Chapter 6

It's a week after the incident, and I was finally back at home. Today was the day that I would finally get to meet Krystal. It was also the day that Sebastian was going to announce our upcoming wedding.

We had decided to hold it off last week until I was fully recovered, reasoning that I wasn't up to dealing with the uproar and media attention that was going to follow.

Sebastian had visited every day while I was in the hospital, and we had finally signed the contract. The rules he had laid down hadn't been too hard; the terms were favorable, so I had signed without a second thought.

[We're here.]

I read the text just as I heard a car drive into my driveway. I was nervous about seeing Krystal. I didn’t know what to expect. Did she still despise me? Was she angry that Darren forced her to come?

The slam of the car door forces me to move my feet. I take my bag and car keys, open the door, then lock it behind me and turn, only to see Darren literally prowling towards me. Krystal was still in the car, with headphones on, concentrating on her tablet.

The moment he’s near me, I'm hit by his angry energy. His eyes keep shifting from black to yellow. "What?" I ask him, unable to understand why the hell he was pissed.

He doesn't answer, just takes out his phone and shows me the headlines.

'A PERFECT MATCH MADE FROM BROKEN BONDS’

Below was a picture of Sebastian kissing me on the cheek a few weeks ago. It was accompanied by what I guess was a snap of our wedding invitation letter.

"What the hell is this?” Darren asks through his teeth.

I just grin at him. “Well, seems the cat is out of the bag.”

“You can't be serious, Ren. If this is a ploy to get back at me by marrying my enemy, it won't work. I don't love you, and I don’t want you back.”

I can't help but snarl. Can you believe this idiot? I want to smash his head against a wall and tear him to pieces. The arrogant piece of shit. As if I would ever want him back.

“The day I want you back will be a cold day in hell. I'd rather have my insides mauled by a bear than get back together with you. So get off your fucking high horse.”

He seems shocked for a while before he growls, his hands fisted to his sides and his face scrunched up in anger.

"You can't get mated to him,” he forces the words out.

"And why the hell not? The last time I checked, I didn’t need your permission to get mated,” I say and wave dismissively.

His attention is suddenly caught by the action, and he focuses on my hand. If it's even possible, he gets angrier. I look at what has him so pissed off and find him staring at my engagement ring. Sebastian had given me the beautiful ruby ring after we had signed the contract, stating the red matched my fiery red hair and attitude. He also said that there was no way his fiancée was going to walk around without a ring, fake or not.

I didn't have a ring when I was with Darren. We didn't even do the traditional human wedding, just the mating ceremony where he hadn't even marked me. Looking back now, I see it for what it was: a sham, a mockery of the love that I had genuinely felt for him.

“I'm your fucking mate, Ren!” he roars. I couldn't stop myself from laughing.

I turned to look at Krystal before answering. She was still engrossed in whatever she was watching. "First of all, don't call me Ren—you lost that privilege. And second, did you forget that you're the one that asked for a separation? I'm no longer mated to you, Darren. In actuality, I never was. As much as I want to regret you, I can't, because that would mean I regret Krystal. But get this through your thick head: I love Sebastian and I will get mated to him whether you like it or not,” I say before continuing. I see something pass in his eyes, but it's gone before I can decipher it.

“Now, if you'll excuse me, Krystal and I have a lunch date,” I finish.

I start walking towards the car, but he grabs my hand and stops me. “This isn't over, Lauren.”

“It was over long before it even started,” I answer, ripping my arm from him.

I open Darren's car door and Krystal looks up at me. For some reason, she seemed different—unsure and shy.

"Hi, Krys,” I say to her with a smile.

“Hi, mommy,” she replies in a small voice before getting out of the car.

She wraps her hands around my waist. This time, I hugged her back, sighing in relief that she had taken the first step and hadn't rejected me. I let her go then take her hand, leading her towards my car.

"Bye, daddy. Have a great day,” she calls out to her father, waving her hands at him.

"You too, baby,” he replies before pausing. “I'll pick her up at six, Lauren.”

His voice, which had been soft seconds ago, turns hard when he addresses me. Guess he was still angry. Not my problem, though.

