Ridian’s POV
My visit to Redwood pack was very successful. I was able to get the partnership I needed. It had to do with the supply of salt from the mines. Redwood pack’s headquarters was in the city. The pack had built a booming transport business. I needed their services to transport the minerals in my pack’s land to the processing plants all over the country. John Redwood, the alpha accepted to work with me at very good rates. This was why I was in a very good mood when I returned home after two days.
I was excited to be with my love again after a very long time. When I reached the gate, I chatted with the security officers to get updated on the state of affairs. Everything was great but there were some minor issues that could be sorted by them. The head warrior met up with me and we walked towards the house together while he updated me on things in his front. When I got to the house, we went our separate ways. I went inside the elevator and moved up to my floor.
It was quiet. Smiling, I decided to go to surprise Jane. There was a delicious smell of good food coming from her unit. I smiled even further. Had Jane learnt how to cook? I placed my hand on the door knob and turned it, before opening the door. My heart warmed up when I saw her lying on the couch. When she saw me, she screamed happily and jumped off the couch before giving me a big hug.
I kissed her but pulled away because something did not feel right. I could sense that she was not alone. There was someone in the house with her, and that someone was my mate.
“Who is here?” I asked Jane.
“Oh, it’s my new personal maid. I didn’t want to be with Riley anymore. She seems to resent me so I asked for someone new. Mrs. Conway made the assignment.”
“Who was assigned to you?” I asked, despite knowing the answer. This was not the kind of welcome I had prepared myself for.
“A girl called Cilla Markle. I believe you know her since you revoked her slave status. I wonder why you did that. What did she do to deserve the pardon, my love?”
Jane’s gaze was sharp, but I did not feel intimidated. I was not scared of anyone.
“Don’t worry about it, my dear. If I revoked her slave status, it’s because she deserved it. I thought you were the one cooking for me. The food smells delicious.”
“Cilla Markle is in the kitchen,” she said. The look in her eyes was sharp and she was watching me directly, as if trying to detect something in my face. I was now more than sure that Jane knew something about Cilla and I. That story about Mrs. Conway assigning Cilla to her was bullshit. Jane had always chosen her maids by herself. People don’t change that much in a few months.
“Forget about all that,” I said, pulling her close. “Let’s go to my place.”
Jane shook her head. “No, my love. Please sit down. Let’s eat before we go.”
I sat down but my heart was heavy. I did not want to be in that position, and neither did I wish it for Cilla. When I was seated, Jane joined me and started to kiss me. I gently pushed her away.
“What’s wrong, my love? Don’t you want me anymore?”
“Let’s not do that now. We have company.”
Jane rolled her eyes. “You never minded before. We always got intimate even if there was a maid around. What is going on?”
“Things have changed.”
“What has changed? I want to know everything. Did you fall in love with someone else or what. Tell me now because I don’t want to waste my time. You didn’t seem too happy to see me. Was that why?”
I sighed. Jane was acting crankier than she had ever been. She had changed a lot in a few months. I realised she may be suffering from post-traumatic disorder. She said she had been kidnapped and kept by Mark. Anybody could be affected by something like that. Instead of lashing out at her, I pulled her closer. Agitating her would only make the situation worse. The best thing was to help her recover quickly and return to normal.
“Hey, maid.” Jane called out. “Please serve the food. We want to eat.”
A moment later, Cilla appeared at the door. She made eye contact with me as she spoke.
“Your food has been served,” she said. “Please come to the kitchen.”
Jane stood up and stared at me until I got up. We both followed Cilla to the kitchen. Several dishes were on the breakfast table. The smell in the kitchen was heavenly.
“Smells good in here,” I commented, wanting to get rid of the awkwardness in the room. Jane smiled and Cilla just stared at the food as we got on our seats.
My heart was heavy. Having both of them in the same room and not being sure which one I wanted was torturous. My heart was refusing to let go of Jane, and didn’t know whether Cilla was a good choice or not.
The food smelled delicious but I had no appetite. I couldn’t pretend so I stood up. “I do not wish to eat,” I said to Jane’s utter shock. “I’m going to my unit now. Please continue without me, Jane.”
Kissing her on the forehead, I walked out of there. As the alpha, I did not have to listen to anyone. Neither did I have to do anything I didn’t want to do.
Jane Willow had made me dance to her tunes far too long. This time, things were going to be in my terms not hers. She may have been kidnapped, but it was not realistic for her to expect things to be the same as before. A lot of time had passed which meant that both of us needed to make some adjustments.
I realised that if I stayed in the pack without making a decision on the two women, I was going to have very many arguments with Jane, and I didn’t want that.
Above all, I did not like what was happening to Cilla. I had revoked her status to reduce on her unhappiness but that had not lasted. Jane seemed to be intent on making Cilla miserable, probably because she knew of our involvement. Because of that, I had to find a way of helping Cilla.
If I was going to choose Jane over her, she needed something that could take her mind off things. There was only one thing she would love more than being with her mate.
Francis Sawyer was the alpha of Oakwood pack. He and I had only met once so when I called to set up a meeting, he seemed unsure but eventually accepted. He invited me to visit his pack, something I was more than willing to do.
When I arrived, I marvelled at the beauty of the pack territory. The infamous pack was known for mostly terrible things so it was shocking to see the place looking so beautiful. I had thought I’d end up in some murky place.
Francis sawyer was a huge man with a stern face, characteristics that made him feared by people in his land and beyond. In addition to that, he had a loud booming voice.
“Why are you here?” he asked me once we were seated in his office. The place was eerily quiet, making me wonder where all the pack members were. I had not seen any on my way to the office. The only people I had seen were guards standing at various positions.
I studied the man speaking. “You’re a respectable man, Mr. Sawyer.” I lied. “Because of that, I will not waste time lying to you. I’ll go straight to the point. I came to see the Markle twins. I heard they were here.”
“I’ve been hearing things, and I had a feeling someone would come looking for those two. I thought it would be her, but she sent you instead.”
The way he said it seemed to imply that he knew something that he was not supposed to know. Or maybe I was just overthinking things.
I shook my head. “She did not send me. In fact, she does not even know that I’m here.”
Francis tilted his head. “Why do you care about those children? Is something going on between you and their sister?”
“Mister Sawyer…”
“No, let’s drop the formalities.” He interrupted me and chuckled. “We are two grown men. Let’s talk as such.”
“What if there was something? Would it change anything?”
Francis smiled. “Now, that’s what I’m talking about. Yes, it would change some things. There is something I want from your pack. If you want the kids, I can sell them to you. They’re useless to me. All they do is eat and cry. You have something that’s valuable to me.”
“What’s that?”
He smiled. “That’s the question I’ve been waiting for.”