Claiming His Tempting Mate
Chapter 51

Savannah's POV

Ah my head hurts. I groaned as I moved my body. It felt like pain and somehow numb. Whathappened to me? I opened my eyes but it was still blurry and I couldn't see anything clearly.Shaking my head I rubbed my eyes trying to get rid of the blurriness. God my head was spinningand aching like it was about to blow. I sit up holding my head in my hand. Suddenly a few images oflast night flashed. Me sitting in the mini bar then drinking alcohol that I have never drank before.What the hell was I thinking at that time to jump into the conclusion of drinking and ending upgetting a hangover? Wait why I am feeling like there's something missing?

The crack sound of opening door reached my ear followed by a cold rough voice "you are finallyawake"

My blood ran cold and I felt my body shiver. I looked up only to replace the dominating brown eyesglaring down at me. Fuck this is what I was missing isn’t it? Him coming to get me last night?

"You are here?" I asked. By now all my blurriness flew out of the window and suddenly I felt mymind become sober.

"Oh, you recognised me?" He mocked and walked towards me in slow motion. His steps made myheart jump. I don't really remember what kind of thing I did last night. I hope there's not much of athing.

"Here" he forwarded a glass.

"What's this?" I looked at the container then to him.

"You are suffering from a hangover so it will help you relax. Drink it"

Being helpless I grabbed the glass and drank the water. The taste of sourness filled my mouth.Looks like lemon water.

"When did you come?" I asked him once I finished my water.

"You didn't remember?"

"I can hardly recall anything” I replied guilty.

"Since you know you have no connection with the alcohol world then why did you go forexperimenting with it to such a high extent? Even choosing the hard one? Were you trying to blowyour mind?" Hardwick frowned.

I sighed. I knew this would happen. I never touched alcohol before. Whatever I had was always mildone. And last night I drank the hard one, losing all my sanity. And God that too in the crowningceremony of my own brother. I need to replace time and apologise to Dev. How can I be so reckless todo something like that? Getting drunk on such a big occasion?

"Are you listening?" Hardwick's hard voice brought me back to reality.

"What?"

He narrowed his eyes, almost glaring "you, first you left the pack house without any informationthen you got drunk last night. Tell me the hell were you thinking? Do you know how worried I was?"My jaw dropped. Is he accusing me? I glared at him. How can he say that?

"So now it has become my fault?" I supported my body on my knees then put my hands on mywaist glaring at him "how can you accuse me like that? It's you who disappeared like you neverexisted in this world leaving me all alone in your pack then your ex lover showed up threatening melike a queen of the pack and asked me to adjust myself in this situation and give her a way out tolive by your side. I had to handle all these things yet now you are blaming me because you wereworried. Have you ever thought about my own feelings?" I yelled at him.

Hardwick looked taken aback by my sudden outburst. He looked stunned for a moment beforefrowning.

"What? What the hell did that woman say to you?"

I rolled my eyes "do you want me to give you a detailed explanation now? Isn't it clear that shewants me to make her marry you?" I gritted my teeth in anger.

He shook his head "that bitch, after all the fucking hell she put me through she still has the gut toutter such nonsense" his fist clenched and he gritted his teeth.

"I really did wonder that she got such huge courage to threaten me with her past relationship. It wasclear that she already has a good connection and now she is using it properly to get you back. Howromantic! I am really touched" at the end I mocked him then turned my attention from him lookingat the other side.

"No, this is not what you are thinking" he tried to explain hurriedly.

"Oh believe me this is what I am thinking all the while. I don’t need your explanation” I gave himmocking smile.

"Fuck that slut" Hardwick cursed again. He walked towards the bed and said again "you are taking itin wrong way"

"Really? " I shoot a glare at his side "then tell the fact you two had sex is it also wrong?"

A kind of helplessness flashed in his eyes and his eyes darkened. Though I know the truth, it stillhurts to know the past actions of him even if at that time we didn't have any connections.

"I won't lie to you. It's true that we had sex but that was nothing romantic. There's no emotion, notany agreement. All of that action was the effects of alcohol that possessed my body and I couldn'tstop myself" he explained.

I looked away from him. I felt him grab my hand but I didn't turn to look at him.

"Please believe me. I really don't want you to get hurt"

"I'am hurt" I replied as I looked into his eyes “I am really hurt. And the person who hurt me was notanyone else but you. It's you who hurt me so much. Why? What kind of sin did that hurt me likethis?"

Hardwick closed his eyes for a moment. I can see the pain reflecting on his face. Most of the timehis face would remain emotionless but today seeing his painful look it suddenly clenched my heart.It felt like his pain was stabbing me deeply.

He let out a heavy sigh "I am sorry. I never meant to hurt you no matter what" he shook his head."But you did," I told him. "I asked you so many times to tell me the truth. Because I knew it wouldcome out one day whether you like it or not because the past doesn't leave us when it is too dark. Ithurts me so much to know about the past which involved you greatly whether you were willing ornot. I am hurt because I wanted to know the truth from you but unfortunately I have to replace it fromother people. You said we are mates but you couldn't trust me enough to share your past events. Isthis how you put your trust in your mate?"

"No don't say that" Hardwick shook his head "please don't say like that. I knew it was my fault fornot telling you the truth but I was scared"

I frowned. Am I hearing right? The great Alpha of Dark Forest was scared? But scared of what? Whatmade him so scared that he could not tell me about his past?

