“Are you going somewhere?”
Priyank, who was trying to find his way out, stopped as he heard the distant voice.
He looked back and saw Jackson standing. The wolf form of Jackson hitting his head still haunted him. Never in his life had he seen that before, and after seeing it in Priya’s room, he couldn’t undo the image. Even now, when he looked at Jackson, he couldn’t think about anything other than his wolf form.
“Priyank, right?” Jackson asked, moving his feet toward Priyank.
“Yes,” Priyank answered, sucking back the anger he had felt before towards Priya.
For the past hour, he had been senselessly walking in this hospital. It’s so damn big, and he just went in circles because he didn’t know where else to go.
Still, he could feel the anger rubbing at him all the way around. Rather than calming down, the solitary walking only evoked more anger in him.
“Where are you going?”
“I don’t know,” Priyank’s eyes wriggled as he spoke in a monotone voice.
“Then how about we walk in the little garden outside this hospital? Doesn’t that sound like a bad option, or does it?” Jackson offered.
Priyank thought for a few minutes. He didn’t know if he was in the mood to be in anyone’s company right now, and he wasn’t even close to Jackson. He hated people and their company.
Still, he was thinking it over rather than denying it because it didn’t feel like he was getting anywhere by being alone at this moment.
It might be better to have company, so his anger could be reduced and stilled-he really needed it.
He needed fresh air to breathe, and this seemed like a perfect opportunity. He didn’t even know anything about this place-all the information dumped on him, the way Priya behaved, and the tiredness of three days already weighing heavily on him.
“You don’t want to come?” Jackson asked.
“No, I do,” Priyank replied.
“Let’s go.”
Priyank followed Jackson. As soon as they came to the garden, the evening breeze hit pretty well. It had been so long since he enjoyed it. After Priya ran away, he hadn’t left his office for three days, focused entirely on finding any piece of information he could get, not wanting to miss a thing.
So, this seemed like a soothing and calm feeling, when the soft breeze hit him with its coolness.
“You are a billionaire?” Jackson started the conversation.
“Yes. Did Rish tell you?”
“He did. And he told me about a lot of things you did with our future queen,” Jackson said, without beating around the bush.
“I am not going to deny anything,” Priyank admitted. He had seen their reactions before, so he knew Priya had told them everything that happened between them. She couldn’t handle keeping things to herself; she loved talking.
And she didn’t shy away from speaking her mind, so it was evident they knew. There was no need to hide, and he didn’t even like hiding.
“You know, if anyone touches royal blood like you did, they suffer a worse death in our pack,” Jackson said, walking without looking back.
“I am not part of your pack. And I don’t believe in worse death; I believe death is best,” Priyank said, his jaw tightening, his voice plain.
“Such a fearless person, but we wolves are not humans. Here we shred flesh into pieces; this won’t take you anywhere.”
“Are you trying to scare me?”
“Probably.”
“Then I have to say, you are awful at that. I don’t know about wolves or stuff, but the fact that you have to use your powers on a human feels like a compliment,” Priyank chuckled, increasing his pace and starting to walk beside Jackson.
No one in his life could scare him. Though wolves clearly could kill him, he was just a human. But would he show fear because of that? Nope, he wouldn’t.
In his Mafia life, he learned one thing: the more you show your weakness, the more people try to strip your strength away, and he hates being vulnerable. Priya was enough to bring that vulnerability out of him; he didn’t think he would give anyone else the chance.
Jackson glanced at Priyank, a hint of curiosity in his eyes. “You’re not like most humans I’ve met. They usually quiver at the thought of facing us.”
He had sensed from the beginning that Priyank was not a normal person. Something about him felt very odd. That’s why he was here, offering to walk with him, hoping to figure it out.
Priyank smirked. “I’ve faced enough monsters in my life. Wolves don’t scare me.”
Jackson nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer. “You’re interesting, Priyank. I can see why Priya mated with you.”
Priyank’s expression hardened at the mention of Priya. “Mated with me? She’s the one who ran away.”
Jackson shrugged. “You treated her like shit, so she had her reasons.”
The two walked in silence for a while, the cool evening breeze carrying the scent of blooming flowers. It was a stark contrast to the tension between them. Priyank’s thoughts wandered to Priya, to the way she had looked at him with those defiant eyes, and how she had spoken her mind without fear.
He shook his head, trying to clear his mind. “Why are you here, Jackson? What do you want from me?”
Jackson stopped and turned to face him. “I want to understand why someone like you, a billionaire with the world at his feet get involved with Priya?”
Priyank’s jaw clenched. “It wasn’t by choice. She stumbled into my life, and things got complicated.”
Jackson raised an eyebrow. “Complicated how?”
“Complicated in ways you wouldn’t understand,” Priyank snapped, frustration seeping into his voice.
It wasn’t even him who went to her; one day, she decided to trespass his house and his office for her dog. That day, she trespassed his heart too. It wasn’t his mistake when she invited everything on herself.
She was kept alive only because he started fawning over her. Otherwise, anyone else would have been dead in broad daylight, without him even blinking twice.
“You are her mate now, though. You should know that she has people who will protect her, so maybe you should be careful about your behavior from now on.”