CHAPTER 50 AUSPICIOUS VISIT
RYDER
“There she is,“ Jay pointed at the female, standing in front of me, clutching her bag and quivering slightly.
She was human. Her scent said it all. Short auburn hair, roughly 5'6, pretty but not in a way that gives you an instant hard-on. Probably my age or a year younger.
What could she be looking for here? Her appearance spoke volumes about her social class. She was human. Lacked enough confidence. I was beginning to think she lost her way.
“Ryder!“ A sudden squeal startled me and Tiffany popped out of the garden, laughing out loud.
I was forced to chuckle at her childish act. Yeah, she was a ray of sunshine, alright. Can't believe how lightened up I am in just a second of seeing her.
Her bubbly personality was the one reason I never noticed she was broken when I decided to stop fucking her. Looking at her now, I could say she got over it. She's never shone this brightly. It was such a relief.
”Come here you,” She cooed, stretching out her arms and I went in for that tight hug. God, just what I needed.
She broke the hug, cupped my face, and placed a soft kiss on my cheek. I smiled at her cheesiness. She sure would never change.
“It's been a while,” She mused, “You look stressed out,“
“And you look beautiful,“ I said, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. “Good to see you, Tiff,“
”Same here.“ She beamed. “Where the hell is Jason? I kept calling and calling. I sent a dozen messages. He didn't reply. That's why I had to come down here myself,“
I felt my eyes twitch with brewing tears. Jason was a sore spot in my heart. I'd give anything not to have to discuss him much.
“I'll tell you about him later,“ I dismissed the topic. “For now, tell me why you brought a human with you. Is she a new employee?“
”Nah. She demanded to see you, Ryder. You should talk to her. You might just be interested in what she has to say,“
“Uh-sure. But what's it about?“
“You'll find out,“ She beamed, patting my shoulder and walking past me. My gaze followed her and I couldn't help but laugh at her twirling. “It's my first time coming here. Where do I unwind?”
“Well, make a choice,“ I replied, with my arms crossed over my chest.
“Give me options. And –uhm– I hope Hara doesn't mind me visiting. Where is she? I'd love to say hello to her,“ She said in delight.
Her words jabbed at my heart and I immediately went sullen again. I mind-linked Jay and he showed up in no time.
“Take Tiffany on a tour around the house. And while you're at it, give her a brief on Hara and Jason.“
“Uh-sure,“ Jay replied skeptically. But then goes ahead to mind-link me, “Are you sure it's safe to tell her about what happened to Hara and Jason? She's human, and might use the information against you, “
Jay was a smart-ass. Using mind-links to send through his doubts because both Tiffany and the other human female wouldn't notice. Epic!
“I trust her. So go ahead,” I mind-linked back to him. Saying I trusted her was rich, judging from where trusting Jason landed me. Still, I said it anyway and I meant it. I do trust Tiffany.
They both headed into the main building and I turned to the stranger.
“What's your name?“
“Hailey,“ She replied. “I'm the only friend of Hara back when she was still at Red Moon Pack,“
“Only friend?“ I repeated. It was not total bullshit. I mean, since the peace treaty with humans, werewolves and humans can create whatever strong bond they wished to. I just find it strange she was the only one. Hara was one hell of a recluse, I must say.
“Yes. Hara didn't have any friends. Just me,“
“Oh…okay. Have a seat, please,“ I gestured at the settees in the courtyard. She sat at the edge and I sat at the other edge.
“She disappeared after realizing she was pregnant for Roland. I searched everywhere for her. I only found out recently that she was here in Red Cross pack,“
“How did you find out?“
“The news by Miss Ciara, where she claimed Hara was behind the flood. I watched it,“
Fuck you, Ciara! I hope you live the rest of your life in misery for this sickening exposure you gave to Hara. Her stupid acts have done nothing but lead the whole world right at Hara. Maybe this time, it led her best friend to her. But the Heavens know just who would come to my doorstep looking for her next. The thought of that scares me shitless.
”Tell me something, Hailey. Did you ever get to meet Roland?“
“Yes, of course. A couple of times.“
“Whoa, really? Uh, can you tell me about him? What was his relationship with Hara like? Were they a dotting couple?“
“Hell no. Roland is a monster and all he gave Hara was hell. That's why I advised her to escape from him. She came here to stay away from her abusive mate,”
“Abusive?!“ My voice attained a rather forceful and menacing height. “You wanna enlighten me on that?“
“Sure,“ She goes ahead to give me the ugly details of Roland and all he did to Hara. The man was a bloody sociopath and Hara was nothing short of a punching bag. Now more than ever, I wanna snap the last breath out of him. And to think Hara endured it all without saying a word to anyone shows what a strong soul she was. Although she's never had life easy, she still held on. I couldn't help falling deeper in love with her. She was such a rare gem. The only woman fit to be My Luna.
“After she disappeared, I went to her house to check if I could pick up any trails of her. But each time I visited, Roland was always locked inside, having the time of the day with his flings. I never got to go inside. And I did ask around, but as I said, Hara wasn't close to anyone so no one knew her whereabouts. I only got lucky when I watched the news,“
“I'm short of words, Hailey. Can't imagine all Hara went through at the hands of her devilish mate. No wonder she finds it hard to talk about her past. It was this dirty,“
“Yeah. And I wanna thank you for defending her in front of the media. I'm not sure why you did that, but I'm glad you did,“
“I did what I had to do. And yeah, thank you too, Hailey, for being a good friend to her. I'm forever indebted to you,”
Her eyes held a lot of questions and most of them wanted to know what my relationship with Hara was. She was scared to ask, but she was itchy to know.
“I think she's my fated mate.“ I answered her unspoken question. ”It might be crazy but I felt the attraction the night I visited her pack. And when she showed up here, it continued. I don't know, it's crazy,“
“Yeah. It is. But I hope it's real too. Crazy or not, Hara deserves a second chance in this mating stuff you werewolves do. What she had with Roland was hell. She has to be compensated for that.“
“Yes, you right,” I was slightly mesmerized by this sudden astute side of her. Just a while ago, she seemed shy and nervous. Now, all that is gone.
“I'm sorry, but can I see her? I came all the way here to meet my best friend again,“ She pleaded.
My heart clenched at her request. She was so optimistic and oozing excitement over her 'supposed' reunion with Hara.
It was hard to crush all that excitement by telling her that Hara was missing.
“She's not here, is she?“ Her excitement faded and she was all shades of anxious. She sure was astute.
“No, I'm afraid she isn't.“ Meeting her gaze and bracing myself, I added, “Hara's missing.“
“Not again,“ She muffled a sob.