked her lips hungrily.

“I want to be with you,” she whispered, meeting his darkened eyes.

His wolf was growling in his head, but he managed to keep him at bay so he wouldn’t rip Carol to pieces. He swallowed hard; his Adam’s apple moving slightly as his eyes also fell to Carol’s mouth.

Even her lips seemed smaller and a bit more chapped.

“Kiss me…” she whispered.

For a moment, she thought he was going to refuse her like he had been. But to her utter shock, he bent and pressed his lips against hers. He gave her a simple kiss; it was her first kiss. She wasn’t sure exactly what to do during the kiss; she wasn’t sure where to put her hands, or how to tilt her head. But the moment his lips conquered hers, it was as if her body took over and knew exactly what to do. She closed the small gap between them and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself even closer to him; flesh against flesh as her tongue darted out and entered his mouth.

He kissed for a moment longer; his hunger and passion not sparking like it used to. He kissed her more out of curiosity while his wolf whimpered in his mind.

When he stopped the kiss, Raelyn was red in the face and breathless. She couldn’t help the goofy grin on her face. She thought she had won him over finally; she thought she had successfully tricked him.

But what she didn’t know was he only kissed her so he could prove to him that his suspicions were correct.

The woman in this suite was not his mate… this was not Carol. But if this wasn’t Carol then that meant there was an imposter pretending to be Carol.

Then where was the real Carol?