CHAPTER 24 – THE ENCOUNTER

LARA’S POV

I wished I could stop her from going on with this, but there was nothing I could do, absolutely nothing. She is on my wolf and I am taking her to Crystal Realms to see alpha Ray. There are so many things that she does not know of just yet, so many waters have gone down the bridge and she is yet to be aware of it.

I am her best friend but I could not bring myself to tell her. But maybe I was never a friend, maybe that was why she had to order me to do this. Or maybe it was meant to be. They say nothing can be hidden under the sun, nothing would remain hidden forever and this is not an exception.

Maybe this is when destiny assigned her to find out everything but I just wish that it does not have to be in this her current state. I wished there was a better time for this, but then there would never be an any better time.

We arrived close to the Packhouse and I stopped. I wanted to shift back to my human form and follow her inside but she stopped me despite my resistance and asked me not to accompany her but to wait for her outside instead.

Having no other alternative, I did as I have been ordered and waited patiently and anxiously for her return. However, while I waited, I silently prayed and hoped she comes back in one piece.

SCARLET’S POV

I would like to go see Ray alone this time as going with Lara might attract much attention to us and moreover, I do not want to make her see Ray since she does not want to. I already feel so bad about making her do things that she would rather have not done.

When she wanted to shift, I requested that she remained in her wolf form and wait outside for me. I do not intend to stay long with Ray, he might be busy and would not even have enough time to spend with me and it was already getting late.

I got to the gates and when the guards tried to stop me, I smiled at them and told them that I was in a hurry to see Ray immediately. The attitude of trying to stop me at the gate was strange but I dismissed it to be because it has been long since I came to the Packhouse.

I got to the building and a guard stopped me and informed me that Ray was very busy right now and would not be able to see me. Thinking of what to do to get inside, I had to lie to him that Ray himself had asked me to come and that there was no need going to inform him of my presence as I already have to meet him in his room.

I don’t know why I was doing this, but deep inside of me, my instinct told me that something was not right and that the guards has been pre-ordered to repeat the same excuse to me over and over again. I don’t know why this is so, but maybe I might as well find out today or maybe I was just imagining things.

My mind was restless as I climbed up the stairs, and I felt that it would be better to go back and come back again tomorrow. I would not forgive myself if the guards were right and Ray was truly in an important meeting and I end up barging in on him.

But I was here now. What if Lara refused to willingly bring me back without an order from me? I was already here and it was better to get this over with right here and now.

I was heading to Ray’s room. He is usually not in his room during the day unless he is less busy and so there is a great possibility that I was going to be greeted by an empty room but I was ready to take the chance.

I got to the front of the room but as I wanted to open it and walk in as I have always done, I stopped and knocked instead.

After knocking, I waited for a few minutes but there was no reply and so I knocked again and I decided that after this time if no one opens, then I was going to walk right in.

I was about to open the door after waiting for a while when the door opened and standing right in front of me was Gina.

Seeing Gina in front of me made me nauseous immediately. What was she doing here, in Ray’s room? so many wild thoughts ran through my mind as I looked at her.

Even she appeared to be shocked to see me which to me was ridiculous because if there was anyone with a greater right to Ray’s room then that person was me.

“Gina” I mumbled. “What are you doing here?” I struggled to ask.

I waited for her to give me an answer or an explanation. Anything that would show some connection between her as a person, and being in Ray’s room. My Ray.

“What are you doing here, Scarlet, who allowed you in?” she asked.

She had so much revulsion all over her and I could tell that she wished that she could wish me away.

“I should be asking you that, Gina. Since when have you been coming here and what do you have with Ray and where is Ray” I asked.

“You and I know that you have no right to ask me such a question. So tell me, what are you to Ray? Sister, friend, lover, mate?"She asked in spite. "You see, you are none of such. So what right do you have to be here in the first place?” she asked again.

“But you should be with Sam, you are engaged together and would be getting married next year” I murmured.

At the mention of the name of my brother, Sam, she burst into laughter and when she was done, she looked at me as if I was the most hilarious clown that she has ever come across in her whole life and said. “You are a child, Scarlet, and you will always be one. The fact remains that I am still single and please never confuse that for marriage ever again”

She was right; she was never married to Sam. But now I see the reason why my father never considered her good enough for Sam.

“Honey” I heard a voice call from inside.

It was Ray's and he was referring to Gina as his honey. My heart literary jumped on my mouth and it felt as if my whole intestine would throw up.

“Yes, love” Gina responded and winked at me.

“You have been at the door for a while, who are you speaking to?” he asked.

He came out to see who was at the door and immediately he set his eyes on me, he got furious. “What are you doing here, who allowed you in?” he yelled.

“Ray” I mumbled.

I could not understand why he was reacting in such a manner. He has always been so glad to see me or is it that he had been avoiding me and had instructed his guards never to let me in?

“Don’t you ever call me by my name, you have no right to” he yelled.

“Alpha Ray” I mumbled still surprised at his hostile reception.

“I don’t want to ever set my eyes on you ever again,” he said plainly.

“But…” I was choking and tears dropped from my eyes.

“See, you are not going to succeed in such emotional blackmail. It will not work this time and it will not work ever again” he said.

“What happened” I sniffed.

“Get away with your miserable-looking self” Gina shunned me.

He held Gina on the shoulder to pacify her and then kissed her cheek before turning to me. “You have always known that I was going to find my mate this lunar full moon but you came to trick me into falling for you when all I had ever done was to treat you nice. So please leave” he ordered.

“Your mate?” I murmured.

This whole thing was getting more confusing. I could swear that he is my mate so what other mate was he talking about?

I needed answers, everything was happening rather too fast and it was as if the entire universe had joined forces to curse me.

“Since all you are good for is pretense, I will explain all that I have said in clear terms. My love, Gina here is my mate. She is the one that the moon goddess has preserved specially for me. If it was left for deceptive folks like you, I would have lost her. You were desperate, Scarlet, and it never mattered to you who might be the victim of your selfishness” he said.

“But… no…” I stammered

I could not make out the right words to say. I wanted to tell him that he was mistaken and that there was no way Gina who had been the mate of my brother, Sam, would now be his mate too.

The moon goddess is not an author of confusion and she would not give a mate to someone and then turn around and take it back without any tangible reason.

Now I wished that Lara was here with me. She would have handled the situation perfectly better than I could and would have wasted no time in putting Gina at her rightful place. If I had known, I would have allowed her when she expressed her desire to come in with me. Now I am left all to myself not knowing the right step to take.

“Get out, Scarlet, and the next time you dare to come here, you will not like what my reaction would be” he ordered.

His voice was loud and it was a command. I have never seen him this way with anyone before no matter how angry he was and now, he had to be this way with me.

By all that have transpired, I felt so dejected. I turned and left amidst the grin from Gina. I have lost to her when all along, I had felt that her threat was in vain.