Chapter 28 Masking Pain
When Raina encountered the rogue, her eyes took in familiar sharp, hawklike eyes as they regarded her. Samson? Her eyes widened in recognition. Why had Mack and Jacqueline sent him? Samson was Mack’s male Beta.
“I come bearing gifts for you,” he smirked, eyeing her with those onyx eyes of his. “The feather of a crow and petals of a white rose.”
She nodded her head. “And I accept your gifts with the light of the moon and the foot of a rabbit.”
Samson also nodded his head while surveying the area before his eyes landed on Meri. Raina noticed his eyes narrow for a moment, but he took a deep breath as he tore his eyes away from her body guard back to her. She frowned, taking note of the sudden tension in his body.
It was unlike Samson to be affected by anything or anyone. He was usually composed and nonchalant. Nothing ever phased him. When Raina met him through Jacqueline, he was as cool as a cucumber and the eerie calmness before the storm. He was also Jacqueline’s childhood best friend and had assisted them with overthrowing Jacqueline’s first cousin, Kaos.
Jacqueline was the granddaughter of the infamous Rogue King that wreaked havoc over the lands until his death. Kaos had taken the throne after and promised peace, but he had lied, quietly planning to restore power and fear of the Rogue kingdom. Jacqueline didn’t want war, only peace. She had realized Mack was her fated mate before he had, but when she revealed who she was and filled Kian in her cousin’s plans, Crimson Moon aided her into storming the kingdom and overthrowing Kaos. She became Rogue Queen and Mack became Rogue King of the kingdom.
Samson was Jacqueline’s childhood best friend and he had played a huge part with the success of the takeover. It wasn’t a surprise that he became their male Beta. What was a surprise was Samson’s reaction to Meri unless…? Raina’s eyes widened in realization. Was Meri his fated mate?
As if Samson knew exactly the thoughts racing through her mind, she spotted the classic smirk.
“Here are your gifts,” he told her as he reached into his cloak and revealed an ornate box that shimmered in the moonlight.
Raina saw Meri tense at his actions. When Meri stepped in front of her to intercept the box, Raina put out her hand to gently stop her. Meri’s eyes went to hers, begging her to reconsider her actions.
Alpha would kill me if anything would happen to you, Meri’s voice entered her mind.
Raina smiled, trying to reassure her in her own way. Meri, please trust me.
Meri looked conflicted, looking between Raina, Samson, and the box before the tension in her shoulders released. She sighed, obviously still not happy with Raina’s decision, but she respected her enough to fall back. Raina gave her wrist a gentle squeeze before her eyes met Samson’s stare. She didn’t miss the slight smile on his face that softened the previous smirk. He was happy that Meri still did her duty even if he was her fated mate.
“Thank you,” Raina told him as she forward when Samson passed the box to her.
Samson crossed his arms as he studied her closely. “Remember, toss the petals and the feather in the air in the air and the message will be sent. We will be waiting.”
She only nodded her head and Samson spared Meri one glance before he turned on his heel. Meri drew in a breath and Raina watched her young body guard watch Samson disappear into the forest. It wasn’t until he was completely gone that Meri released a shaky breath.
“Are you okay?” Raina asked her.
Meri glanced over at her, blinking rapidly for a moment. “I’m fine.”
“It’s okay, Meri,” she whispered to her. “I know.”
Her body guard swallowed hard. “I always thought when I met my fated mate that it was going to be the hardest thing to choose between duty and love,” she confessed softly, looking at her feet. “But I was wrong. The hardest thing is seeing him walk away so easily from me. It feels like I’m breaking to pieces and he makes it look so easy to leave me behind.”
She took a breath in and out, trying to get herself under control. She straightened her back and squared her shoulders. Raina knew she was trying to put a mask on to hide her pain. It was never easy when it came to fated mates.
Raina had a sneaking suspicion that it was far from over between the two of them. Samson would’ve rejected her on the spot if he had no intention of pursuing her. She didn’t bother voicing her hunch not wanting to crack Meri’s carefully constructed fortress to guard her heart.
“Sebastian is on his way,” Meri told her, turning to facing her.
Raina sighed. “I think I’d just like to go to my room.”
“Okay,” her body guard murmured. “I’ll let Sebastian know what happened and that you decided to head upstairs.”
