Chapter 14: The Quiet Between Us

The drive back to the packhouse was quiet, too quiet actually. It was the kind of silence that carried heavy tension; you didn’t need words to feel it.

The city lights passed by in a blur. Kaima kept looking out the window, refusing to meet Nathan’s gaze, not even once since the near-kiss incident . She couldn’t believe she had almost kissed someone else's mate—her boss, the other day in the office.

Their lips were so close, and if his phone hadn’t rung, she never would have been able to stop herself. The guilt ate her alive because he had a mate—a sweet beautiful one.

She shut her eyes for a second to calm her guilty broken heart. She could feel Nyx stirring. Somehow, Nathan's close proximity wasn't helping them.

‘Are we supposed to keep avoiding him?’ Nyx asked softly, Kaima could hear the sadness in her tone. She knew Nyx was disappointed Nathan had a mate, but what could they do? They couldn't fight fate.

They've never met a man who stirred their emotions this much, and then the first man who did, already has a mate.

‘Yes Nyx, he's out of our league,’ Kaima replied to her dryly, clearly hurt by the truth.

‘But—’ Nyx tried protesting but Kaima cut her off.

‘There’s no but about this Nyx. He belongs to someone.’ the word felt so bitter in her tongue even as she said them—like she didn't want to believe it, didn't want it to be true.

Light flashed, reflecting along her face. She wanted to steal a look at him, even if it's for a second, but she didn’t—she couldn't look; not without revealing her emotions, so she sought the best option—keep her eyes locked on the long stretch of road ahead of them. 

Nathan leaned back against the chair, tapping his thigh softly while he watched her. She hadn’t spoken a single word since they left the office today. Even at the office, she had avoided his gaze and only spoke when she was being spoken to.

Anytime he thought she wanted to speak to him, she only sighed softly and went back to ignoring him.

Zade was getting restless. ‘Say something to her— anything, he growled, the silence was eating him up. 

Nathan clenched his jaw, he respected boundaries. ‘She didn’t want to talk right now.’

‘I don’t care,’ Zade said. ‘Her not talking to us is doing things to us—things we don't like.’ His voice was almost raw. 

Zade was the opposite of Nathan in every way — Nathan was calm and collected, but Zade was pure instinct, wild and possessive. When it came to Kaima, it was worse—even worse than it is for their true mate, Elizabeth. He had a strange possessiveness over Kaima that Nathan knew wasn’t right because she wasn’t theirs.

‘Calm down,’ Nathan muttered under his breath as he felt Zade slowly start to slip.

He ran a hand through his hair, trying to keep himself calm as well. His eyes moved back to the window, back to her. She was as usual, breathtakingly beautiful, but she wouldn’t even spare him a look. This felt like the worst kind of punishment he’d ever endured.

Kaima played with the hem of her dress, tangling it around her fingers, something she always did subconsciously without knowing. But Nathan always noticed.

That was when he heard it, the quiet sound, small but loud enough for him to catch. Her stomach growled.

Kaima quickly stiffened, placing a hand over her stomach and turned sharply to look at him, embarrassment written all over her face, her eyes wide with apology.

“I-I’m sorry,” she stuttered, finally meeting his gaze for the first time that day.

Nathan’s lips twisted into a small smile. All it took was for her stomach to growl for her to spare him a glance. “You know, you could’ve just said you were hungry,” he said gently, his eyes dancing with unmasked happiness at the fact they were finally speaking again.

She didn’t answer, but her face turned red from embarrassment.

“Stop at the next restaurant,” Nathan immediately ordered his driver.

Kaima’s head turned quickly toward him. “You don’t have to do that,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “We will be arriving at the packhouse soon,”

“I want to,” Nathan replied, his gaze so intense that heat started spreading through her body. She quickly looked away.

“Actually, it's my fault for not noticing you haven't eaten anything since we got to the office,”

Kaima pressed her lips together but said nothing. 

How could it be his fault? She had been trying so hard to avoid him, engrossing herself in documents she didn't even understand, that she had forgotten to have lunch— until the betrayal from her stomach now.