“Don’t bother; I'll drop her at your house, and by the way... you're invited,” I say mockingly while getting Krystal settled in my car.

He doesn't say anything, just gets in his car and drives off, leaving nothing but a cloud of dust and his arrogant presence behind.

I get in my car and start the ignition. Krystal and I don't talk, with her seemingly lost in whatever she was doing on her tablet. I wouldn't even know where to start with her.

Forty minutes later, we arrive at the mall. I had planned to have lunch with her then look at some wedding gowns. Claire was to join us later on.

The moment we park my car and get out, reporters surround us. I grab Krystal's hand firmly and push through them as they throw question after question.

“How did you and Mr. Ashford meet?”

“Is it true what the magazines released today? Are you two getting married?”

“Have you heard from Darren and Miranda? Do they know?”

“Did you truly fall in love over your heartbreak?”

The questions go on and on as Krystal and I try and fail to push through them. I was starting to get angry, to lose it. They were too close. Blue and I didn't like that. It made us want to lash out, want to hurt someone.

I lose it, slapping one of the reporters when they grab Krystal.

"You fucking touch her again and I'll end you!" I screech.

At first, they are shocked. Nobody moves. I think they'll finally give up, but I'm wrong. They descend on us like a pack of ravenous vultures, as if my actions had psyched them. They were making me feel crazy, out of sorts. I could feel Blue pushing to come out.

The security sees our dilemma. Thankfully, they came to our rescue before I could expose us. They pushed the reporters behind, allowing us to get inside the mall. I guess they were used to it, given this was an upscale mall frequently visited by most celebrities.

I'm a media personality and I am used to the media, but not on this scale. The other time it was this bad was after the media found out that Darren and Miranda were together.

Krystal doesn't say anything, even after we find a restaurant, get seated, and order.

"So, what are you doing on your tablet?” I ask just to break the silence. It was a bit uncomfortable. “Nothing. Just watching cartoons,” she answers, looking up at me before looking back down again.

I try to come up with something else, but I'm empty. Why the hell was this so awkward? It has never been this silent between us, and Krystal has never been the quiet one. Maybe Claire was right after all. This wasn't like her.

“Krystal?” I call, and she looks up.

“Yes, mommy?”

Her black eyes look at me, guarded and unsure, which was also not like her. I didn’t want to flat out ask if everything was okay, so I chose another route, trying to get her out of her zone.

“What you heard and saw outside...”

How do you tell your nine-year-old daughter that you're mating her stepmother's ex-mate? "Mommy," she says in a small, sweet voice, smiling a little. “I know.”

I'm confused. “Know what, Krys?”

“That you're getting mated to Jax's dad. Jax told Mace the other day, and Mace told me.”

I was a little shocked that Jax already knew. I don't know how he took it, but I hope he wasn't upset about it. Also, this wasn't how I envisioned her finding out.

I take a deep breath. “Okay then, if you already know, would you be okay with being my flower girl?”

I was nervous she would refuse, that she would say no. She looks at me for a while before finally smiling and nodding her head. I sigh in relief, releasing the breath I didn't know I was holding. Our food arrives and we dig in. The awkwardness is still there, but it's a bit more bearable. I have to believe that it will take us some time to get back to how things were before.

Once we're done, we leave after I receive a message from Claire telling me she was outside waiting for us. We get outside. Thank the Moon Goddess the paparazzi are gone. We reach the parking lot, but we don't find Claire. I turn, only to collide with a man.

“Sorry, I didn't see you...”

I don't get to finish my sentence because he grabs me by the neck and squeezes hard, his fingers digging into my skin, cutting my air supply. Krystal screams, but I don’t think anyone will hear her, given we were at the far end of the parking lot.

The man doesn't stop, though. Krystal's screams actually seem to be egging him on. I start choking, gasping for air, unable to breathe, unable to believe that this was the second time I was being attacked.

I pray to the Moon Goddess that someone will find us, since Blue was out of commission. The events earlier drained her; she couldn't save us. We needed help before it was too late, before he finished me and turned to finish Krystal too.