37

[Ragnar's pov]

I had absolutely no idea how Jade disappeared out of nowhere but I was also aware that something was being hidden from me. How could Zilver know something but keep on hiding from me? There was no way that her life was in danger and her brother sent her somewhere. I was her rightful mate and the father of the child she was carrying, there was absolutely no point of sending her away from me.

"I need to find Jade," I said to Zilver while we stood in the front lawn. "Why are you hiding her? Is she in danger?" I could not shake off that feeling which was causing a distress within me about the whole thing. She was away from me and I had no clue if even she was safe or not. Amidst the shadows that lingered in the corners of my mind, a torrent of emotions surged, threatening to engulf me. The weight of uncertainty bore down on my heart, and a bitter unease settled within my soul.

"I'm sorry, Ragnar," Zilver replies. "I can't tell you where she is. It's for her own safety." I could not swallow that he was still adamant on not telling me anything. Why was he even hiding things from me? Zilver, my trusted companion alpha, had chosen silence as his ally, a barricade between us. But why? Why would he cloak Jade's whereabouts in secrecy?

"But why? I need to protect her. She is carrying my child," I pleaded to him trying to extort any kind of information from him. Being aware that there was no way Zilver has no clue about her whereabouts. After all, she was his sister and in order to protect her he must have ensured her safety.

"I know you want to protect her, but trust me, it's better this way," Zilver says. "Just focus on keeping yourself safe for now Ragnar." I knew his words were hollow because each time Zilver was making me assured about Jade being safe he was telling me to move on at the same time. In that single sentence.

"Why are you hiding things from me?" I asked Zilver with frustration creeping into my voice. "I need to know what's going on. I can't just sit here and do nothing while Jade is in danger." Knowing that he might not tell me anything and I have to persuade him even more, I starter to pester Zilver with my constant questions.

"I'm not hiding anything from you," Zilver says, his voice calm. "I'm just trying to keep you both safe. There are people out there who want to hurt you, and I can't take any chances." Again the lies were there, knowing that he was feeding me hollow stuff to keep me away from all the talks.

"But why can't you tell me anything?" I ask, feeling more and more helpless by the second. The bond we shared had always been one of mutual trust and unwavering partner. Through battles won and scars earned by our hidden alliance, Zilver and I had stood shoulder to shoulder, facing the world with unflinching resolve. Yet now, a chasm had formed between us, a gulf of hidden truths that tore at the very bond of our friendship.




"It's complicated, Ragnar," Zilver replied to me with the same excuse. "Just trust me. I'll let you know as soon as I can." Jade, the name that held so much meaning to both of us in different ways. Her presence had woven us both with love, care and warmth in both of our lives. Her sudden disappearance had casted a great effect of desolation in my days, leaving me worried and longed for the echoes of her laughter and the memories we had shared.

I could not take it anymore and lunged towards him to throw a punch at Zilver, my frustration boiling over. "Tell me what's going on!" I shouted with all my emotions being ventilated in one go. I couldn't bear it any longer. The weight of uncertainty, the constant nagging in my mind about Jade's disappearance and Zilver's evasive behaviour, had become too much.

Frustration had built up within me like a pressure cooker and had exploded. And at that moment, I couldn't contain it any further. Zilver stumbled back, but he didn't fight back. "I'm sorry, Ragnar," he spoke while holding his jaw. "I didn't want to tell you this, but Jade has a lycan mate too. He has been looking for her, and I'm afraid he might try to harm you."

"What?" I repeated those words in my head while my mind reeling. "Why didn't Jade tell me about this? And why Zilver never told me about him either?” The frustration, the fear, the sense of betrayal, they all found voice in that single moment in my head. She had a lycan mate too, apart from me she had another fucking mate. The realization hit me like a thunderbolt, shaking everything within and took away the power of my understanding.

"She was unaware about it herself, and I was afraid of how you would react," Zilver tried to reason out with such a lousy excuse. "But you need to know the truth. You and Jade are in danger, and you need to be careful." His voice was laced with an apology, which struck me with another wave of deep hurt within me. He knew everything!

"No!" I yelled with feeling anger and betrayal bubble up inside me. "I can't believe this. Jade is my wife, she is my mate. She cannot have any other person besides me! I will rip off the head of that fucking lycan who would try to take her away from me!” Betrayal clouded my heart and suspicions welled up within me, the feeling was cutting deeper than I could have imagined.

Zilver's actions had seemingly kept the truth from me, leaving me exposed to a reality I wasn't prepared for. Never have I ever imagined the truth to turn out to be something like that. And the way Zilver was dealing with my by casually displaying those words made me wanted to punch him once again.