CHAPTER 42. HURT
HARA
“Are you alright?“ Jason was all over me, asking questions and scrutinizing my body. “Do you need anything? Why don't you allow me help you out of this wet duvet? Get you something warmer,“
For someone who has been perfectly ignored since we came into my apartment, he was still asking lots of questions. Wasn't it obvious enough that I don't wanna talk to him?
“You're gonna catch a cold. Hold on, let me make you a cup of coffee,“ He stood from his crouched posture and was gonna head into my kitchen.
“Don't you dare,“ I seethed out feverishly. My teeth were clattering from the cold that had sprawled goosebumps to all parts of my body. But I'd rather die from the cold than drink anything he makes.
He looked at me confusingly, “What?“
“Don't act like you have any rights to move around in my apartment 'cause you don't. You're not a relative nor a friend, so know your limits,“
“Hara, c'mon. I know you're angry, but…“
“Hara?“ I repeated in consternation. ”All these while, you knew my real name?“
His eyes lowered and when he looked up again, he was staring guiltily back at me. “I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. But you gotta hear me out…“
“What?! Hear you out?!“ this guy sure has no heart. “I just got fooled by you, humiliated by her, and you think hearing you out would fix anything?!“
“Not everything, but maybe a teeny bit. Please, Hara. I was wrong, I know it. But I just did what I had to,“
“So you're saying making a fool out of me was a necessity? Is it like a mandatory welcome treat to the strangers in your pack or was I just unlucky?“
“Hara, please. Don't be like this.“
“Don't be what?!“ I snapped, feeling angrier with every word that came out of his mouth. “Pained? Broken? Humiliated? Angry? Mad with fury?! You lied to me, prick. I trusted you with my secrets and this is what I got in return!“
“I know what I did was unforgivable. But I was only following orders, alright? I had no intentions of making a fool out of you,“
“Who gave you the orders?“
“My boss.“ he inhaled, and hesitated, his legs twitching like he was fighting to say the words. “Ryder,“
“The Alpha-Prince,“ I mused, and he nodded, striding to the door but not opening it. “You're his Beta?“
“Yes.“
Admitting it hurt like hell, but more than that, it jogged up my memories. “Right, it was you outside his office. The one I ran into,“ God, how could I have been so stupid not to remember where else I'd seen him? If only I had this bit of memory with me from the onset, then maybe, none of this mess would have happened.
“Yes,“ He gulped and his voice was low. “It was me.“
“What is this? Why would the Alpha-Prince send you to deceive me?”
“I wasn't sent to deceive you, Hara. I was sent to watch over you. But I couldn't do it with my real identity. You were already terrified of Ryder. If you knew I was his Beta, you won't let me an inch close to you,“
“For good reasons.“ I muttered, hating how sarcastic I was becoming. But his lying ass deserved it.
“I had to approach you with a fake identity but that's about all the lie I told. Everything else we had was real. The friendship? It was real, Hara. I do care about you, and that's putting it mildly,“
“Be quiet! I don't wanna hear any more of your lies. Tell me something tho, though Cyrus' resignation, did it have anything to do with you both?“
“Ryder wanted him gone. Cyrus was beginning to have feelings for you, and that would never sit right with Ryder,“
“And when you saved me on the third floor, you did it because of him?“
”Yes, I was sent to watch over you, remember? That was part of my job,“
“And he ran that man over because he'd hit me?“
“Yes. That was his revenge,“
Jesus Christ! So I was right after all. It all had to do with me. My emotions were mixed; not sure if I should be thrilled, scared, or angry! This whole thing was beginning to freak me out.
“I'm gonna ask one more question and then you get the hell out of here,“
“Hara–“ he took a step forward but I put up my hands, signaling him to stop.
”Stay right where you are!” There was no downplaying this. I don't want him anywhere close to me.
”Please, Hara. Tell me what I gotta do to fix this.“
“There's no fixing this, Jason. Just answer this question. Why did the Alpha-Prince ask you to keep an eye on me?“
“Because you're my mate.“
We both turned to the direction the voice came from and it was him, the Alpha-Prince, standing on the threshold.
I chided myself for finding him so strikingly handsome right now when I just found out he was nothing but a charlatan.
”Uh, I had to call him,“ Jason began nervously, “After what Ciara did out there, it would be crazy if I didn't tell him about it,“
Of all the minutes we spent in here, I didn't see him make use of a phone, so he had to have used the mind-link.
“I don't want him here. And I don't want you here, either. Get out, the both of you!“ I was more terrified of myself than of him. Seeing him was threatening to melt down my anger and just spike up my hunger for him. It was unbelievable, but my own body was beginning to betray me. I was mad at him but my body was yearning for him. Crazy!
”Just listen to him, Hara. Then maybe, you're gonna understand why we did what we did,“ Jason appealed, giving me a stare that had distraught hued on it.
All the while, the Alpha-Prince wasn't saying anything. He was just sizing me up, making me aware of his presence through his intense stares. It was hard keeping my anger and being composed under their smouldering gazes. One of them had to leave, scratch that. Both of them had to leave!
“Just get out, please,“ my eyes shut briefly, blinking down the tears that had welled up in my eyes. I was exhausted and had no more strength to yell. I just badly wanna be left alone.
“Go on, Jason. Hara and I need to talk,“ The Alpha-Prince finally said, his gaze remaining unwaveringly on me.
At that last moment, I wished Jason wouldn't leave. This wasn't a good time to be alone with him. Not when the sight of him messes with my head and leaves me disconcerted and vulnerable.
”I'm sorry,“ Jason mouthed to me and left the apartment.
I took a deep breath, aligning my thoughts so they don't go astray. I fixed my gaze on just his face, but even that was hard too. With Jason, it was easy to yell and be mad. With him, it was almost impossible. Almost.