I was released from the hospital in a few days but I never stopped thinking about what Brandon had said in the hospital. I couldn't tell Darius about his visit because I knew it would only make matters worse but I knew I couldn't see or talk to Brandon again. Brandon had been sending me messages for the first two days after our encounter and I had to block his number. I didn't want to give him the mindset that I was his ally or his friend so I cut off all contact with him. According to Ian, he tried to see me at the house but Darius wouldn't let him cross the threshold of the gate.
I knew Brandon and I knew he was not going to take that rejection lightly but I also knew that whenever he decided to act out, I would have someone by my side. Since I left the hospital, Jared had not left my side. It was like he was glued to me and had no plans of leaving anytime soon. I was grateful for his company and I knew he enjoyed mine too even though he pretended to hate it. He was only relieved of his duty when Darius came home for the night and he was right back at my side by morning.
"Leindra," Jared's voice snapped me out of my thoughts and I turned to him. He gestured to the pan on the fire and I muttered a small curse under my breath as I was barely able to salvage the bacon on the fire. "Whoever said that women are better cooks has clearly not met you."
"I would have you know that I am an amazing cook."
"Tell that to the charred bacon and the first failed attempt at pancakes. Honestly, Leindra, I don't even know why you bother anymore. It is clear that cooking isn't your strong suit."
"Pray tell, what is then?"
"Being a bitch perhaps?"
I flipped him off making him laugh. I was stressed out and hungry so I decided to make something. Jared said he wanted to watch so he decided to keep me company. He said he wanted bacon and I didn't really mind so I decided to fry some. That was how we ended up with a half-burnt pan of the greasy delicacy.
Jared reached out and picked up a piece and slipped it into his mouth. He chewed on it and shrugged. "it's edible. Let's hope the muffins are too."
"If you're going to complain then you might as well take over."
"I would if we weren't leaving in about half an hour," I glanced at the clock and my brows rose. I didn't realize time had gone that quickly.
I was shocked when Darius told me that I was going to keep going to the bar. I had expected that he would keep me locked up in the house but he said he was going to be spending most of his days at the bar and he wanted to make sure I was within sight. I didn't blame him for his overprotectiveness especially since I had almost died the last time I had gone out on my own.
I had overheard the doctors telling Darius that I was lucky that they got to me in time because I could have bled out to death or been thrown off the cliff. It made me feel incredibly stupid about my actions and it only made me want answers more. I needed to know who wanted to kill me so badly. Darius and the others still suspected Brandon but I didn't see how it was possible for him to be with me in the room and still tamper with my brakes unless he had help and so far, there was no proof of him having help. Darius had spent days looking into that theory but so far he had come up empty.
It hadn't dissuaded him though, he was certain Brandon was involved and his defense was that his gut told him so. I didn't want to argue with him because I was still struggling to get back into his good graces after what happened. He wasn't visibly upset with me but things had not been able to go back to the way they were. For starters, he never touched me, he didn't come to bed until after I had fallen asleep and he was out before I woke up every day. Whenever I tried to talk to him about it, he was quick to change the subject.
I took the muffins out of the oven and got changed for work. Jared drove the car to the bar and when we got there, I noticed the moon out in the sky. It wasn't a full moon but it was very close to one and I suddenly remembered their curse to shift painfully. "The next full moon is very soon," I began and Jared hummed. "What do you guys do? Do you hunt or something? Do you hide yourselves so you don't hurt anyone?"
"We aren't new shifters, we won't hurt anyone unless we want to. The shifting process is what is painful and we can't control our wolves but our wolves aren't rabid animals. The humans stay in like expected and we run free."
"What happens if a human is out?" I asked remembering the wolf that attacked me all those months ago. It felt like a lifetime ago and so much had happened since then.
"If you're talking about what happened to you, the wolf in question was punished. He was not a young shifter, he wanted to hurt you but Darius already handled him. He will not be hurting anyone anytime soon. Don't worry about the mechanics of our shifting, worry about being safe."
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He got out of the car signaling an end to the conversation but I wasn't ready to drop it. I still had so many questions because I couldn't help but feel guilty about what was happening. I caught up to Jared just as he was about to open the door to the bar and I stopped him.
"You're going to be late," he drawled. "I know you're Darius' mate and all but it doesn't mean you should slack off work."
"If I married Darius today then you wouldn't have to shift painfully tomorrow, right?"
Jared paused and pulled me aside. He clasped both hands on my shoulders and forced me to look him square in the eyes.
"I am only going to say this once so listen carefully," he cleared his throat. "Yes, our curse will be broken but no one wants that. If you marry Darius then it should be because you want to and not out of duty or obligation to us. I- We actually like you, Leindra and the last thing we want is for you to live a life that you don't want to because you think it will make us happy and break our curse."
He rolled his eyes. "Of course, that will be the only thing you got out of my entire speech. Go in, Leindra, you have work and I need a drink."
I knew he wasn't going to answer any more questions after that but it didn't matter because I was done with my questions. I knew they loved me as their own but I didn't know it was a selfless kind of love where they were willing to endure their curse just for me to be happy. Every day, they taught me the meaning of love and family and I felt my heart warm.'
When I got to the bar, Serena was staring at me looking worried. "Are you okay? You look a little off. Do you want me to call Darius?"
I shook my head. "I am perfect. Let's get to work, shall we?"
I went to work with a positive mindset. Everyone noticed my good mood, even the customers. A lot of them flocked to my end of the bar and I knew it was because of my infectious mood and the fact that I was smiling from ear to ear. I thought things couldn't possibly go bad but I should have known that was when things always threatened to get worse because the door to the bar opened and Brandon walked in. Immediately, Serena was on edge and I saw Jared rise from his spot to stand in front of my end of the bar. It took me a second to realize that they were all protecting me from Brandon. I saw Jared begin to signal the security guard but I placed a hand on his shoulder. I could handle Brandon on my worst day. I didn't need any protection from him.
Brandon made his way over to me and stopped directly in front of Jared. He looked up at me with a frown. "Call off your dog, Leindra, I don't want any trouble and I am sure neither do you."
"I can rip you apart in a second, pretty boy," Jared snarled in his face. "I think you
should leave. As far as I can see, no one really wants you here."
"I don't really care about that. I am here on official hunter business."
He whispered the last part and Jared scoffed. "We don't answer to the hunters."
"I am not against saying what I want to the hearing of the entire bar but I know for a fact that there are humans here. You can either listen to me or you can hear it from the mouths of the townsfolk. It is your choice."
Jared turned to me as if to say the decision was mine and I realized that because Darius was not present, they were leaving the decision-making up to me. I thought about it for a second and I realized that Brandon was not bluffing. He was going to tell the entire town if we didn't listen to him.
"Clear the bar," I said finally and I could see that Jared didn't agree with my choice but
he turned to the bar and spoke in a loud and clear voice.
"Your last drinks are on the house. The bar is closing in five minutes."