Meri had escorted her back to her Luna suite. Sebastian had checked in on her through mindlink and she assured both Kian and Sebastian that she was fine. She briefly filled them in on the ornate box Samson had given her from Mack and Jacqueline. Kian warned her to be careful handling the box and made her promise to wait until he returned to open it.
She sighed, placing the ornate box on the nightstand beside her bed. Glancing outside, the massive moon hung high in the sky right outside her window. She knew Kian would be awhile so she crawled up on the mattress and curling up on her side. Her eyes fixed on the box, admiring the rainbow iridescent refractions of light. She watched the colors spill across the wooden surface of the nightstand and over the fabric of her bed covers.
Soon, the heaviness of her eyes drifted shut, slipping into a deep sleep until she jolted awake abruptly to the sound of voices. Confusion clouded her thoughts and minds as she tried to make sense of her surroundings. The quietness and stillness of night didn’t feel right and the eerie strangeness of whispered voices too soft to make out what was being said but loud enough to know that there was someone there.
Her heart raced as she crawled off the bed and followed the voices. The louder they got, the more she realized the voices were coming from Kian’s suite. Dread dropped down to the pit of her belly. Her sweaty hand shook. She walked through Kian’s bedroom and through his personal library towards his office.
That was when she heard her voice loud and clear. Why was Mia here at this time of night?
“Kian, you work too hard,” Mia sang out.
Raina heard Kian chuckle. “What do you suppose I do for some fun?
Raina’s body tensed and her heart clenched. His tone was different from how he would speak to her. She peeked inside his office and her heart broke when she saw two figures clearly. Mia sat on his desk. Kian’s body fit between her legs with his back to Raina but his front facing Mia. His hands cupped Mia’s face as he leaned down to kiss her.
Tears sprang into Raina’s eyes as she watched them. She heard Mia’s giggle when his hands drifted down her body as his mouth trailed over her face. Maybe, she was just sadistic, but she watched him gently grab her thighs and push them apart more.
“You deserve to be worshipped every day,” he told her as he knelt down between her legs and Mia smile down at him.
Mia sighed. “Then show me how you worship your goddess.”
Raina watched as Kian’s fingers disappeared underneath Mia’s skirt. She heard Mia’s quick intake of air before a soft sigh could be heard. Mia’s face tilted up as pleasure overwhelmed her. Her sighs became whimpers as Kian’s fingers played with her underneath her skirt.
“That’s it,” he cooed to her. “Show me how beautiful you are.”
Pain shattered through Raina’s heart like a bullet. Her chest burned and she pressed her hand against her chest, knowing that a bruise had to be forming. She felt like dying — the pain was much worse than it used to be.
Slapping a hand over her mouth to keep herself from making a noise, she pressed her body against the wall of bookcases and let her body slid down until she sat on the floor. She heard their voices of pleasure echoing in the library. Putting her hands over her ears, she tried to block them out, but it seemed to only get louder if that was even possible.
A loud bang startled her and her face snapped to the side for a moment to where Kian’s bedroom was. She glanced over at the office and gasped when there was nobody in the office. The light was even off like nobody had been in there. It was in pristine condition, untouched like nobody had been in there all day.
“Raina?” she heard Kian call out from his bedroom. She could’ve sworn there was fear in his voice.
She swallowed hard as she ventured closer, leaning against the doorframe of his office. She stared at the clearly untouched office. Mia was nowhere to be found nor was Kian, but they had just been in there. She was sure of it.
A hand grazed her arm and she jumped in surprise, turning quickly right into a familiar muscular body with his familiar woodsy scent. Panicked, her eyes met Kian’s confused and concerned ones. His hands curled around her arms, keeping her in place. She didn’t even realize she was trying to struggle against him until he wrapped her tightly in his arms.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, holding her close.
She breathed in Kian’s scent deeply, but she couldn’t smell Mia not even a hint. There was only a hint of scents from the other Alphas… but she had seen him and Mia with her own eyes. She had seen them, but her eyes swung to the empty and untouched office with no indication of anybody being in there.
Had she been sleepwalking?
Her body shuddered, trembling against his as she tried to calm down. She still couldn’t find her voice. Her hands shakily grabbed at Kian until she gave into his comfort, tunneling herself into his warmth. She kept breathing in his scent, grounding herself in his presence.
“Please,” she finally begged in whisper. “Please just take me to bed.”
“Raina--”
Her eyes peered up at him. “I need it. I need you.”