Why My Mate Cries
Chapter 9

ALIYAH’S POV

Reid’s eyes widened at my vehement confession. With a shuddering breath, I looked away, and for a moment I wished I hadn’t admitted my feelings for him.

It was totally embarrassing…

I badly wanted to scold my wolf inwardly. Because of this strong desire that engulfed me and made me vulnerable as hell, those words of admission slipped out of my mouth at the wrong time.

“Aliyah…” he paused, his voice sounding so sensual that it sent shivers down my spine.

I waited for his proper response. In the back of my mind, a small part of me was hoping he’d say something that would make me flutter. But I guess that was only wishful thinking. Seeing the firm expression on his face, as if he was forcibly holding himself back from perhaps anger or embarrassment, made me want to take back all those words I said.

If only it was that simple.

‘This is your fault…’ I told my wolf as I bit my lower l*p.

Reid finally opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but then the way he shut his eyes made my shoulders sink. All I could do was let out a long breath.

“You can forget what I confessed,” I said bravely, but I was dying inside. “It’s nothing, Reid. Don’t overthink it.”

After saying those words, I mustered the courage to walk to my bedroom. I closed the door and leaned my back against it. A little whimper escaped my mouth, thinking that I could never live down this embarrassment.

I fell asleep for an hour and was glad because it gave me a break from the thoughts that were going through my head.

I thought about never leaving this room again until my embarrassment died down, but a knock on the door told me that it was impossible.

“It’s me. Can I come in?” It was none other than Reid.

I cleared my throat and told myself to ask as if nothing ever happened. “Sure!”

He pushed the door open and entered the room. He smelled of fresh bath water. His looks confirmed it, as he had changed clothes, looking so good with a plain black shirt and pants.

“Would you like to walk around the pack house?” he asked.

I frowned. “I will be seen by the pack?”

“No, you’re not. Everyone’s busy this afternoon. They are in school,” he explained.

Admittedly, the thought of getting out of this part of the packhouse was appealing. I looked at Reid and his eyes told me he wasn’t lying about what he just said. In the end, I nodded my head in agreement with his offer.

As I got out of bed, I kind of felt anxious. It was the first time I’d be going out of here after I escaped from my family. I wasn’t that confident in showing myself to other people, given my current physical state, and so I hoped no one would see me lurking with Reid.

The pack house was definitely breathtaking. My mouth dropped as I looked around as we walked to the hallway for the main area of what seemed to be a rustic styled mansion sitting in the center of pine trees, with a lake in front of it.

“It was beautiful,” was all I could say.

Reid glanced at me and offered his hand.

“Let me tour you around,” he said as he tilted his head.

I nodded and accepted his hand. My heart rate went faster as our skin touched. I gasped in silence. The tingling sensation inside my stomach made me want to roll over the floor.

“We have a werewolf school that is only a fifteen-minute walk away from here. Most of the teenagers are living here in the pack house, while the elderly have settled into their home instead,” Reid informed me as we walked to the chamber.

My eyes roamed around the insides of the place, and I was so impressed with its elegance and coziness. Anyone would enjoy staying here, given its friendly ambiance. A smile escaped my mouth, as I imagined myself living here. However, I knew that I wasn’t born to socialize with other creatures.

“How many werewolves are living here?” I asked curiously.

“A lot,” he said, looking at me.”They occupy the main, left and right wings while I live in the back part, which is the annex area.”

I nodded in response, my eyes still looking around every corner of the place. I knew there was a pack house in the Silver Moon territory too, but I’ve never stepped foot in there since my family lived separately from the members.

Reid toured me around, while being informative about his pack. It only became clearer to me that they weren’t as cruel as the Silver Moon pack members told us they were.

We went to the main kitchen, and I could smell the sweet scents of fresh fruits and vegetables sitting on a long countertop table.

“Have a seat. I’ll prepare some sandwiches for us.”

Reid moved around inside the kitchen, and I was only watching him the whole time. I was so impressed as to how he could make food on his own despite being a man. I’ve never seen my father or my brother cook for themselves, and so this was a breath of fresh air for me.

“Here you go,” he said, and handed me a plate with a ham sandwich.

He sat down on the chair next to me, and we both started eating.

“It tastes good!” I said after taking a bite and looking at him.

His lips curled into a smile. His eyes dropped to my lips, and after that, I felt his thumb wiping the edge of my mouth.

“You have to eat more so your body can fully recover.”

My cheeks flushed when he licked his thumb that he used to wipe the cheese in my mouth. I swallowed hard and looked away, trying to ignore the heat starting to get through me.

“I am grateful for all your help, Reid,” I said. My forehead creased in frustration. “Though I am not sure why you are still helping me. I came from a different pack. I don’t understand why you are so kind to me…”

“You need my help, Aliyah, and I am willing to give it to you in the best way I can,” he said, his voice turning low and sensual.

My emotions welled up. “I wish my family treated me the same way you did. It’s unfortunate that I had to leave them.”

“May I know what really happened?”

I huffed. Closing my eyes, I continued, “I am a daughter of the former alpha and was abused because I was the reason my mother died painfully.” I gazed up at him, my heart pounding in my throat as I opened up the things I wanted to forget. “I was abused, starved, and deprived of love by my own b***d. There were no days that I wasn’t beaten up, and it became worse when my brother became the new alpha…”

“That’s why you escaped,” he said, more like a statement than a question.

My tears suddenly fell, and I nodded at him.

“I escaped because the new Alpha threatened to kill me, and I chose to die outside our territory rather than from his own hands.”

Reid made a low growl and uttered a curse under his breath that made me shudder.

I took a deep breath and looked into his eyes.

“I thought I’d die after crossing boundaries, but you showed me mercy despite me being a stranger, and an enemy who came from your rival pack, the Silver Moon pack…” I said, which made his breathing turn ragged.