CHAPTER 74. I'll RATHER BLEED THAN LET YOU GO
HARA
Seeing him standing there plunged me into a depth of panic and despair. Tears stung in my eyes and made their way down. He was yet to say a word, but his eyes were doing all the talking. He was blasting me with his eyes, telling me to go straight to hell. His eyes held a dose of rage I'd never seen before, and a greater shade of bitterness. He was hurting, more than I thought he would.
My endless tears wouldn't let me talk, and even if they weren't in my way, I still wouldn't talk. What could I possibly say to fix this? Nothing, nothing I say right now would quench the fire of rage in his eyes. All I have to do is brace myself up for it.
”Grab your stuff!” He ordered me glacially, quavering from anger. His clenched fist was hungry to ruin someone's face.
I flinched at how thunderous his voice was. I ran back into the bedroom to get my bag and the bundle of my messed-up clothes. When I got back into the lounge, it was a bloody disaster.
Ryder was raining punches like comets on Roland's face. Poor Roland couldn't even punch him back but was getting his face ruined.
Fear gripped me at the sight and I wanted to stop the fight, but how could I? Ryder was unrecognizable right now. It was not just him, his wolf was controlling him. The imminent howls and his red eyes were certainly not him. It was his wolf, and I'm not sure how to stop that.
”You got some nerve returning here and ruining everything!” He spat out and landed Roland another punch. Roland tried to hit back but Ryder caught his fist and twisted his hands to the back. Then he kicked his butt and Roland fell over the couch. His blood tainted the white of the couch, giving it a new look.
”Oh yeah? Well, you got some nerve coming over to my pack and stealing away my mate!“ Roland sputtered out, and with his words came a series of bloodied coughs.
I wished he'll stop talking. Ryder would only get more brutal on him. Why isn't Darius here? Where are the warlords? Someone needs to stop Ryder.
“Get your facts right, fool. I didn't steal anyone. She came to me. Hara came to my pack on her own,“ Ryder seethed and gave him a hard kick to the chest.
I let out an involuntary shriek at the hard impact of it. Roland let out a forceful cough and more blood spilled over the place. He fell back on the couch, and his breathing was labored.
Still, he smirked through his bloodied teeth and face, “She's my mate, you had no right to touch her,“ Roland taunted further.
What the heck was wrong with him? Does he wanna die? Shut the fuck up! How hard is that?
”I don't have a good explanation for that, but I'm sure there's some sort of oversight. Hara's not your mate. No way in hell could she be,“ Ryder stepped on his fingers, crushing them beneath his shoe.
“Ryder!!“
“You, be quiet!“ He snapped at me, and my mouth clamped shut instantly, ”I'll deal with your betrayal later. For now, be quiet,“
I nodded frantically, the last thing I wanted to do was to be quiet and just watch him annihilate Roland. But I had no choice. It was either that, or I go through the hell he was putting Roland through.
“You're just bluffing. Why don't you get your mate and leave mine alone? What sort of a parasite are you?” Roland mumbled, his eyes partly shut in pain.
“She's mine. You're the one who should go to hell for touching my mate,“ Ryder drawled, picking up a stool from the corner.
At first, I didn't realize what he planned on doing with that. But then, he took off the outer leg of the stool, and underneath it was a wood that had a piercing edge. The menacing steps he took as he walked closer to Roland and the deadly look in his eyes jogged my brain into action.
Oh no! He's gonna thrust that piercing edge into Roland's heart. He's gonna kill him, here, right now. Oh Dear Goddess, please send in someone.
I was hysterical and every step he took closer to Roland made me feel worse.
Darius, please. Jay, Giveon, someone please show up. Please.
”I got a bit of advice for you before I send you to hell,“ Ryder said, twirling the stool in his hand, “In your next life, don't be such a goddamn liar!”
Fuck it! I sprinted to them with a newly-found gut just at the same time Ryder lifted the stool to end Roland's life.
