Chapter 22
Hardin's POV
I knew that I had a temper. Hell if anyone wanted to describe Hardin Morales in one word, it would be anger. Rage.
Perhaps it was because I was the son to an Alpha and would be one myself. It was easy to explain the burning rage that I felt beneath my skin everyday as it pushed me to shift into my wolf form but I knew that many things made me upset also because I was highly irritable. And among the things that topped the list of people and situations that made my blood boil, Jasmine topped the list and I could not even explain why.
Sure I hated her and everything that she stood for because of her mother's marriage to my father to the point that I had involved my aunt, Lisa which I still didn't know if it was a good idea, considering that it gave my dad more reason to side with his new family and place me as the villain in his fairytale.
But the rage that had clouded my vision when Alex had taken a picture of her in that skimpy little dress sitting beside Brent who couldn't take his eyes off her tits had made it almost difficult for me to drive safely to that house and drag her out.
And then she had told me to get the hell out, wanting to stay back and probably take Brent on whatever offer he had for her, the little slut.
As I watched her sleep now on the bed in the cabin, sitting on the chair across from her, I hated to admit that Alex had been right with his 'looking gorgeous' caption that he had sent along with the picture and it made me more upset.
Her long ebony hair was a mess behind her and her lashes fluttered on her cheeks, her mouth pursed in a little cute pout as if she was dreaming about something that she did not agree with.
I hoped she was dreaming about me and I was giving her hell there too.
But what brought me immense satisfaction was knowing that she hadn't ended up in Brent's bed last night. She had ended up in mine, even though she had behaved like she would rather be shot to death by firing squad than have anything to do with me.
This little cabin used to be my parent's honeymoon pad, where they would get away for a bit but not too far because the pack and I needed them.
After my mum died, my father wanted to demolish it and I had insisted on becoming the owner. It was torture to enter here everyday and remember all of the times that she had brought me along. All of her clothes were still here and her scent was deeply ingrained here.
I understood that it was probably torturing to still keep all of her things as they were but I was terrified that I would forget what she smelled like. What it felt like to have a mother.
And why I had to hate Jasmine and her mother, for getting the happily ever after that she never got.
As if she could hear her name in my thoughts, Jasmine whimpered and that was when I smelled it.
Blood.
My eyes widened in surprise and I rushed to the bed as I wondered where she was injured and how.
"Wake up Jasmine" I growled and her eyes flew open, those large green eyes looking unfocused for a couple of minutes before she finally settled them on me.
"You're bleeding. What is going on?" I asked and she looked at me, biting her lip nervously as she dragged the duvet to cover her body.
"I've seen it all already. There's no need to act so shy now. Except you've forgotten how you were arching your back and screaming for more like a little vixen." I snapped and when her eyes watered, a part of me felt guilty but I shoved the feeling aside.
"My dress. Can I get my dress?" She whispered and when I looked around for the piece of clothing, I saw it laying in pieces on the floor from where I had ripped it off her body.
Her eyes followed my line of sight and she gasped.
"I'll get you something else. But answer me. You're going to be bleeding all over the bed at this rate and while I don't care what happens to you, I don't want you to die on my watch."
Her face hardened and she rose from the bed, holding the duvet to her chest and looked at the blood stained bed before looking back at me.
"Guess why I'm bleeding or where I'm bleeding from, Hardin." She whispered and my face paled as I looked at the bed and then at her before my eyes went back to the bed.
It was impossible, wasn't it?
She couldn't be a virgin, could she?
She must have seen where my thoughts had gone because tears trickled down her cheeks as she gave me a fake smile.
"Last night was your first time?" I asked, suddenly feeling out of breath and my throat worked as I ran my hand through my hair in frustration.
I remembered how I had felt like she was so tight and it had felt like heaven, like the best fuck I could ever recall having even though I'd rather die than tell her that.
I'd been merciless as I fucked her into the bed like a beast and because she had taken it, it had made me hate her even more when I thought about others being in this position.
But a virgin? How was that possible?
"You're a virgin? Why did you not tell me?"
She laughed and glared at me.
"Slut, cunt, little bitch. Everytime you have come to my room, you have emphasized on how I am definitely fucking guys everyday of my life. If I had told you that you were my first kiss and that I have never had sex before, would you have believed me, Hardin?"
My mouth fell open in shock and I knew she was right. I knew she was right. I wouldn't have listened if she has told me she was a virgin last night. Hell, I would have punished her for lying about something like that.
I opened my mouth to say something but I was speechless, guilt filling my chest as I wondered what else I had thought about her that was wrong.
It didn't change anything about the fact that I still believed her mother had married my father because of his affluence but this knowledge changed a whole lot of other things about how I perceived Jasmine.
We stared at each other in silence and she ended our stare off by reaching for the bed sheet.
"I'll wash these. Just direct me to the bathroom and I'll..."
"Forget about it."
"No, I will not.." I grabbed her hand before she could finish and she gasped, the tension between us thick and tense.
"Head into the bathroom and wash off. There will be clothes waiting for you when you come out." I said and headed into the living room, walking up to the fridge and opening a can of beer.
I needed something strong to absorb all of this.
The trip back to the house was silent and awkward and everytime I glanced at Jasmine as I drove us back home, she refused to look at me.
I didn't even have any nasty comebacks to give to her right now and that showed how much I felt terrible for what happened last night. But I was stubborn enough to admit that I had no plans to apologize and promise to stop being mean to her.
We walked into the house and Lisa was the first person that we saw as she came down the stairs.
Greeting her quietly, Jasmine made to pass but Lisa stopped her.
"That dress looks good on you. Where did you get it?" My aunt asked and Jasmine shrugged, but my eyes widened and I cleared my throat.
There was nothing else that I could have given her and my mother's dresses had been laying there in the cabin so I had given one to her. Of course, Lisa had recognized the scent that lingered on the piece of clothing.
"Go on up, Jasmine. Aunt, I'd like to discuss something with you." I said, taking my aunt's hand and leading her downstairs before she could object.
Together, we watched as Jasmine ran upstairs before she turned to face me.
"She's wearing your mother's dress."
"Yeah, something happened to hers and that was the only one available."
"What happened to the young man that called me, seething that his father was remarrying and someone from the lower class for that matter? Not only did you not call me before the wedding so that I could stop it, you're offering favours and doing nothing to split them up. Don't tell me that you're already accepting her as your sister?"
I shook my head immediately. The last thing I saw Jasmine as was a sister.
Lisa grabbed my chin and kissed my cheek.
"That's better. Don't ever forget that your mother is lying six feet under and another woman, a tramp and her daughter are working overtime to tea your father away from you. Because, the moment you forget that, you've already lost, Hardin. You will lose everything."