Precious Jewel

Rain's POV

This is the third shopping mall we hit.
Alidya and Magda seem tireless, but I'm barely able to shift afoot. We shopped on and on, the security guards Ivor left with us are filling the car with our purchases. We have more than enough, but my mother-in-law doesn't know when to stop.
"My Queen, I'm dead tired. Can't we go back and buy the rest of the items on the list another day?" I beseech Ralph's mother. She looks up and her eyes soften. She reaches out her hand and caresses my face. "Of course, Saray. Let's eat something at the restaurant first so you'll regain your strength for the trip back," she indicates. I nod; food sounds good to my ears. The last few days I just can't get enough in, the twins seem to be constantly hungry. Leaning on Magda, I reach the restaurant. One of the guards escorts us to a VIP room where we can sit undisturbed. There is always a chance we bump into werewolves in the area and we really want to avoid being swarmed by all kinds of questions. Especially since the news has already reached the various packs that the King has a mate and pups are on the way. Ralph managed to avoid us being hassled by photographers and promised the press to send some pictures of the family once the pups were born.
As we sit relaxed in the air-conditioned room, Magda holds me by the arm.
"Eat healthily. Less salt and lots of vegetables," she states. I smile teasingly. "Yes, mom. Select the right dish for me from the menu." Magda rolls her eyes and scans the list of dishes. When everyone has made their picks, the waitress arrives and takes the order. As the woman stands next to me, I discover a strange scent about her. She is human, but attached to her is a werewolf scent so delicious it almost makes me dizzy. It is a mix of sandalwood and pine, masculine and strong. I smile and inhale deeply once more. As the scent creeps into my system, I shudder expectantly. It is as if a lost part of me is back, my soul has found completeness. I close my eyes to enjoy it more.
But then it is gone. The waitress has left.
"Did you smell that, Magda? That wonderful sandalwood fragrance, stronger than perfume," I tell my friend dreamily. Magda looks at me with raised eyebrows, surely thinking I have become delusional. "I think you're just hungry and dreaming of the best steak available in this kitchen, Saray," she explains dryly. "You're starving and the food is taking too long." I shake my head. "No, Magda. This smell has nothing to do with food". I got up and walked to the door where I saw the waitress disappear. The scent did not come from her, she was near the owner of it. I need to know who that is, everything in me screams the longing to meet him. I urgently need to know and see him, my senses are telling me he is important to me. Maybe he recognizes me and is willing to tell me about my life before the accident.
And then I see the waitress on the other side of the large dining room.
I stumble among all the guests with turbulent children in her direction. When I finally reach her, I hold her tightly by the vest. "Lady, tell me. Before you entered our dining room, what guests did you serve? Please tell me," I beg her. Strangely, she stares at me; she probably thinks she is dealing with a lunatic. "Miss, there are so many guests in this restaurant. I did serve hundreds for today. How should I know who you are talking about?" she points out sarcastically. But I don't give up, this is far too critical to me. I place my hand dramatically on my stomach; the gesture does not escape the woman. She sighs. "Okay, okay. I went to rooms 54 and 55. There were some men there on business," she notifies me. Gratefully, I smile at her. As I want to turn around, I think the more information I can get from the woman, the faster I can find the man. "Were you able to catch their names?" I requested the woman before she could go back to her work. "Jasper. There was one with great authority who handed out the orders. And he called the others Jace and Cleo," she voices quickly and disappears behind a door.
Well, that's more than nothing.
I scan the room numbers and see the ones she mentioned there. The rooms are far from where I stand, with a lot of tables and customers in between. I almost lose hope of getting there on time. And indeed, I see the door to room 54 open. A solidly built Alpha steps out, followed by two other men, clearly also high rankings. They are still conversing, but it comes to an abrupt end when the Alfa freezes on the spot. His eyes swirl desperately around the room until they catch mine. We stare at each other in disbelief and an invisible bond forms around us. Everyone in the room fades away, there is just him and me. "Rain!" I see his lips form, his eyes staring at me fondly, his aura radiating so much love toward me.
We take a few steps toward each other, beginning to cover a great distance.
“Saray!”, I hear someone calling me behind my back. And surprisingly, someone grabs me by the hand and drags me through a large group of guests to the other side of the restaurant. We pass through a door and then I am shoved into the back seat of a car. In the driver's seat, I now see no one but Eric. My eyes go wide with fury. "Eric! What do you think you are doing? Why are you taking me while the others are still in the restaurant? I'm hungry and want to have my meal before we leave," I exclaimed, aghast.
The Secretary throws me only a sidelong glance.
"Your food will be brought home, don't worry, Saray," he states without emotion. "I'm taking you to safety, there was danger in the diner," he claims. I can't believe my ears, this man just robbed me of the moment I got close to my past. That handsome man looked at me full of love as if I were the most precious jewel he had ever laid eyes on. He knew about me, damned sure of that! And Eric made me lose that moment forever.
Miserably I burst into tears.
When we finally arrive at Esis and Magda's house, I run inside, into my bedroom and close the door firmly behind me....