CHAPTER 170
Chapter 170
BOOK 2: CHAPTER 40
Harriette’s POV
The moment Rowan said those words, my feet became fixated on the ground. I couldn’t move from the same spot. Something broke in me and I didn’t even have the mental capacity to comprehend what it could be.
Was it fear? Was it anxiety?
I couldn’t tell but something shocked me to my core.
“I’m this close to rejecting you,” he had said. Those words echoed in my head over and over. Why would he say something like that? What did he mean by rejecting me?
Why would he reject me? Did I say the wrong thing or did I do the wrong thing?
I stood at the same spot and couldn’t move even after he left. My vision turned blurry all of a sudden and I tried cleaning my eyes but soon found out that I’d been crying.
I wiped the tears with my finger and stared at it. Was I crying? Why was I crying? I asked myself another set of questions that I had no answer for.
My eyes returned to where Rowan had been standing and my brain finally processed that he wasn’t there anymore. I also turned on my heels and walked out of there.
On my way back to the room, I couldn’t stop thinking about what Rowan said. I wanted to let go but I couldn’t. My lower lips were between my teeth as I bit harder and harder hoping it would help me ignore what he’d said but still, it didn’t work out.
“HARRIETTE,”
Someone yelled my name. When I turned in the direction of the voice, it was Luna Angela. She was waving and calling for me to come to her.
She was surrounded by a group of kids under a shaded canopy tree with a book in her hand. The kids all looked at her with light in their eyes.
“No,” I shook my head frantically so she could know what my response to her request was.
She pouted disappointingly. Soon, I watched as the kids left her side. She stood up and walked towards me.
“I asked you to come over, Harriette. You could’ve joined us,”
She said with a pretty smile on her face.
“I didn’t want to disturb you. Moreover, I had no idea what you were doing,”
“I was just reading to the kids,” she scoffed as though it wasn’t a big deal. “It’s one of my favorite children’s books. Why? Because I wrote it myself,” she chuckled again. She really was amazing. An author and an artist. Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.
I nodded. “I should go now,”
I had better things to worry about than children’s books and whatnot.
“What’s wrong? You look down,” she asked me.
“I’m fine. I just need to…”
Before I could finish my statement, she grabbed my hand and dragged me to the shade.
“SIT,” she commanded.
“I should really go. Honestly, I just want to go back to my room and sleep the rest of the day off,”
She turned to glare at me and I swallowed my words. She had this scary yet peaceful look on her face. She wasn’t going to take
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no for an answer so instead of arguing further, I sat.
“Good girl,” she complimented.
I was supposed to ignore her compliment as usual but out of nowhere, I remembered Thorne’s compliment from last night and I got goosebumps.
I adjusted myself on the seat.
“What’s wrong?”
She asked.
Now or before? I wanted to ask.
Before, I was bothered by what Rowan said but now, I’m suddenly hot from Thorne’s compliment last night.
Rather than saying either one of the two options, I shook my head.
“You can always talk to me. I won’t judge and I won’t say anything that’s not nice. So, tell me, what happened? You looked pale earlier?”
I took a deep breath as I stared at her. Something about her was so heartwarming and calming.
“Why…” I paused as I pushed back the tears. “Why does it hurt so badly?”
She quickly held my hand. “What hurts? Did someone hurt you?”
I nodded and then, I shook my head again. “I don’t know but it hurts here,” I pointed to my heart. My voice was shaking.
“Why does it hurt, Harriette?”
Her eyes were filled with tears as she looked at me.
I went on to explain what had happened earlier with Rowan to her, but I took out the parts that involved Thorne.
“I think I was scared,”
I answered truthfully, finally trying to figure out how I felt.
“Scared of Rowan?”
I nodded. Or maybe I was scared of what he would do.
She ran her hand through my hair and smiled at me.
“You shouldn’t be scared of Rowan, Harriette. I mean, you aren’t even scared of Darius and a lot of people find him scary,”
I scoffed. “Your husband is annoying, not scary,”
She laughed and I did too. That calmed my nerves a bit. She smiled at me again and it felt warm. She could keep smiling at me all day and I wouldn’t mind it. It felt as though it was something I needed.
“Come with me, Harriette,”
She stood up and stretched her hand towards me.
“To where?”
–“Let’s go talk to the big bad wolf who made you sad,” she suggested.
“No, we shouldn’t do that,” I refused.
“Are you still scared of him?”
“NO! I just don’t want to talk to him,”
She stared into my eyes. “If you keep avoiding him, you’ll never understand what he meant by what he said. Confrontation
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might be difficult but it’s one of the best ways to hash issues out if done properly,”
Her explanation seemed to make sense.
“Are you sure?”
“I know it might be hard for you but trust me this once,”
Reluctantly, I agreed.
We both went to Rowan’s office to talk to him. He was busy as usual but we were allowed to see him because of Luna Angela.
“Hello, Alpha Rowan,”
He lifted his head from the document and looked at both Luna Angela and me.
“To what do I owe this visit?” He asked.
“We wanted to talk. However, I have a suggestion that if you agree to, I’ll only have to excuse you while you talk to her,” Luna Angela said and I frowned. What was she talking about?
Rowan looked at me again but only for a few seconds.
“What suggestion?”
“Why don’t you tell Harriette the truth about you two?”
“What truth?” I asked Luna Angela.
She shrugged and pointed to Rowan.
“There’s nothing to talk about,” Rowan finally said after a few seconds of silence.
Luna Angela laughed nervously. “I’m sure there’s something to talk about,”
Rowan laughed along with her but there was a hint of mockery in his laughter. “I was about to go talk to your husband,”
He suddenly added.
“About what?”
He pointed at me. “About how you all are no longer welcome in my pack, including your alleged daughter,”