Chapter 12 12
Third Person POV
"Draven” Hazel turned around in shock; she hadn't heard him approach her, and it had been deathly quiet. It was almost scary how he showed up, like he had always been there.
"What are you doing sitting on the ground?" Draven asked her, and she realised she had fallen after she heard his voice. She scampered to her feet, trying not to make a fool of herself.
"Excuse me," she said, then turned around, facing him as if she just remembered why she was upset with him. He saw the changes in her face as he saw her go from confused and embarrassed to scowling at him.
"What's the matter?" Draven asked.
"What's the matter?"
"You're asking me what the matter is?" She pointed at the painting of Adrian and said, "That's the problem, Draven; you've been using me, both of you!" She shouted suddenly, infuriated.
Draven cocked his head in amusement watching her pull her hair in anger; it almost made him laugh. A low chucked escaped his lips before he could speak again.
"And what makes you think we're both using you; why not me alone?" He asked her quietly; she looked at him for a bit, seemingly confused; the question had been unexpected and weirdly calmed her anger down.
"That doesn't matter; you could have told me, but no, you decide to keep it to yourself till I find out," she shouted, her voice seething with rage.
"And where was the time to tell you?" He asked her; she thought about it for a bit; she knew they hadn't really talked much since he picked her up from her father's house; the only other time they had talked was when he had saved her from the cliffs.
"Come with me," he walked past her into the door at the end of the corridor. She hesitantly followed behind him into the office. It was a darkly lit office with a dark painted mahogany wood.
"Take a seat, Hazel ; let's have a quick chat." Draven said as he assumed his position, sitting in the chair at the desk with no other alternative. Hazel took a seat in front of Draven , but she kept some space between the both of them.
"So explain yourself!" She demanded as soon as she settled in; she felt it was a bit too rushed, but more than anything, he was too calm and collected; he didn't even seem fazed by the fact that she had just found out Adrian, her ex, was his nephew.
And here she was, in Adrian's uncle’s house, being taken care of by him, while Adrian was off goofing around with Thalia. The thought of it pained her, but weirdly enough, she found comfort in that man who sat opposite her, lighting a cigar.
"What's there to explain?" He asked gently
"What do you mean, what's there to explain? Have you been stalking me, and for how long?" She asked completely surprised; she suddenly realised that his sudden appearance in his life may not just be a coincidence
"Well, he's my nephew; although I haven't been around for quite a while after a certain event," he said while taking a drag from his cigar, slowly blowing it out.
"I just recently returned, and I found out my nephew, who was mated, had just been rejected, and his mate is also someone I take some interest in," he finished.
Hazel cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean, take interest in?" She was completely puzzled; she couldn't even figure out her life, much less Draven as a person.
There was so much hidden about this man, dark and mysterious but yet intriguing. "Matters of similar interests, you're asking the wrong question, Hazel ," he replied quickly.
She knew there was certainly something he was hiding, but he wasn't hiding the fact that he was hiding something important from her.
"So you saving me in front of the prison, was that planned?" she asked, hoping she guessed the wrong answer.
"Yes, it was."
Her heart dropped to her chest; she knew it all along; she just never wanted to accept it, but she couldn't stop here. All the questions that had plagued heroin her sleepless nights, she would ask them all.
"And you waiting in front of my house that night? What were you doing there?" She asked carefully.
"A little wolf of mine told me what had happened during the party—how you drank poison and fainted. I think that's how the story went," he said, taking another drag before continuing.
"But what I didn't expect was to come over and watch you get disowned by your own family after you rejected my nephew. It was certainly entertaining, but I realised that you had absolutely no one to call, meet, or help you," he said, then stretched out his arms.
"And who else is better than me?" he chuckled while at it. The entire thing made sense to her; it all made sense except for one major detail.
"Why?" She asked perplexed.
"Why what?"
"You don't love me, nor do I owe you anything; not have we met earlier; absolutely nothing connects us, so why would you be willing to help me so much?" She asked.
"Aaahh, the big question," he said with a sigh.
"Yeah, the big one, you have nothing to gain by being with me and everything to lose, so why take such risks? Hell, I almost killed you," she complained.
"Pfft, you think that little pond across the cliff could kill me?" He pressed the tip of the cigar into a metal plate, leaving it there.
"But I need to know, why me?"
"Because I need you, Hazel ; you're much more important to me than you could ever imagine; without you, I'd lose my will and my purpose; you have no idea how long I've waited for this time to come and finally it has," he paused, then scratched his beard a bit.
"So yes, I would risk my life to save yours. I would bring down packs and ride down Alpha's just to protect you, Hazel ," he said with a deadpan expression. He meant every single word he said.
"No, I'm not who you think I am; I'm not some saviour the goddess had been keeping for you to come save from her distress and make her your queen," she defended. Draven thought for a little while then smiled.
"That's actually exactly what you are," he said with a light laugh. 'How comical, he thought. She said exactly what she was to him—a second chance from the goddess and a reminder of her mercy.
"Tell me what's so special about me," Hazel demanded.
"No"
She frowned at his refusal; she was sure he would say what it was eventually after spouting all the things he did; she wouldn't give up that easily though.
"Tell me what it is; I deserve to know," she pressed even harder. "Knowledge is power, as power can be used only at the right time," he said absentmindedly.
He searched the table looking for a document he had left earlier. "And what the hell is that supposed to mean, huh?" She said scornfully, She wasn't a fan or vague words or hidden meaning.
Draven didn't answer her, so she hit the table with her fists. "Answer me, Draven " she demanded once more.
"Tsk"
"Temper Temper, Hazel "
"What I'm saying is that I'll tell you when I feel the time is right," he finished.
"Why can't the time be right now? What makes you think I can't take it right now, huh?" She said she flared up in anger; her chest heaved up and down slightly.
He gestured at her, "Do you really expect me to tell you something so important while you're so agitated?" He asked her.
"It doesn't matter..."
"It does, Hazel ," his voice boomed across the room. She fell quite almost immediately; she hadn't expected to get him riled up like that, but she also felt overwhelmed at the sudden reality of her situation.
Finding out that her mate's uncle had taken an interest in her long before she even knew who he was, he had been expecting her fall and the end of her betrothal only for him to take her, making her his because he knew she had nowhere else to go.
She felt completely powerless. "I think you need some time to yourself, don't you, Hazel ?" He asked gently after calming himself down. He gestured towards the door behind her.
"I'll come discuss with you after you've thought things through, or if you want more time to yourself, you're free to have it; just don't try anything stupid like the last time," he said, then found the document he had been looking for.
Hazel gently stood up from the chair and walked towards the door. She didn't know how to feel exactly—angry, sad, disappointed, or lost. She was in a turmoil of emotions and needed some time to think.
Her phone buzzed by her side; she took it out and read the text that popped up; it was a message from Adrian.
"Where are you?"