Before I could question him he said again "I was scared to lose you. It has been so many years that Iwas trying to replace my mate but I never got one. Then I started to lose my interest in replaceing one andburied myself in pack work. After my parents died I only focused on my pack. That was until youwalked into my life and changed everything. I kidnapped you that day because I couldn't controlmyself. I wanted you to stay by my side forever. And the reason I refrained myself from talkingabout my own past is because I didn't want to lose you. It was already hard enough to replace you andif I told you about my past and if you had left then I couldn't bear that pain. I never want to gothrough the feelings of loneliness again. So I tried to hide it from you. But I never expected that thatdamn bitch will show up out of nowhere"

I looked at him as he explained himself carefully. I let each and every word of him to digest in mymind. I sighed.

"I wanted to tell you but I couldn't. If I knew that she would come back to ruin my life again then Iwould have taken the situation in my hand" he gritted his teeth. "I would have never let her step inmy pack again”

"That's why I said you don't trust me much” I told him. "If you trusted me enough then you wouldn'tlet fear consume your mind and heart. You would have told me everything that happened”

He looked at me with guilty eyes. I really don't want him to have such an expression. So I cupped hisface "I followed you from my pack to yours why? Because I have placed all my belief and trust onyou along with my heart. Then how come you thought that I will leave because of your past. I amhurt because it was not you who told me about your past. It's kind of insulting to know the secretsof your mate from another person. I just wanted you to have trust in me that I will never leave you,no matter what. You have to trust me on this point” I tried to explain myself to make himunderstand me.

"The matter of Delaney and I happened when we were teenagers. She was sixteen and I was twenty.Delaney and I almost grew up together but separately. She used to be the daughter of a pack priest.But I never gave any importance to her. Dad used to trust Ajim, Delaney's father in pack matters. Onthe day of my 20 birthday Delaney confessed to me saying she has a huge crush on me and wantedme to take her as a girlfriend. I denied it because I never saw her in such a way. For me she wasalways the member of the pack and a daughter of the priest. I never had any like romantic affectiontowards her"

"What happened after that?" I asked.

Hardwick sighed "after the celebration, me and some of my friends had toast. It was a happy timeand I was enjoying my time with my friends. I never thought that after being rejected Delaney wouldchoose another way to make me accept her. She spiked my drink and I was so drunk that I couldn'tunderstand what's happening around me. I was tipsy and couldn't even walk properly. I feltsomeone helped me to walk. My vision was blurry and my mind was messy so I don't know who itwas. After we walked into my room my body fell on the bed and then I really don't know whathappened next. In the morning when I work up I found myself naked and Delaney was sleepingbesides me"

I frowned at his explanation "that could have been just some act. How come it was clear that youtwo had sex that night?"

"Well even though I don't know what exactly happened that night, the next morning Delaney hadhickies on her body and there was blood on the bed. She was a virgin and from all of those aspecteveryone concluded that we slept together”

I rolled my eyes. May be they really had sex but this matter was not clear. Hardwick was drunk sothe person who helped him to get into his room was absolutely Delaney. She plotted it too well foreveryone to think that whatever happened between them was a mistake.

"What did others say about that matter?" I asked him

"My parents didn't take the matter too seriously while Ajim made it a big matter. He wanted me togive him a good explanation about his daughter. She lost her virginity and in future when she willreplace a mate it will be difficult for Delaney because no man will want a woman who lost her virginityto another male. At that time Delaney said it was her fault and she has a crush on me. Ajim askedme to take his daughter as my wife when time comes if not then he will not leave the matter easily”"It more feels like he is colliding with his own daughter” I rolled my eyes.

Hardwick chuckled "at that time I was not sure of it. Firstly because of Delaney’s terrible act. Andsecondly because because of what we had that fucking night"

"What happened then?"

"Ajim started to nag to give his daughter a title. Because of this matter dad started to get angry andfinally removed Ajim from his post. It made Ajim more ferocious. Delaney cried and asked me tohelp her. I confronted her then she admitted that it was her who spiked the drink and she was theone who lost her own virginity to me" He rubbed his temple.

"She could stoop to that low point? Looking at her no one could tell how black her heart is. Shecould do anything to get what she wanted. She could even utter nonsense that you both had deepaffection and I am middling between you two"

"She is just a bitch who couldn't control her greed” Hardwick hissed.

I knew the story but the deep connection between him and Delaney was opened by him. Luina'saunt also said that He and Delaney were found sleeping together the next day but how it wasunknown. Now hearing the story from Hardwick I can finally understand this matter.

"How was the reaction of your parents after she confessed the truth?”

"Ajim was shocked. He never thought his delicate looking daughter would do such a shamelessthing at such a young age. As for dad he was too angry. Because of Delaney the whole pack eldersstarted to accuse me of molesting an innocent girl. So when Delaney confessed in fear dad wasbeyond angry. She caused the reputation of the pack drown in the sea of Shame so he ordered tosend Delaney to East side”

"East Side?" I frowned. I have heard this name. I also got to know that most of the pack Elders livethere but why was Delaney sent there? Is it because of her sin?

"She was, the next morning without anyone Knowing. Ajim didn't even look at his daughter after herconfessions. I really pity him for putting so much trust to someone who couldn't stand on his ideals”"How long is that matter?”

Hardwick smiled "so curious to know huh?"

"Tell me please” I shook his arm.

He chuckled "7 years"