CHAPTER 23. THE MYSTERIOUS STRANGER
HARA
I was still in a daze, staring at the man who'd just played 'knight-in-shining-armor' and had broken my fall.
His striking resemblance with the Alpha Prince left me speechless. His brown hair which synched with his brown eyes was the only significant difference he had from the Alpha-prince.
The Alpha-Prince had sleek, black hair that was mesmerizing to behold. And he had a more condescending, haughty demeanor than this man.
But I had to admit his smiles were enchanting. His cheeks had definite dimples which lit up his face in such a heart-fluttering manner.
I hadn't realized I'd stopped whimpering until his smiles widened. “You look more beautiful without the whimpers,“ he said.
Huh? My brows arched in confusion. I wanted to leap out of his arms but he held me down.
“Easy, dear.” He cautioned. Slowly, he guided me to my feet, still holding my hands.
I buried my face into his shoulder, clenching my teeth at the stinging pain from the part of my face I was smacked.
Tears streamed down my eyes as it felt like I was back to being a punching bag. My sobs came out low and soft. But my heart was shattering into tiny pieces. Memories of Roland's massive smacks on my face raided my mind. It felt like history was repeating itself as I'd just encountered Roland in another body.
My fingers dug into the man's shirt in so much fright. I was unnerved and was latching onto him in despair. He seemed to be okay with it, as he tightened his arms around me. His hand trailed my hair, and he was cooing a hush sound into my ears.
“It's okay, dear. You're safe. I got you,“ he repeated reassuringly. He was a total stranger, but somehow, it felt okay getting this close to him. Seeking solace from him.
My shivering quieted down and I let go of him, lowering my head apologetically. “I'm sorry, I was just…“
“It's fine. You got nothing to be sorry for.“ He said. I felt him leading me to a corner and I was going to protest, but my butts came in contact with a chair. I settled in, glancing up at him.
“Thank you,“
“Here, have this,“ He took off his coat and covered my shoulders with it. “It's gonna get a little violent soon, so don't look…much,“ he said, sliding my stray hair strands to the corner of my ear.
“Okay,“ My voice was frail and my nod was frantic.
He disappeared behind me and soon, screams and shrieks erupted in the buzz of that side of the room.
I was dying of curiosity, and when the urge came, I didn't fight it.
I turned around, and it was one hellish brawl.
The man who'd caught me from falling was flattening the asshole's face with massive blows. It was brutal I feared he might kill him. And what amazed me most was the fact that no one went for the asshole's rescue. Was he that much of a jerk, or were they scared of the man who was beating him up?
I looked away immediately, shutting my eyes. But even with my eyes shut, I still had a vivid imagination of what was happening.
Bones cracking, painful gruffish voices, bottles shattering – it was as violent as he'd warned it would be.
It went on for a while and soon, I couldn't hear it anymore. I opened my eyes as warm hands rested on my shoulders.
“You okay?“ He asked as he came to squat in front of me.
“You're bleeding…“ I said in a gasp, trailing my fingers on the small blood that lingered at the corner of his lips.
“It's nothing. I'm fine.“ He winced slightly, wiping off the blood with a handkerchief. “Let's get you out of here,“
He held me up and led me to the exit of the hall. My steps were dragged as I watched a teenage girl bouncing off a dick twice her size. But Goddess, she's just a teenager. How could she work a dick that size?
Soon, we were out of the third floor and headed down. The fresh, quiet air from the first floor chilled the havoc going through my mind.
“Have a seat,“ He pulled out a chair for me and went to sit across me.
It was my first time sitting here as a customer. All I ever did was work behind the counter.
His coat around me offered a great deal of warmth. The rich, intoxicating scent of his cologne was trapped in the coat. My nostrils had a good dose of it.
But then, my mind drifted to the ugly scene which had taken place a few moments ago and I was panicky.
If the higher-ups find out that I'd been the reason for a fight, I could lose my job. Also, if they realize I didn't belong on the third floor, I'd be severely punished. Oh God!
“You shouldn't have fought that man back there,“ I dared to say, looking up to meet his brown eyes. “Now I'm in a huge mess,“
“Fucking hell, you serious?!“ His face flashed with rage. “That buffalo smacked you hard. Now, I don't know about you, but a man beating a woman triggers me. Makes me wanna rip his eyes out,“
“I work here,“ I stated flatly, “When they find out I'd been the reason for the chaos earlier, they're going to fire me,“
“That's never gonna happen, I promise you that,“ He said firmly. Left me wondering if he was some kind of top-notch around here.
And Goddess, I might be crazy, but why does he have a much familiar aura as the Alpha-prince? Or is it just me, being too obsessed with the thoughts of the Alpha-prince?
“What floor do you belong to?“ He asked, startling me from my thoughts.
“This floor,“
“Here?“ He repeated. I nodded. “Then what in fuck's name were you doing up there?“
“I was covering for a coworker. She had a family emergency,“ I said, not wanting to go into details.
“No matter how big your love for humanity is, you should never go into a place like that without being mentally prepared,“
I arched a brow at the hidden insinuation in his words.
“You were terrified the second you stepped your foot into the room. Anyone could have guessed you didn't belong there,“
“How did you–“
“I singled you out. You were being so awkward I thought it was funny. And when you fought back, I couldn't help but admire your feisty ass,“
*Well, that's how you get when you're being swamped with dogs and crackheads* I almost said out loud but bit down my words.
His laughter echoed in the hall, it was loud as hell. “C'mon, it can't be that bad. That's just a place for people with insatiable appetites,“
“Did I say that out loud?“ I asked, wondering if my thoughts had been heard.
“Nah, it's all over your face. You feel disgusted,“ His eyes trailed over me, “You ain't exactly prudish, so I'm guessing you ain't a fan of PDA?“
“I'm not a fan of porn, especially one as dark as what I'd just witnessed,“
“Well, I beg to differ,“ He chuckled. ”It's a hard world, lady. Most of us get random, stubborn boners. We need a place like this to ease off,“
“But there were teenagers back there…"
“Over 18, I assure you.“
“Still doesn't make it feel right!“
“In all honesty, I've never heard that sexual urges respect ages. You could be a teenager and still get the maddening urge to fuck. What would you have them do?“
“Wait till they're old enough?“
”They are over 18. That's old enough.“ He snorted amusingly. “Tell me something, are you mad about the place or how it made you feel?“
I was quiet, trying to control the blush that crept to my cheeks.
“Thought as much,“ He grinned. “Nice to meet you, miss…“
“Suzy,“ I said.
“I'm Jason, a regular here. The third floor to be precise. I hope you don't mind?“ he smirked.
I let out a small laugh at his jokes but when I looked up again and a lock of his hair had fallen freely to his face, my eyes shone with recognition.
Holly Molly!! It's him, the mysterious stranger from my pack. He'd been covered with a black cloak that night I'd met him but his hair had fallen to his face like it did right now.
“Something wrong?“ He asked.
“You're the mysterious stranger from my pack.“ I said in a whisper.
He waited. Stared at me for a while, and I feared my guess might be wrong.
But then he smiled and nodded, leaning closer. “And you were the lady screaming for help.“