CHAPTER 8 – VISIT TO CRYSTAL REALMS PACK

SCARLET’S POV

I was on my way out when I was accosted by Lara. I have deliberately been trying to avoid her for two days now but I could see the excitement in her when she walked up to me and now I hated that I had kept away from her even though I felt I had a very good reason to.

“Hey, Scarlet” she beamed with smile.

“Lara” I responded nonchalantly.

I would not mind seeing her later but what I want right now was for her to let me be and not bombard me with plenty of questions just to ascertain all the rumours that had been going around about me.

“Come on, why are you in a hurry, where are you off to?” she asked.

“To see a friend” I replied.

I knew that was the answer she needed as I only have one other friend aside from her. No, I mean to say acquaintance. She was my only friend and he is just an acquaintance. He does not need to say it for I had always known that he was with me to make me feel better about myself.

“But what is up with you, I barely see you these days and it is as if you are avoiding me?” she inquired.

“Been busy, that is all” I responded.

She looked at me suspiciously, but I am not ready to be guilt-tripped now. I think I will have time for her later.

“See, I am running late. I need to go and return before my absence is noticed” I said.

“But then we can go together” she suggested.

I looked at her in a way that says that I am not open to her idea, but she persisted.

“Okay, what if I give you a ride on my wolf-like I always do? We would be there in just a few minutes” she offered.

I could never reject this offer and she knew it. it was a mouth-watering offer for me and my wolf, Stake. We so much love to ride on the back of her wolf at any given opportunity. But I would have loved to reject that if we would be able to get there on our own and Stake would not hold it against me for like forever.

“Alright, if you insist” I finally replied after a long period of silence.

“Good. For a moment I had thought you were going to say no and that would have made me feel really bad as I don’t know what I have done wrong to you” she replied.

LARA’S POV

I waited impatiently to hear her acceptance of my offer to ride her to alpha Ray’s Pack-house. The Crystal Realms Pack was a few kilometers from our Pack but I know it would take her forever to get there.

I had always been the one taking her there and I wonder what she was thinking that she would go herself. And I sincerely doubt if she can even find her way there easily since she sleeps almost all through the journey to Crystal Realms.

Alpha Ray had been her senior in college. She met him the first week she entered college. He had found some students intimidating and bullying her and had immediately gone to her rescue and ever since then, they have remained friends.

He had always welcomed her to his palace and was always there whenever she needed someone to talk to. He has a very kind heart and was more of a big brother to her.

“Alright, if you insist” she finally replied after hesitating for a while.

At a point during the wait, I feared that she was going to say no to my offer because she was usually silent which was unlike her. So now, that she finally said yes I felt elated.

“Good!” I exclaimed. “For a moment I had thought you were going to say no and that would have made me feel really bad as I don’t know what I have done wrong to you”

“Come on, Lara, you have done absolutely nothing to me” she responded.

“Okay, since that is the case, I heard that you now have a trainer, why haven’t you told me about it yet or are you waiting forever to do that?” I asked.

I noticed she was a little bit uncomfortable with the topic and I wondered why that was so. I trainer was something any girl would be proud of especially one as handsome as hers has been described.

“A trainer?” she mumbled.

But why was she not happy about this? Her father did something great by getting her a trainer. Any girl would die to have one for herself.

“Are you unhappy about this? This is what every girl prays for so why is yours different?” I asked.

“But what do I need a trainer for?” she retorted.

“For training, dear, you need a trainer to help train you to be able to defend yourself” I emphasized.

“No, the trainer will not train me. Do you know what he would do? He would wreck me. Shred me to pieces and now I can’t even reject him” she said in a feeling of dejection.

I could see the fears in her. It was as if she had been committed to death with no means of escaping it.

“Please don’t say so. You need this training, especially for folks like Gina. You don’t want a repeat of what happened the last time, do you?” I asked.

All I wanted to do was to get on her emotions and make her believe she had to do this because of Gina and her likes. If this trick works, then we don’t have a problem, but if it doesn’t, then training would be a lost cause.

“Gina, yes Gina” she murmured.

That was not the kind of response that I was expecting because it was way better than getting an outright no from her.

“So when am I going to see him?” I asked.

She kept quiet like she had not heard me. She kept her gaze straight like someone on an impossible mission that must be accomplished come what may.

“Or do you intend to keep him away from me?” I asked.

She turned towards me and while maintaining a stern gesture, she replied. “I am not in control of Rich, Lara, and I don’t say who can or cannot meet him”

“Oh Rich, that is his name, Rich, such a handsome name for a handsome young man. But then you don’t expect me to walk around Diamond Cut asking for a guy named Rich do you?” I asked.

With how she had responded, I could tell that thoughts of her trainer, who she had just referred to as Rich, were a nightmare that she had come to live with.

“You can meet him tomorrow. We are starting our training session tomorrow” she replied.

I almost laughed at how she had said training as if the word was in itself a taboo but had to restrain myself. I know Scarlet and she might feel that I was making a mockery of what to her was a lethal situation.

“That would be so great, Scarlet. So tell me, is he as handsome as it is whispered?” I asked.

“Why not go ask the whisperers?” she snapped.

“Come on, Scarlet, but I am your friend. You cannot keep such a thing away from me” I beseeched.

“See, you will see him tomorrow and when you do, you can decide for yourself if he is what you consider as handsome” she replied.

“Does that mean that you are formally inviting me to join you in your training sessions?” I asked in enthusiasm.

“And what were you thinking, that I would be all alone with the strange man?” she asked.

“That is not a problem at all, my dear friend. I will stay by your side through it all” I replied.

We continued walking in silence since it was quite obvious that Scarlet was not in the mood for much talk.

We have not walked for long when she stopped and bent with her hands on her knees. I need no one to tell me that she was tired and would not be able to continue. So I held her and made her lean her head on my shoulder.

“Rest a little, Scarlet, when you are done I will shift and we will continue on our way,” I said.

“No. shift already let us continue” she objected.

“Are you sure?” I asked to confirm.

“Yes,” she replied.

I did as I was told, I shifted and we climbed on my back and we rode off.