After driving for a moment, the car finally pulled up in front of a sleek, softly lit building. Kaima blinked. It wasn’t some casual diner or roadside stop. It was a high-end restaurant, the kind with crystal chandeliers and gold-trimmed menus.

“This is… fancy,” she muttered under her breath, hesitant to move.

Nathan caught the surprised look on her face, and he couldn’t help but smile. “You deserve to eat at a proper restaurant, not some drive-through meal.”

He got out of the car and quickly walked to her side of the door as if he was afraid she would come down before he got there. He opened the door for her.

She hesitated, then got out of the car, her steps quiet and precise. “Thank you,” she whispered, looking around. There were lots of occupied tables visible through the window, and she couldn’t help but wonder if they would actually get a seat.

When they walked in, soft music filled the room with the low hum of conversation.

A waiter quickly rushed to welcome them, directing them to a quiet area of the restaurant. Kaima couldn’t help but wonder how much influence this man truly had.

Oh, she almost forgot he was the Alpha.

When they took their seats, Kaima kept looking everywhere except at him and he had no choice but to independently plan and order their food.

“What would you like to have?” he asked, trying to strike a conversation.

Kaima smiled politely, still avoiding his gaze. “I’ll be having anything you’re having.”

Nathan wanted to say something, but thought against it.

He pointed out the dishes to the waiter. Since this was Kaima's first time here, he decided to order the best of their dishes based on the preferences he had noticed she liked.

Once the waiter was gone, Nathan couldn’t stop looking at Kaima, who found the cutlery setup on the table more captivating than him. 

Within seconds, the food arrived, and Kaima’s eyes widened; it looked like he had ordered for ten people.

They started eating, and he watched her from the corner of his eye the way she lifted her fork, the way her lashes lowered as she savored the meal. The way her lips slowly licked the oil on her lips.

Nathan swallowed hard, his gaze fixed on those lips, his memory going back to that day at the office. He wondered how sweet she would taste if he had gotten the chance to…

‘Goddamnit Zade, what are we thinking?’ he tore his gaze away from her, forcing himself to focus on his plate.

‘We want her,’ Zade growled, his voice raw. ‘I know this is supposed to be wrong, Nathan, but it doesn't feel that way.’

Nathan raised his gaze again to Kaima's face. She was calm, but detached; she didn’t feel like the Kaima he knew.

Nathan couldn't keep it in anymore, not with Zade clawing at the surface. Finally he spoke, leaning forward, his voice low. “Kaima, did I—did I do something wrong?”

She was in the middle of chewing when she instantly swallowed the steak, choking almost immediately. Nathan passed her a glass of water, his eyes filled with worry. “No. No You did not,” she said quickly, her ears red.

She knew he was asking based on her silence. She had hoped he wouldn't ask.

“Then why won’t you look at me or even talk to me?” he asked quietly, almost without realizing how the words sounded leaving his mouth.

Kaima felt her heart skip a beat. And how exactly was she supposed to tell him that he was always on her mind, that his scent drove her crazy, and she always wanted to be near him? And that she shamelessly wished that kiss had actually happened?

“I…I was just trying to be professional,” she finally blurted out, leaving him absolutely confused.

Zade stirred restlessly within him again, getting out of control, but Nathan ignored him, his eyes still locked on hers.

“Professional? Kaima, we’ve always been professional.” He slowly reached for a glass, but as his hand brushed over hers, she flinched and withdrew her hand almost immediately, like his touch had burned her.

Nathan froze. His heart sank, but he didn’t say a word. He couldn’t bring himself to.

And after a long moment, he spoke again.

“I’m sorry,” he said softly.

Kaima swallowed, her voice small. “You… you don’t have to apologize.”

She noticed the hurt in his eyes, and she never wanted to hurt him but she needed to keep her distance from him.

He was going to be her ruin.

Nyx stirred inside her in protest, but Kaima knew she was making the right decisio

n for them, because there was a line between them and she was slowly crossing it.

She had to stop herself. Whatever it took.