Chapter 21 – Another Love Rival?
REESE’S POV
“How’s your night?” Adriana questioned with a smug smile playing on her lips. Her beautiful eyes were more teasing and I know she is deliberately asking me.
“I don’t know what you are talking about?” I gulped the orange juice in one go.
Adriana settled on the chair and grinned “come one, don’t hide it anymore. I have the fortune to see John bringing you back in the morning in his arms. Besides I know you had a wild night in the lake house”
My eyes widened “how…?” I was speechless.
She let out a laugh “Cassius of course. He told me, John asked for the lake house to bring you there. After those teasing, an aggressive man like him won’t be staying still no?”
Of course, Alpha Cassius. I shook my head. Adriana is his mate so it’s highly possible he will share the news with her. But this made the evil woman in front of me get hold of my embarrassing moments. She will be teasing me to death.
“Okay, he brought me there and I must say it was a beautiful place” I said before she could ask more.
“I know, when I got there for the first time, I thought the same. That place was actually made by Cassius’s dad. You know, a little secret place for a couple to hide themselves in the forest” Adriana smiled “I was surprised when Cassius really gave the permission to use that house”
“I was not expecting it too” I shook my head, “I never thought Azrael will be doing such thing”
“He is passionate and more like doing something romantic for you,” Adriana replied. “Before you, I never saw him with any woman when for a single male like him there were uncountable chances. But no, he kept himself away from the claws of other woman even if there are bunch who was waiting for a slight chance to jump on him”
“He was that tough?” I frowned.
“John is aggressive and what he would do was only work. I once heard him say that he wanted to keep himself and his love for his mate. Other women don’t deserve it” she shook her head.
Suddenly my heart filled with guilt. He was so good, understanding and even avoided other women for his mate, his destined one. But see what I did in return. I loved another man rejecting him and pushed him in the sea of suffering. I was so cruel, not understanding what’s good or bad. How could I be so blinded not to see my mate when I found him?
“Reese?”
I looked with tearful eyes.
“Oh my god” Adriana widened her eyes “what happened? Why are you crying?” She was instantly by my side.
“I don’t know how to fight the regret in my heart. I was such a fool and idiot in the past. I even rejected him and went for another man who wasn’t even my mate. I put him in pain and never looked back. I don’t know what to do, to…” My voice choked and I couldn’t say any words further. My chest was heavy. No matter how much I try, these regrets will shower, not letting me forget at all.
“Reese, I know things will be hard. Past is our part of life and it’s not easy to get over it. But we also couldn’t live with that. Maybe that was destined for you two. I know John has been suffering from the pain of losing his mate but he has you now. And all you have to do is, to mend the mistake you have made and never leave his side. He has suffered enough and you know what you should do to ameliorate your bond with him” Adriana gave an encouraging smile. Assuring me everything will be fine.
I hold her hand “thank you for this strength Adriana, I don’t know what would I have done alone”
“Come one, I can understand your situation because I have faced a similar circumstance before. Life is not easy to deal with because it will throw the hardness on the way. But we can’t back down because of it. If we fell, we have to get up then fight again and again till we win over it”
I chuckled “you are more understanding than me” I shook my head.
She laughed “maybe I learnt from my mistakes. Things were hard in the part, I had to take every lesson to get over and make things better to settle”
“I will do it” I said with determination, “to tell the truth, the first thing I thought when he brought me here was how to escape. But Azrael was more determined than me. He didn’t give me a single chance to even force me to accept the bond between us. Now even if I wanted to, I couldn’t” I shook my head.
“That’s great. With you by his side, John will be fine. You know even Cassius wants you to stay here because he knows John will be in a difficult situation if you were to go again. And he don’t want it to happen at all”
“I know, Alpha Cassius almost threatened me for that” I laughed, wiping my tears.
Adriana gasped “what? When?”
“That day after you left with Josue”
She shook her head “this man” then sighed “impossible, please don’t take any offense Reese. I don’t know what to say now”
“I understood his intention don’t worry”
She smiled “don’t worry, I will talk to him”
“No, you don’t have to. Alpha Cassius might seem dangerous but he is not bad” I shook my head.
“Thanks for understanding Reese” she let out a sigh.
JOHN’S POV
“We caught a rogue today. He was trailing on the border, looking like trying to find a chance to sneak in” Jordan informed.
I looked up from the file frowning “rogue?”
He nodded “yeah, though he doesn’t look like one” shrugging his shoulders he gave a blank look “should we inform Alpha?”
“Not for such trivial matters. I will handle this. Besides Alpha don’t like to be disturbed for small things” I got up from my chair throwing the file carelessly on the table.
“So where is he?”
“In the training field, under the eyes of our men”
I nodded “let’s go then, I would also like to see him”
We walked out and headed towards the training field. On the way we passed the garden and found my mate and Adriana there. They were sitting closer and talking privately. I frowned at her direction. Maybe she felt my gaze, so she turned to look back at me. I smiled and waved my hand to her then winked at the end which made her blush. I smirked while she quickly turned her head.
“Ahemm…” Jordan cleared his throat beside me. “I didn’t know you were so smitten to you mate”
I rolled my eyes “oh, I would ask the same when Katie is around you”
“Fuck man, do you have to be so rude?” He cursed.
“It’s not me who started it” I smirked, “you know I don’t like to be in disadvantages”
“Fuck! You are sure arrogant”
“You know me so well”
When we reached the field, I saw a man with dark hair was kneeling on the ground. He was muscular and had that kind of look to show an ‘I am better than you’ attitude.
“Is it him?” I frowned.
“Told you, he didn’t look like a rogue but he was sneaking around the territory which seemed suspicious” Jordan replied.
I nodded and walked to him. His hand was tied behind his back but his gaze was somewhat strange. He is not weak, that was for sure. Then why is he sneaking around like a rogue.
“Who are you?” I inquired about him.
He looked solemn and replied arrogantly “Jamir Koch”. His reply doesn’t seem like he is afraid or something for being caught.
“I guess you don’t belong to the rogue members. If not then why are you in our territory?”
He didn’t reply but just looked at me. I frowned at his behavior.
“Even if you think you can handle the situation, I won’t be that assured if I were in your place. If your identity is unknown, then your death won’t affect anyone here. But I guess those people related to you will be devastated. So let’s complete the interrogation in a peaceful way” hardening my voice I pressured more into the fact.
He pursed his lips. He looked like pondering over what I said just now. Then finally he sighed.
“I didn’t mean to sneak around. I was trying to find someone”
I raised an eyebrow “someone? Who do you mean by that?”
“It’s a woman, and she was a rogue”
My heart clenched suddenly which I don’t know why. A woman? Rogue? This was indicating something different.
“But we don’t have any rogue here” I said firmly.
“Her last traces disappeared near this territory. I was just trying to locate her”
This is something….
“Well then you are at the wrong place-” my voice just landed when I heard my mate’s voice.
“Jamir?”
I turned to look at her standing a few feets away from us. Her gaze focused on the man kneeling in front of me. By her side Adriana also frowned.
Fuck, don’t tell me the woman whom this Jamir was telling to locate is my mate?