I hadn't thought this through but in the next second, I fell on Roland, blocking him from the onslaught. With my eyes shut, I anticipated the painful thrust of the piercing edge into my heart. But it never came.
Seconds passed and I felt nothing. Slowly, I opened my eyes and glanced at Ryder. He seemed frozen and his hands were still in the air. His eyes rained tears and were back to their usual color, the red shade was gone. He was panting like he just ran a marathon.
”What the heck did you just do?” He asked in a shaky tone.
“Trying to stop you from killing him,“ I replied, panting in relief that I didn't die from my rash decision of covering Roland from the stab.
“You're ready to die in his place?”
”What?” His question ticked off a certain defense in me. I didn't plan on dying in his place. I just thought if I covered him, Ryder wouldn't stab him, as he wouldn't wanna hurt me. Even though he was mad at me, I still believe he wouldn't kill me.
“You love him enough to take his stab than letting him get hurt?“
“What? No– that's not it. I just…“
“Yes, because that's what mates do for each other,” Roland cut me off, grinning ear to ear. ”Face it, man. I'm her mate. You're not. Stop making our lives complicated and just take a hike,“
Roland's gloating was like salt to injury, and Ryder staggered back, crashing the stool against the wall. He was looking at me like you look at someone when they are on the verge of killing you. He was looking at me like I had a dagger in my hand and I'd just thrust it into his heart.
“Get up,“ He said in a reverberating low tone, I did as he asked and he grabbed my bag, held my hand, and dragged me out of the suite.
We ran into Darius but Ryder didn't even spare him a glance. He didn't care that I was just in a bathrobe either as we walked out of the elevator, into the lobby, and out of the hotel.
We got into his car and he drove it out of the garage and into the street. In a few minutes, we were back at the palace.
He led me into his room and locked the door shut. He flung my bag on the bed and tugged crazily at his tie with his free hand. The other hand was still holding my hand.
“Start talking,“ He said.
“What?“ I was jittery as hell and he wasn't making it any better.
”What were you doing at his suite?” He demanded sternly, tightening his grip around my wrist. ”And don't you dare think of lying to me again. I've had enough of your goddamned lies!“
“Uh,” I gulped nervously, “My dress got drenched with wine and I needed to change into new clothes, and he suggested I come over to his suite…”
”Where did you meet him?”
“At a restaurant,“
“Coincidence, or was it an outcome of the phone call last night?”
I looked at him in surprise, oh my God, he knew about the phone call.
”I'm not a fool, Hara. Quit treating me like one. I'm just a man in love, and last night, I overheard you two talking. Did he ask for a meet and talk, or a meet and fuck?”
“Just to talk…”
“But you ended up in his suite…“
“I got drenched…“
“Yeah, that, and when he offered to go over to his suite, you jumped right on the offer,”
”What are you insinuating?”
“That you wanted this, dammit!“ He yelled, crushing my wrist under his grip, “You've been itchy to go to him, and when you got the chance, you couldn't let it slide,”
”That's not how it is!”
”Then how's it? Tell me, because honestly, I don't know anymore. The more I see, the less I understand. You've been lying, and I've been trying to understand, but I can't anymore. You gotta let me know what's going on in your mind. Or I'm gonna tap into it, right here, “
“Don't you dare tap into my mind,“ I said, tugging at my hand. I couldn't take the pains around my wrist anymore.
“You're leaving me with no choice. I gotta know where I stand. I need to know if you're choosing him. But then again, even if you are, it's still not gonna change anything…“
“What do you mean by that? And please, let me go. My wrist hurts,“
”I can't. That's my point, Queen. I can't let you go. I've tried, believe me, I have. I spent these past nights weighing the possibility of setting you free so you could go to him. But it's impossible to do that. I'll rather fight and bleed, I'll rather cry myself to sleep, I'll rather be miserable forever than let go of you. You can hate me. Hara, do whatever you want to me. But don't leave me,”
”Let go!“ I snapped, snatching my hand away from his grip. My wrist was sore as hell. It got me instantly infuriated. “What if I wanna leave?!”